Hi people I am new to metalwork all though I have working in the refrigeration service industry for 30 odd years. I am thinking of buying a mini or hobby metal lathe now I have retired, but the only experience I have with lathes is my Axminster wood lathe, which I have enjoyed using for a number of years and I know wood lathes are far more forgiving in use.
I am thinking of the Axminster SIEG SC2 300mm Mini Lathe or the Clarke Metal Lathe - CL300M as I think either of these will suit my needs.
What I would like to know is what are the must have accessories to get when I buy the lathe and what are the useful accessories to buy with or soon after? Any help will be gratefully accepted.
Thanks Geoff.

Hi Geoff,

Although I have never used a mini lathe I have used a regular lathe plenty of times. I have only taken a brief look at the two lathes so I'm not 100% certain what you get with each one.

I'll write this to assume that you know nothing about a metal working lathe (I am not being patronising, I just don't know how much you know)

Make sure you get a good pair of safety glasses

The tailstock which is at the opposite end of the lathe to the chuck normally incorporates a morse taper. There is a locking lever on the tailstock and when you release this it enables you to slide the headstock closer or further away from the chuck. There is also a feed handle which can be wound clockwise or counter clockwise. Turning the handle clockwise normally extends the feed and anti-clockwise retracts the feed.

In the tailstock morse taper you can insert a chuck, which will allow you to hold regular metal drill bits, which is useful for drilling a hole through the dead centre of the work, or you can insert a dead centre or better still a revolving centre. A revolving centre incorporates a bearing and so it revolves with the work, a dead centre is static and so if you use it to centre a long piece of work you have to apply grease to the end of it or else it will get hot and possibly friction weld itself to the work piece.

So you first need to find out what size morse taper the lathe uses and then get a revolving centre and also a chuck of the correct size. (just noticed that the Axminster lathes is a 2 Morse taper (2MT) )

The dead centre or revolving centre is also useful for when you are setting up cutting tools in the tool post as you can insert the centre in the tailstock and then align the cutting tool to the dead centre by using packers etc. under the cutting tool. (with a brand new lathe you might not have to do this).

You will then need some tools for the lathe, I have just checked out both kits on Axminster and it seems you need both sets as the first set http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tu ... rod206619/ does not contain a parting off tool and the second set http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-si ... rod655487/ does not contain any boring tools.

I'm not sure what these two lathes have in the way of cooling, but that would certainly need looking at if you were to be machining steel (s)



I'm not trying to influence your decision here but the Axminster lathe looks the better one of the two!

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DIY | Donnas dream house

Thanks for the input ultimatehandyman and I don’t think your answer was in any way patronising, I have had and used a wood tuning lathe for a number of years and when I bought it from Axminster it came mail order, I opened the box Yes I even read the instructions and wanted to turn a lump of wood into something of beauty but alas no turning chisels just the bare lathe, so I went to my local Machine Mart and asked of course they wanted to sell me every accessary they had and some of the things I have hardly used, since I have made or altered some chisels but everything is manual setup which I am fine with tolerances are well that’s near enough. With metal tuning I know it’s not going to near enough, and I really don’t know what tools I will need to start of basic metal turning. Like one thing you mentioned was cooling neither of the units mention it so I presume it’s an add on, I know the (chisels) are separate tools that fix to the units but I have read about tungsten tipped. HHS carbon steel, but do these have the same cutting properties as wood lathe tool and do you have the grindstone alongside the lathe to keep them in tip top condition? But hopefully I’ll get some more knowledge before I shell out my pennies on tools and accessories that I don’t really need to get me started.

I've kept an eye on lathe enquiries as the though has occured to me often enough to retain an interest. One thing that I found was that the 'low end' lathes had trouble with 'run out' and attracted criticism. To this end I'd rather get hold of a second-hand unit from a more reputable make and would consider spending up to £1,000 (perhaps £1,500) to get a decent quality machine.

If you are just hobbying and into smaller parts consider a version that offers vertical milling as an option. There are sites devoted to the conversion of cheaper machines into CNC-capable models which, to me, would be the ultimate result!

