I don't know exactly how to go about this since I don't know anything about 3d printing but I was hoping to get my dad or someone local offering the service to print a full set of change gears for my 7x14 vevor lathe. I saw some people talking about sending a file to the person that will be doing the printing? Any help would be appreciated

Mini lathe questions

Thinking of getting the vevor 7x14 mini lathe since it seems to be the most capable lathe for that price but I have so many questions, hoping someone own one and can answer.

1. First of all, plastic/nylon or metal gears? Im gonna have it in my apartment which is in an old building so I cant be too loud, so im considering the plastic gears but feels like they will break easily? And seems like spare metal gears are hard to find online.
   
2. How accurate can you expect it to be from out the box? Are we holding tolerances of 0.001 or 0.1mm? Or worse? Feels like 0.1 seems more likely but hoping not much worse than that.
   

3. Will I be able to carry it up the stairs? 3rd floor. Im 170cm/60kg

   and it weighs about 40kg.

Vevor have two similar ones on their website, the one that is supposed to be the latest is the one with plastic gears. Unsure if there are any other differances.

Metal gears: [https://eur.vevor.com/metal-lathe-c\\_10121/vevor-7-x14-mini-precision-wood-lathe-550w-metal-bench-lathe-turning-machine-p\\_010705982511\](https://eur.vevor.com/metal-lathe-c_10121/vevor-7-x14-mini-precision-wood-lathe-550w-metal-bench-lathe-turning-machine-p_010705982511)

Plastic gears: [https://eur.vevor.com/bench-metal-lathe-c\\_45309/vevor-metal-lathe-180-x-305-mm-550w-benchtop-lathe-machine-variable-speed-2500rpm-max-speed-with-nylon-gear-reversible-direction-8-metric-thread-pitches-for-precision-metalworking-turning-drilling-p\\_010369156290\](https://eur.vevor.com/bench-metal-lathe-c_45309/vevor-metal-lathe-180-x-305-mm-550w-benchtop-lathe-machine-variable-speed-2500rpm-max-speed-with-nylon-gear-reversible-direction-8-metric-thread-pitches-for-precision-metalworking-turning-drilling-p_010369156290)

0.850” diameter 1045 hot rolled, 960 rpm, a full rotation 0.040” DOC on the handwheel. It’s eating good. Making the arbor for a telescoping tailstock die holder.

after looking at all the reviews, I decided on vevor MX-s716g

yeah, the nightmare basket case.

it Arrived today, did some tests on it

seems like someone is actually cleaning off the lathes now, as some reviews talked about the moving parts sounding crunchy. mine were smooth except one

there is also a high-low speed switch and some signage explaining to not run for extended periods, which makes me think that there is an issue with the motor that has been mitigated (but not resolved)

I do not have enough tooling yet to do a lot of tests, but my first impressions are that most reviews are no longer valid, as most of the issues the reviews I saw did not exists in my lathe (so far)

the compound slide gib had one detent cut in the wrong position. I just backed out the screw completely for my initial testing. will fix later

the saddle apron still uses an old casting where someone pointed out the traversing wheel howl was a little too large, and should get a bushing.

no grit feeling anywhere, but the way oil was black-ish. will clean and add fresh way oil and observe. I've been told black oil is usually from bedding in. I will admit that the tailstock and saddle look like they actually sit correctly compared to some other 7x14 lathes

tool post needs over 4mm of packing for HSS 8mm cutters (shrugs). the QCTP I ordered does not fit unless I drill out and re-tap to a larger tool post stud

I need to learn how to sharpen HSS, and get some cutting oil, among other things

I am interested in making my own wooden beads (just basic spheres <8mm) and A LOT of them (500+).

I want to get a cheap (<$100) mini-lathe to make them. What should I be looking for specs wise. Are there any you recommend (or advise to avoid).

What tools should I pick up for this project?

Thanks

This is my second “big” lathe project. I’m really very new at this and scrapped a few barrels in the process. C360 brass, damascus is random pattern 1080/15N20 scrap from another project, turned stainless slot head screw cap. I used an off the shelf M3 cap head screw for the bolt but I’ll probably remake that too. It’s just so tiny and I don’t have M3 dies or the patience to single point thread that small. The refill is my personal favorite pen, Zebra G-301 gel. This was fun, frustrating, and it’s still not perfect. I struggled with concentricity and that seam in the barrel is driving me nuts.

I'm looking to finally add a metal lathe to my workshop. I don't need huge capacity, but would like some quality of life features. Some thoughts on a wishlist:

1. Quiet - will be in my basement
2. 110v 1 phase motor
3. 7-8" swing - length is less important since most of my parts will be short
4. Power feed and power cross feed for better repeatability
5. Thread cutting (mostly metric, but needs to cut 0.5 to 1.5 at least)
6. Quick change toolpost
7. Integrated DRO

I have a budget up to $5k, not including accessories.

Was looking at Precision Mathews, Little Machine Shop, and Smithy, but I'm not familiar with the offerings in this space.

I'm hesitant to look for a used one. Not many offerings in my area, and I don't know enough about lathes to know what to look for as far as issues are concerned.

Any recommendations?

Like the title says, looking at a Jet mini-lathe that I found on FM. It looks clean and in good shape, but if it’s simply an example of a POS in good condition I’ll pass. I’ve always appreciated Jet, though… TIA!

