Anybody have a "Cummins" mini-lathe?

[jpsmith123]

I'm thinking about buying a small lathe as I'm getting tired of having to go to a machine shop to have small parts made whenever I want to do something.

I'm wondering, does anyone have a "Cummins (http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,876,0.htm)" mini-lathe, and if so, how do you like it?

[a3990918]

I'm wondering, does anyone have a "Cummins (http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,876,0.htm)" mini-lathe, and if so, how do you like it?

I don't have one myself but you might try joining a couple of the groups on Yahoo devoted to the "Mini-Lathes". The link will take you to a listing of the mini-lathe groups.

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=7x10

[wymanthescienceman]

I actually happen to have one of these lathes and they aren't too bad considering the price of them.

I bought mine from the Cummins website around January this year and so far I haven't had many complaints other than mine is ugly-ass yellow. You should go to the Mini-Lathe (http://www.mini-lathe.com/) site as they have alot of tips and tricks on how to improve it. And the site Little Machine Shop (http://www.littlemachineshop.com) has alot of tools and parts for it.

A few things I would have changed about it:

1. Plastic gears - Almost all of the gears are plastic, although I havent had one break yet as I do light duty work, it would have been nice to have metal ones.

2. Brass Cross-Feed "nut" - The piece of square stock that guides the cross-feed bolt is made of brass and I soon stripped one of the holes that holds 2 screws which adjusts tension on the cross-feed. Mine is a little outta wack now so I need to make a new one. Would have been nice to have it made of steel.

3. Cross-feed range - I found that the cross-feed should have been designed to come back about an inch farther than it does. When fully retracted the tool holder has about 1/8" clearance of the outside of the chuck. With your tool bit out about 1/2" it makes the max diameter of your work piece limited to about 3". This has limited me a few times but if you stay small you'll be fine.

4. NO LATHE DOGS :( - Would've been nice to have a couple...

5. Tool Holder Flex - When working harder metals like stainless and cold rolled steels, the tool bit holder will flex down and your bit can cut deep into the work. This has happened to me a few times and I don't like it, all I can do to remedy it is take much smaller and slower cuts.

My advice would be to get some good tool bits (the included ones aren't the greatest) and maybe a live center and lathe dogs if needed, along with reading up a bit on lathe work and tool grinding if you're not familiar. If you have the money, buy a quick change tool holder, it is most likely more sturdy and will make working with multiple bits alot faster and there won't be a need for using feeler gages to adjust tool bit height.

All in all I think it's a fine lathe for small work. It seems to have plenty of power for what I do and as long as you don't abuse it and take care of it, it will last quite a while I think. I have worked Stainless, Cold rolled steel, Aluminum, Brass, Wood, PVC and Teflon without any problems. I don't use mine all that often, probably 20-30 times so far this year, I mostly just love to have it around when certain things pop up that need the use of a lathe. But I tell you what, I would be rather sad if I had to give it up, because I know as soon as I do I'll need it again.

[Charles Owlen Picket]

+ 1
[I have a mini-lath, it's an oldie.] But I can't honestly recommend bargain products. Today, if you don't want to spend a lot, most people buy Chinese; I just can't bring myself to do that. I don't know how much it would cost to buy something from a country with high quality steel but I suppose the price is right on the Cummins.... Just be prepared to repair it on occasion, etc.

[megalomania]

Those Chinese tools are cheap for a reason... Search for a used version of quality tools first, but unless you are a casual user, it is invariably worth the extra cost for durability and longevity. Too much of that Chinese crap is so bad it breaks within a few months to a year. They want you to keep coming back for more, in the long run you end up spending more money.

[BeerWolf]

I have the Harbor freight version of this lathe, as well as their mini milling machine.
It helps to consider them as a "you finish it" kit, rather than a "ready to go" machine.
The casting were very good, but the assembly was horrid. I found casting sand in the bearings, flash not ground off in important places, and gibs not even finish cut, much less polished.

That being said, they clean to to rather nice machines, if you have the time and skills to fix them up. I'm semi-retired, so spending days drawfiling and polishing the gibs by hand were not a big thing, compared to the money saved.

If you don't know how to do these things, or can't spend the time, best spend more, and get one better finished, or good used tool.

[jpsmith123]

My next question is: is it practical to teach myself to use it?

I know basically how a lathe operates, but as of yet I have no experience operating one.

My first potential uses would be to bore holes in the center of small flanges, face the flanges, and in another project, to put a hemispherical end on a graphite rod (I assume I'll need some kind of ball-turning tool for that). I wonder, are these the kinds of things I could do without formal training (I realize I will make some mistakes and ruin some parts)?

