A version
of the 7 x 12 metal mini-lathe is sold in Canada under the King Canada
brand. There is also a 7 x 8 metal mini-lathe version sold in Canada
under the brand name of Craftex by Busy Bee Tools (www.busybeetools.com).The 7 x 12 mini-lathe part number is KC-0172ML and costs CAN $1000.00 (in 2010). It is more expensive than similar versions sold in the U.S. Altas Machinery (www.atlas-machinery.com) in Toronto sells this lathe model.
All 7x
mini-lathes are the same but each brand will be slightly different. The
KC-0172ML lathe comes with a 4-inch, 3-jaw
chunk, for example. All the other assessories are similar, such as the
steady rest, face
plate, etc. Some other minor conponents may have a slight
difference in design.
In this
lathe, the
tool holder is made for 3/8" cutting tools.
These 7x lathes are made in China, so it makes a very good price for hobbies. All the major parts are made by cast iron and steel. When the machine is taken out of the box, you will need to clean up the grease. There may be a poor finish in the sharp edges so it can cut your fingers during the grease cleaning.
These 7x lathes are made in China, so it makes a very good price for hobbies. All the major parts are made by cast iron and steel. When the machine is taken out of the box, you will need to clean up the grease. There may be a poor finish in the sharp edges so it can cut your fingers during the grease cleaning.
All versions of 7x
mini-lathes have the same standard features: a gear box for thread
cutting,
high-low speed selection, speed control, forward and reverse selection,
and a
emergency stop button.The original cross slide and
compound slide dials are marked with each
fine feed division going by 0.001" and 0.025 mm. But the
lead
screws are 1 mm pitch metric thread, so each division is 0.9843" mil.
One turn has 0.6 mil difference. Most of time I will use the English
dimensions where in many cases it is acceptable. Sizes less than a mil
does not seem to be a huge difference, but
usually the cumulative errors can cause mistakes and inconvenience when
making precise parts are crucial.
Firstly,
the lead screw needs
to be
upgraded. So I bought a set of English scale upgrade kit from Little Machine Shop (www.littlemachineshop.com) to replace the original lead screws and dials. It is a true 0.001" increment dial and 0.050" pitch lead screw.
The kit comes with 0.050" pitch lead screws, 50 division dials, and nuts for both cross slide and compound slide.
Another
inconvenience is
the missing fine-feed dial on the carriage apron handwheel and
tailstock. The tailstock only provides a 0.125" and 1 mm division
on making the quill.
The 7x lathes is worth for the price with the provided features, especially for the hobbies and tight budgets.
However, some parts of the design may require some improvements, such as adjustment in the backslash and gib. You can find in the website, below, showing some owners have done improvements/modifications/upgrades on the lathes.
Links
www.mini-lathe.com This external site provides a very good source of information about 7x mini-lathe.
The 7x lathes is worth for the price with the provided features, especially for the hobbies and tight budgets.
However, some parts of the design may require some improvements, such as adjustment in the backslash and gib. You can find in the website, below, showing some owners have done improvements/modifications/upgrades on the lathes.
Links
www.mini-lathe.com This external site provides a very good source of information about 7x mini-lathe.
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