A few bits of advice for HF 8x12 lathe owners

[sunnyday]

I am atotal newbie but have learned a few quick things that may be beneficial for new owners of this lathe.

1. When you get the lathe, make sure your mark the headstock chuck with

1
2
3

to correspond with the appropriate jaws that are in it . If you dont do this and mess up the pattern for both sets of jaws , then the jaws dont hold the metal stock you wish to work on correctly/ level . As soon as You get your lathe setup, take the jaws out immediately, and look on the sides of each jaw and you will see 1-2- or 3 stamped there and then make sure to stamp the headstock chuck with the correct number that each jaw was in from the factory



2. For my tool post, I went ahead and welded a case hardened 1/4 " x 3" long bolt to the side of the top bolt that fastens the whole tool post down / releases it for adjustments. Now I dont have to keep an adjustable wrench on hand to move the toolpost

3. I have found that the wooden crate that the lathe comes in, makes a perfect tray to slide under the lathe to catch all the spare metal shaving . Just use the left or right side of the woooden crate and cut off about 2" so it will then slide directly under the lathe .

4. I took out the 1 metric screw that holds the door shut to the gear/ motor area and glued a magnet to the door which holds the door shut and alows me to easily open the door without needing a screwdriver near me.


I am turning and facing, but still cannot figure out which pulley configurements result in certain speeds nor can I figure out the instructions for using the gears to thread. The owners manual on this things is attrocious and even the pictures arent able to convey much.,