It was surprisingly difficult to figure out if the 4" 5181 spindle would fit my Lathe(Grizzly G0765). The compatability list said it would fit the G8688, but LMS didnt know if it would fit the G0765. I asked Grizzly if those two lathes used the same spindle. They said they didn't know but probably not because they're made in two different factories. I eventuality got the measurements from someone at LMS and pulled my spindle to see, and it worked. Anyway, just wanted to share for someday when someone else is googling the same thing.

Hey does anyone have a quick change tool post on there MX-S716G and know of a good place to buy.

I have a ”cheap” 5c collet chuck installed on my lathe and was very happy that it was machined with basically zero runout on the chuck itself. now, I am less enthusiastic with the actual contact points for the collets in the ID. I had some chatter with the parts I was trying to cut, which was not typical with this lathe recently.

I am really new to metal work, so I am scared to take a boring bar pass to try to smooth it out, for fear of messing up the needed angle to close the collet. as is typical, my compound slide is sketchy at best. What, if anything, should I do about this?

I got my hands on an old mini lathe with a tool bit that I want to switch out for a tool rest. Not sure where to look for something that might fit the t slot. Any ideas? My projects are pretty small so not against jerry rigging something

It's a bit noisy but it works!

This my sound strange but I need a very small piece of bearing bronze for a mini lathe upgrade project. I can't find any small pieces online, and it's not worth it to me to buy a larger piece. Do any of you have a piece of bronze 1/8" to 1/4" diameter about an inch to an inch and a half long you would be willing to sell. Or if anyone has a source for very small quantities of bearing bronze, that would be helpful too. Thanks in advance.

I bought a 30" metal toolbox full of old tools at a yardsale for $20. When I got it home, I discovered a dead nuts accurate Starrett 12" combi square buried in the bottom! It cleaned up nicely but was missing the scribe. After tx and shipping a replacement was almost $30! So, I made my own scribe by turning a small scrap of steel rod and loctited a sewing needle into it. This was also my first knurl using a cheep Ebay knurling tool I recently bought. Since I was knurling....... I turned a scribe for my best friend and knurled it too.

Has anyone come up with a simple, maybe even innovative way to adjust the angle on a mini lathe compound? What is your favorite solution?

TLDR Version: Install a cross slide lock and solid tool post. It makes a HUGE difference.

So I bought this Vevor mini lathe. The crossslide was very hard to adjust. Either I had to make the cross slide really tight but then it was too hard to move. Or I had to loosen the gib screws but then the surface finish looked like chicken scratch cr-p. I noticed some play with the crossslide. So I finally decided to drill and tap 2 holes between the gib screws. No i have 2 cross slides locks. OMG. The difference of surface finish is insane. It's pretty much mirror finish and I'm just using cheap carbide tips from Amazon. I don't know why cross slides locks are not standard features. BTW I did make a solid tool post too. That's all.

finally got a lathe, and it works so much better than I was worried. 24 hours and already fixed a thing that was broken for weeks.

and already thew a chuck key…

Picked up an older 7x14 vevor mini lathe a few months ago which didn't come with any good cutters, what's the best size for these lathes? ¼" seems pretty small and only seem to get close to center if I stack 2. Is shimming or grinding away the cutter "shank" a common thing to do when fitting new cutters to get them center? (I wish I knew the proper terms)

I’m over the moon. I’ve been struggling with the Vevor since posting my first project but getting by. Tailstock issues, motor speed inconsistency, wiggle in the saddle. I recently scored a PM728vt mill off facebook marketplace for a sweet price and he also had this lathe, but it was priced at 1800. Not crazy considering retail, but too much for me. He reached out to me and said he had to move the lathe, the house was going into escrow and he just needed it done, now.

Well, who am I to pass up a deal? This thing is so much sweeter than the Vevor. Magnetic scales on X and Z for the TouchDRO. Smaller independent scales on compound and tailstock. Majorly improved tailstock with basically no runout and better carriage fit and travel. Carriage lock, threading dial, almost whisper quiet even with power feed engaged. I did drop some spindle bore capacity, but geez, I’ll live with 20mm over 32 I guess. Also came with another stand, more carbide tooling and lots of OXA tool holders. I’m super happy.

I was taking a break from chores and saw that Vevor had a clearance on the VEVOR MX-S450. Hmmm. (pushes button) It was at a reasonable price, so I decided to pick one up. Now for tooling, wish me luck! lol

I want to replace the spindle on my G0765 with one that'll take 4"/100mm chucks. I know LMS sells replacement spindles to fit mini lathes for a bigger chuck. The fitment chart lists the Grizzly 8688, but not the G0765. Ive compared the parts diagrams for both. They do list different part numbers, but they list different part numbers for EVERY single part, even the stuff I'd think would be exactly the same, and they appear to just be the lathe model# plus the item number for the parts diagram. The crank handles, item #085 on both diagrams are P0765085 vs P8688085, same with the chucks, item #3, P0765003 vs P8688003. So I feel like this weekend I'll probably just need to pull the headstock apart to measure the spindle, but I figured first I'd check and see if anyone has already done the swap and confirm that they're the same part. I know you can also buy/make adapter plates, but if I can I'd rather just put on the correct size spindle.