Sieg (Axminster) small lathe advice

[misterfish]

I know it's not actually a woodworking tool, but I've had an Axminster Sieg C0 micro lathe passed on to me and am not sure if it is worth using or whether to sell it. I know absolutly nothing about this tool (though I have found the American manual online) or about working with metal. I'm sure it might be useful but any suggestions for relevant reading matter or online resources would be appreciated.

Misterfish

 

[CHJ]

You lucky individual, a delightful little tool for all those small turning jobs, if you are not into model making then think in terms of making replacement screws etc. for Planes, Saws and the like, even pens.

 

[marcus]

I'll have it if you don't want it :wink:

 

[Webby]

I'll have it if you don't want it :wink:

 

[marcus]

I think Axminster do short weekend introductory courses about this sort of thing? If I could afford some small engineering machines I expect I would use them for custom handles and hinges and other one off pieces of hardware. And probably they would get used for making bits of jigs as well from time to time.

 

[dickm]

The "standards" are books by Sparey (Novice's lathe, Amateur's lathe) and Ian Bradley (Amateur's workshop). They are old, but still the Bibles for small lathes.

 

[AES]

@Misterfish:

You lucky "boy" you. These little machines are very good within their size limits and v good value for money if buying new - so "superb" value if free

As somene has already said, they're very handy for knocking out bent/broken/missing bits for all sorts of machines and hand tools.

But first you've got a bit of "hands-on" learning to do if you've never done anything like this before.

Here's a couple of web links to sites which IMHO are absolutely excellent for beginners. Don't worry about the fact that they're Amercian sites - not only did "they over there" start off the "Chinese Mini Lathe" boom much earlier than UK did, you'll also find them written by people just like you - they do NOT assume any prior knowledge. You'll also find lots of links off to other, similar sites, including some in UK:

mini-lathe.com/Home/index.htm

http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/index.html

Both the above are of course preceeded by the usual http and 3 w’s & slashes stuff.

In addition you'll find out lots of ideas on those sites for building "stuff" to improve your lathe/make jobs easier, so much so that if you're not careful you'll get diverted off into "gadget making" (a bit like always making woodworking jigs, etc) - DAMHIKT!

You'll undoubtedly need to buy some tooling etc (the above sites will give you some good ideas) and though Axi themselves have some stuff, you'll find the supplier below VERY good (usual disclaimers):

arceurotrade.com

And finally, for a good forum covering all sorts of metal-bashing stuff (not just model engineering), and with lists of UK suppliers of both tools and materials, try:

model-engineer.co.uk (again with the above prefix).

Good luck, have fun.

P.S. Most people who get started with metal working lathes find that they pretty quickly double the base cost of the (new) machine with all sorts of stuff like tooling, faceplates, chucks, drill chucks, etc. Just because your’s cost NIL doesn’t mean you’ll get way with it! Assuming it’s a “bare” machine you’ve been given, reckon on about 250 to 400 quid, depending on your needs & desires.

Cheers.

Krgds

AES

 

[AES]

+1 for Sparey

And another: "Using the Small Lathe" by L.C. Mason (MAP Technical Publications). Like Sparey, also old (1950s I think) but VERY well worth reading/keeping by you.

Krgds
AES

 

[misterfish]

Thanks for the info. As far as I can gather the lathe has had very little use - it was bought by my father in law who sadly recently passed away. I have the task now of going through his shed to sort out just what else is there and what is worth keeping.

Misterfish

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Visit LATHES.CO.UK. reams upon reams of information, books etc.

 

[jimi43]

This is the smallest of the Chinese lathes sold by Axminster and others in various guises. Good quality hobby lathe, great for making small components out of brass, ali and mild steel.

Don't expect to make drive shafts for the QE2 on it and you'll be surprised what it can do!

Be warned though, once you get using it you will start down a very steep slope.

Jim

 

[dickm]

Don't expect to make drive shafts for the QE2 on it and you'll be surprised what it can do!

It's a fair bet that someone, somewhere, has found a way to turn stuff of that diameter on a micro-lathe When you see what got made on round-bed Drummonds..................

 

[marcus]

Just wondering for future reference, since we're talking about little machines, does anyone know whether this sort of thing

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/sealey-sm2503 ... hine-p7851

is a waste of time, or are they any good?

 

[jimi43]

All indications and from experience tends me to believe that a mill attachment on a lathe is neither one nor the other.

From my experience I can see that setting up the mill every time you need to do a miling job will actually not be conducive to work flow and it is best to have dedicated machines. The biggest problem seems to be the constantly having to remove the cross slide assembly to replace it with the Y table...and I can see this. Also the small table for this is far too small to do any sensible work.

Before I bit the bullet and went for the SX3, I went through the X2 and then the SX2 mills and these had much bigger tables than the work that can be done with the attachment.

The same size mill to this attachment has a 500W motor whereas this only has a 150W motor which is simply not adequate.

Also this is a brush motor which is extremely noisy...whereas the SX2 and SX3 are both DC brushless motors which are whisper quiet. The attachment uses a plastic gear-train which causes a lot of this noise and also if you put any strain whatsoever on the mill...the gears shred themselves...apparently this is a safety feature!!! :?

My recommendation is to go in and see them and then get them to run them to see what I mean.

I would not advise going for the hybrid model if you have a choice. The saving is not that great and not really worth it.

The most important consideration is (as others have said)....you will spend almost as much if not more than cost of the lathe or mill just getting enough bits and bobs to work with them...so keep this in mind in your budget.

Another consideration with the Chinese lathes and mills is that they are almost all not "ready to use" out of the box. Arc Euro Trade offer this but most don't so be prepared to strip them right down and remove all the swarf and sand from manufacture and the shipping grease....then re-lubricate and adjust. This took me a few days work on mine.

If you need any more information give me a shout on PM.

Cheers mate

Jim

 

[AES]

+1

I have no experience of these "hybrid" machines myself, but when I first got my Mini Lathe (about 4 or 5 years ago) I did a lot of reading on the web and in books and the advice was consistent - do NOT go for these machines, they're neither "fish nor fowl" and just aren't up to the job (either job actually - turning or milling). If you can't afford a mill, then go to Arc Eurotrade (amongst others - usual disclaimers) who sell a milling attachment for the cross slide of all the Mini Lathe models.

Krgds
AES

 

[marcus]

Thanks chaps, useful to know.

 

[dickm]

Have debated getting a Rodney or similar milling attachment for the Super 7, but never actually got round tuit. The main argument FOR these sorts of hybrids is that they take up less space than individual machines, which could be important for some. While it would be great to have a proper standalone mill, my shop doesn't have the room.
As usual, it's horses for courses, but a vertical slide on a ML7/Super 7 is probably a better bet than a really compromised hybrid.