In an earlier post I indicated an interest in the 9 x 20 lathe,I finally made my decision. On January 16,2008 a Harbor Freight SKU #45861 was delivered.
Although there was some damage a call to the parts department and a man
named Glen,those parts are on order.

I was very lucky in that there is a Harbor Freight showroom less 10 miles
from home. The state tax was approx half the shipping charge I would have had to pay if it were shipped. Furthermore if I purchase a four jaw chuck
I'm still ahead.

The instruction book recommends that the lathe be cleaned with "Paraffin"
and lubricated with "Caid-Free oil". The suppliers that I talked to aren't
familar with these terms and refer me to the degrease's they have in stock.

Apparently the cleaner and oil usd are critical,does anyone out there have
any ideas. Also do I use grease on the gears from what I have been able to understand silecone is not recommended. All comments greatly appreciated.

Thanks Harbor Freight for you support

My last interaction with HF replacement parts goes something like this:

Don't expect the part to be painted (if the original was painted). The machine was painted after the parts were assembled (that was a cutter grinder).

The part took ten weeks to get to my office (8 weeks from china + 2 weeks in the US).

Since you are local to the store, simply return it and get another one.

Ken

degrease the lathe using kerosene. basically you want something that will leave an oily film on ways etc so they don't rust. also on the gears yes you want them greased. i use axle grease or wheel bearing grease. also build yourself a 4 bolt compound hold down as the two bolt is weak and cheezey. check steve bedair's site for alot of info.

www.bedair.org

The instruction book recommends that the lathe be cleaned with "Paraffin"
and lubricated with "Caid-Free oil". The suppliers that I talked to aren't
familar with these terms and refer me to the degrease's they have in stock.


Caid-Free oil = Acid-Free oil! :)