Mini Lathe Wood Lathe Machine Diy Machining for Table Woodworking Wood DIY Tool Lathe Standard Set

Okay, the product description is terrible, but the pictures are fairly correct. Contrary to the description, there are no acrylic or plexiglass parts. The mini t-track base and seats are aluminum. The covers (beige, no company logo) are painted sheet metal. The only plastic is the switch, plug, and power supply.The overall product length is 12", height just over 2.5" (roughly 2 5/8"), and width just over 2.25" (roughly 2 5/16"). It uses a sub-mini t-slot track/base, so normal t-slot tracks and/or bolts will not fit (size or spacing).The maximum wood/material turning diameter is about 2 1/4" to 2 1/2" (70mm). Smaller diameter pieces are easier to work with. The maximum wood/material clamping length is roughly 5," but the lathe can handle a roughly 7" length of material if you turn the tailstock around and let it hang off the end of the base (note the screws may or may not reduce the maximum turning diameter in this configuration).The only effective way I saw to expand this lathe (optional) was to purchase a second lathe and cut off some of the track from that one. I left about 4.25" of track under the second motor, which is now used as a mini grinder with a sanding disc wheel attached. The lathe, with new track, was bolted to a piece of wood, making sure all was aligned as straight as possible. It can now handle material up to about 12-13" long, which is about the max a mini lathe like this could realistically handle.The three-jaw drill chuck capacity is roughly 1/4" (6mm). The included screw drive (mandrel) for this chuck (spins the wood/material) is similar to the mandrels used with Dremel's polishing wheels. That little screw drive (mandrel) works okay, but I purchased two Plum Blossom thimble drill bit lathe drives (6mm drill shafts with 8mm & 14mm lathe heads) from China (eBay) which work even better.The speed of the motor is controlled by a small switch on the 110/240v power supply. The speed range is 4000-8000 RPM in seven power steps (12/15/16/18/19/20/24v). Since this lathe works similar to a Dremel tool (little nibbles at high speed, not sheer motor horsepower), I don't recommend even slower speeds using a dimmer switch or similar.The wood/material to be turned should be as round as possible before starting. If you're using square material, cutting off the corners (after you've marked the center at each end) will reduce time and lessen the chance of tool kickback. Of course, make sure the wood/material is centered at each end before starting.Position the tool support (angle aluminum) as close to the turning material as possible to reduce tool kickback and increase the smoothness of the cuts. If necessary/possible, turn the tool support around. I cut the screw slot in that tool support a little deeper to allow for slightly greater adjustment. I'm not very impressed with that tool support, so I may eventually fabricate a wider, more adjustable, tool support.When carving, take small slices/nibbles instead of jamming the tool/chisel blade into the wood/material. Again, this lathe works similar to a Dremel tool (little nibbles at high speed, not sheer motor horsepower). Slower speeds will work just fine for most wood or plastic materials, while harder wood or soft metals will usually require faster speeds.The included starter set of chisels isn't very good. The chisels do work, but not great. I recommend the Harbor Freight "Wood Carving Set" (item #98195), but there's many options available in a small size suitable for this lathe. Make sure your blades are sharp and remain sharp as you work. Hold the chisels firmly. Curved shaft chisels will bite into material quicker, so watch out for kickback. And, of course, if you want to work with metals, you'll need chisels for metal.By the way, the second cover, not over the motor, is for small circular saw-style blades, effectively turning the lathe into a mini table saw. The blade with proper mandrel (neither included) fits into the drill chuck and the slot in that cover straddles the blade. The material you're cutting rides on top of the cover, cut by the exposed blade. Be careful. There's absolutely nothing protecting your hands & fingers from that very sharp, very fast spinning, blade.That should be enough to get started. Practice on scrap pieces before trying anything important. This is a fairly versatile little lathe. Watch some YouTube videos for ideas. I use mine primarily to make small wood or plastic fishing lures, plugs, and floats, none easily done on a larger lathe.

READ THIS BEFORE BUYING OR IF YOU BOUGHT ONE AND QUIT USING IT.Here are the main problems I see with a lot of people who write bad reviews about these types of what I call "micro lathes":#1. Not centering wood between the head and tail stock properly. This will cause the wood to shake and potentially fly out, which brings me to #2 and #3.#2. Not firmly securing the wood to the head and tail stock. I didn't use the little screw bit that came with it and instead took the advice of another reviewer and filed the tip of a #1 Phillips head bit down a little and pounded it into my wood. I also gave the tail stock a couple taps with the hammer to make sure it bit into the other side of my wood.#3. Running the lathe too fast. Cranking up the RPM's isn't necessary for turning wood and won't compensate for dull tools. You're also more likely to stall the motor and risk your wood piece flying out (see #1). I turned some oak dowels at the first and second speed settings with no trouble and minimal vibration, and the higher the RPM's the more it shakes. At the second speed setting I was able to hold the micro lathe still with my left hand and turn the wood with my right hand.#4. Trying to turn soft wood. You'll have more success if you turn harder woods like maple or oak. If you cut down a pine 2x4 for your first couple of tries you're going to be disappointed because it won't cut so much as it will spread/smear for lack of a better word.#5. Not using the right tools in the right manner. I had never turned wood before but watched a lot of lathe videos before deciding to purchase this micro lathe (I do other woodworking though). It doesn't matter if you're using a $5k lathe or this $41 lathe, wood is going to respond the same. You will experience "catches" if you aren't holding your tool in the correct position, poor results if you are turning too fast, poor results if you're using low quality/difficult wood, etc. If you're trying to remove a lot of wood use one of the roughing tools, there's a curved one and one with a 90 degree angle. If you're seeing sawdust and not little slivers of wood you're not doing something right. The other tools are for finishing and finer detail.#6. Being shocked by how small this thing is. Again, I think we should call these "micro lathes" because mini lathes are an actual category and these are not one of those. If you need to turn really small things I think something like this would be preferable because of the level of detail you can get with the appropriate tools.#7. The tools that come with this can be used. The jury is still out but I experimented with heat treating and tempering some of the tools to make them more useful and extend their life. I heated 4 of the included tools until they were glowing orange and quenched them in vegetable oil (not water) and then heated them back up to a glowing orange and let them air cool to room temperature to temper the steel. In theory this might allow the steel to hold an edge longer. Heat treating and quenching should make the steel harder but more brittle and heat treating again and allowing to cool slowly will improve the metal's toughness (tempering). I then honed the edges with a whetstone which I would recommend regardless of whether you choose to try to heat treat and temper. Any tools you buy will need the edges touched up from time to time, they're no different than your kitchen knives.#8. Adjust the guard as close as you can to your wood. The farther your tool is from the wood the harder it will be to control.#9. If you want to make a dowel out of square stock remove as much wood from the edges as you can before putting it on the lathe. If you choose to not do this use one of the roughing tools and go slowly.#10. Invest in some better (but not great) quality tools. The included tools will work but will require frequent resharpening and probably won't last too long for you if you're turning a lot of wood. A $100 set of tools will also work but so will a $25 set from Harbor Freight, it's all in how you take care of your tools. And if you invested in a $41 micro lathe chances are you're probably not really serious about wood turning or just want to turn really small things.I hope this helps you. This is a purely unsolicited review and I did not receive anything from anyone for my opinions and advice.My first attempt with the lathe was to make a Raketti Block, and science trick toy that demonstrates Bernoulli's principle. The only places I could find to buy one of these was Grand Illusions in the UK and a specialty puzzle dealer in Finland. I was pleasantly surprised to find mine worked as well as my Finnish version.