New Lathe Set-up Procedures

[B Hebert]

Is there an archived post or other reference that I can go to or is anyone willing to list the steps and procedures recommended to setup and fine tune a new MicroMark 7 X 14 lathe?

davestea had a valuable post from 9-1-06 with his steps; does anyone else have additional suggestions or recommendations for set-up, fine adjustments and perhaps recommended upgrades to get this up and running well?

B. Hebert

[mark c]

Check out this link. It has a wealth of info on the mini-lathe

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

[in2steam]

The 7x14 albiet smaller are out of the box very good lathes, the only drawback to them is that they tend blow up the speed control if its taxed.
I know there are mods, tons of mods, but I am not sure that any need to be done to make it work better unlike my 9x20, which needs 3 just to make it cut as well as the 7x14. Like I said you will need alot of rags, and wd-40 clean it off real well, strip down as far as you feel comfortable, you want to remove all the grease and more importantly the casting sand which is some intersting places like under the bed.

Chris

[HankB]

You have a MicroMark 7x14 lathe? What do you think of it?

I'm in the market for a mini-lathe myself, and the MicroMark looks as if it might meet my needs for most home projects, but I'd like some feedback from someone who has one before I place an order . . .

Thanks

HankB.

[jpelosi2002]

As someone that owns both a 7x14 and a Lathemster 8x14 I have to tell you to not waste your time and money on the 7" and just go up to the 8". The 1" more swing may seem a very small difference but the 8" is a much more rigid machine, even more so than the 9" models.
Not to say that the 7" doesn't have some nice features such as a high/low gear and variable speed control.

Parting off on the 7" is a chore especially if you want to machine gummy materials like stainless steel. The compound slide and cross feed lack rigidy and the crossfeed backlash adjustment needs to be adjusted like every 3 hours of use. The tailstock on the 7" is pretty much useless as adjustments are difficult to make and repeatability is nill. I'd have a very hard time recommending this unit to a novice. Maching is tough enough to learn on your own without having to fight your equipment every step of the way. What a novice needs is predicability and you're not going to get that with the 7" series lathe for the reasons I mentioned above.

I invested alot of time and money to bring my 7" up to snuff and it's still half the machine my 8" was out of the crate. I'm in the proccess of converting it into a full time grinder so I can get some use out of it and not beat the hell out of my 8" with grinding dust.

Just my $.02. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Jim

[B Hebert]

I have now had my 7X14 for a few months. Though I only get to use it occasionally, and am certainly not an industrial or experienced user, I am happy with it. Other, much more experienced friends like it.

The gibs still need more adjusting and the saddle still rocks a bit. I have gotten the apron adjusted and am used to tightening things.

I replaced the gib adjusting screws with larger allen headed screws from the hardware store with the same thread along with new lock nuts. I turned the screw tips down to fit the gib recesses and the larger heads are much easier to adjust than the headless screws that were originally there.

Good luck and have fun!

B. Hebert

[HankB]

jpelosi2002 - To make a long story short, I'm in a situation where I need a lathe that's "man portable" which means in my case that anything over 100 lbs or so is out of the question. (Limited workbench space.) So, sadly, I can't get a "real" machine for home use. From what I've read, your Lathemaster 8x14 goes around 190 lbs . . .

I've got access to a full size machine at work, but know just enough to be dangerous . . . since that's not the best "learning" environment, I thought I'd get a small machine for home to monkey around with, and something like a 7x14 or even a Sherline 4400 may just meet my needs to fabricate small parts and such.

B Hebert- have you done any threading with your MicroMark? If you turn down a long workpiece (>10") how uniform will the machine hold the diameter?

[B Hebert]

I have not done much threading on my machine. There is a follower and a steady rest available that both seem to be sturdy and functional.

B. Hebert

[pacosoide]

I have had the Microlux 7-14 for a couple of years already. It is better built than the regular minilathes out there. Has a tachometer and the tailstock has a locking mechanism. It weighs around 95-100 pounds.
Jose.