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This post may contain nuts

A grinding stone is useful for sharpening those types of cutting tools. The lathe that I normally use now has some cutting tools where you use an insert on the end of the tool. I am not sure if these are available for such small lathes but here are a few examples on ebay-

http://bit.ly/qPBswV

http://bit.ly/ooBanY

http://bit.ly/ncQfBm

With most of these inserts you can use an allen key to loosen and then swap the cutting edge. The diamond shaped inserts can be turned around so that you can use each corner of the diamond for cutting. With these types of bits you do not need to sharpen the cutting tools as you just swap the bit when it is blunt.

A micrometer would also be useful for measuring the work piece. If accuracy is not an issue and you don't want an exact tolerance you could settle for using a digital vernier

http://bit.ly/nAtDr8

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DIY | Donnas dream house

Thanks so much for the input guys, I really wanted the lathe to make the bits and bob for projects I make, wheel bearing housings, knobs, bushes, adaptor rings and mounts for my video cameras on my lads race motorbikes, all fun things, another interest that has sort of crept up on me since retiring. The thought of a CNC capable lathe would be great and the ultimate but I think I should get used to using a metal lathe first, (maybe convert on of my routers into a CNC router would com first)
I have most of the tools I think I would need even to the Digital Vernier Caliper from my job. The idea of tungsten replaceable bit on the cutting tools is very nice as it saves the sharpening aspect I have when using the wood lathe, so thanks a lot once again.
The items I was thinking of getting with the lathe were the likes of a Knurling Tool. Tail Stock Chuck’ Hold-down Clamps, Thread Cutting Gears, Horizontal Slider. I know there are lots of items I will need which is why I posted on here as you guys are so helpful.
Cheers Geoff

You might want to consider adding a "travelling steady" to the list of accessories (if available), for machining longer stock.

Also, make sure your knurling tool is the clamp type. The push type put too much pressure on the bearings.

wrinx

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www.ilmostro.co.uk

The most significant difference between the two lathes is the motor.

The Clarke motor is a conventional or should I say, old fashioned 300W motor with a wound rotor and commutator. That's very much like the "universal" motor used in drills and small appliances. The commutator makes it noisy both aurally and electrically.

The Axminster is a BLDC (Brushless DC) 500W motor. That should produce at least twice the power of the Clarke because BLDC motors are more efficient. The BLDC motor is more expensive because it has to use a controller and inverter. The inverter produces a variable frequency three phase supply to the motor's stator, which looks like any ordinary induction motor's stator. The rotor is quite different from a normal induction motor. Normally copper bars that form a squirrel cage around an iron core. In the BLDC, the copper bars are replaced with neodymium and samarium magnets. Altogether a far superior motor to the Clarke.

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I should be dead; I've cheated the Grim Reaper yet again by surviving my third heart attack in June.

Just been pointed to this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170709641871? ... 1423.l2649

dave

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You can always tell a Yorkshireman,
But you cannot tell him much.

Thanks dave, but a bit too far for pick up only sadly, I wonder with the Ammonium Nitrate bag in the back ground what they have been making in the past

I bought a new lathe a few years ago and it was junk, I soon bought a second hand boxford that is perfect, much better than a myford or any of the new lathes on the market. i made a milling machine using the bits from the new lathe.

You get what you pay for.

The Clarke wood lathe is ok for the money, its not precision engineering, but then you dont need it for wood. I have a CM400, ive used one for years. Its ok for making knobs, bowls, noggins and stuff like that. Wood turning really is down to your tools more than the machine.

Metal turning, on the other hand, is a horse of a different kind. Its all down to the lathe itself. I eventually bought a 7x14 Real Bull mini-lathe (CJ18A series)



Theres various copies of this, and the chinese, indians and japanese all make a copy. I make reproduction Meccano parts on it, and Mecanno compatible parts, including clock parts. Works fine on brass, bronze and aluminium, mild steel ispossible with good tools, anything beyond that it struggles. Itll do thread cutting on soft metals eaasy, and ive meneaged it in mild steel, but its a bit of an art.

These are about £350. If you want to spend more, Chester do a version at about £700, superb piece of machinery.

They make carpets, dont they ? :O