[wymanthescienceman]

I don't see why you couldn't teach yourself how to use a lathe, when I bought mine I had only previously used a large floor model lathe in machine shop class to turn a small tapered hammer handle, once. Through some practice on scrap pieces of stock you can work your way up to operating a lathe with good enough skill to do the types of things you want to do. I would suggest practicing quite a bit with the materials you want to use so you get a feel for how you're gonna do it.

Thankfully there are videos and books available from various sources that teach basic to advanced lathe operations that you can learn from. If I knew the link to the torrent that I got those videos from I would let you know, but I'm pretty sure I found it somewhere on this forum. A search for "Metal Lathe" should turn up something. If you really want formal training then go for it, I bet there would be basic classes on running a lathe somewhere in your area. Hands on training with a good instructor could only benefit you IMO.

The types of procedures you said you want to do can be done with a bit of practice and the right tools. Fortunately the Little Machine Shop site sells Radius/Ball turning attachments for the Mini Lathes, albeit a little on the spendy side at $90-$140. You should be able to get whatever you need from there, but there are other sources to cut costs, I've found quite a few of my tools on eBay.

[pyromaniac_guy]

Those Chinese tools are cheap for a reason... Search for a used version of quality tools first, but unless you are a casual user, it is invariably worth the extra cost for durability and longevity. Too much of that Chinese crap is so bad it breaks within a few months to a year. They want you to keep coming back for more, in the long run you end up spending more money.

QFE
I paid 300$ for my Bridgeport mill with x axis power feed and 2 axis DRO at a surplus auction. Now I realize that not everyone can afford the money, space, or power for such a tool, but looking for a good (nay, great) deal on a quality used machine is the way to go!

[Charles Owlen Picket]

My next question is: is it practical to teach myself to use it?
I know basically how a lathe operates, but as of yet I have no experience operating one.

I have had machinists in my family for generations. It has general principals as does specific machine operation (lathes, etc). The idea is to acquaint oneself with standards of operation and practice. Continue till it becomes second nature. Then one's own creativity will either surface or not and that will be the determinate weather you are to be a good machinist or a great one.

[a3990918]

How big of an item are you planning on turning? I have 3 metal lathes that cover the gamet of what I need them for. Instead of buying a new , Chinese, mini lathe you might consider a Unimat or even bump up to an AA109 style Craftsman and/or Dunlap type lathe. I have both and between the 2 they can handle just about any small job. The Unimat does a good job on turning pistol barrel profiles. If I can't turn what I need on these 2 lathes then I put it on my 9"x48" Mod.A Southbend.

The good things about these lathes are they were all made of metal anf built to last. The Southbend and Dunlap are U.S. made and the Unimat is imported from Austria. Though they haven't been made in several years, parts and accys are readily available. Price will set you back about the same as a well optioned Chinese plastic fantastic.

[BeerWolf]

My next question is: is it practical to teach myself to use it?
Yes, you can. Your parts won't be very good at first, but you'll learn.
Here's a website with free downloadable books on lathe operation:
http://wewilliams.net/SBLibrary.htm
Most of these are very old, but for the small home lathe, the techniques haven't changed much.

[jrrdw]

I would like to suggest a quick change gear box no matter witch lathe you choose. I have the Harbor Freight 8" X 12" manual gear box. It is a pain in the butt to change and re adjust the gear rack. Other then that I have no complaints. Practice makes perfect!

[tmp]

I'm considering buying one these for multi-applications: metal, plastic, and
wood. Sears has the Craftsman and Jet minis. Does anybody have any
information on the Jets ? The idea of plastic gears in the Chinese-made
lathes doesn't give the feeling of something "reliable". On the net, the
Unimats seem to be the favorite among hobbyists.

[a3990918]

I'm considering buying one these for multi-applications: metal, plastic, and
wood. Sears has the Craftsman and Jet minis. Does anybody have any
information on the Jets ? The idea of plastic gears in the Chinese-made
lathes doesn't give the feeling of something "reliable". On the net, the
Unimats seem to be the favorite among hobbyists.s.

Don't know about the Jet Minis, but the full size Jet lathes are fairly good and very popular with hobbyist metalworkers. Don't have any experience with the new Craftsman lathes.

I really like my Unimat, the only problem with it is they have become collectable items and the prices have been driven upwards in recent years. If you want a good, quality lathe about the size of the Unimat, check into the Sherline brand of lathes. I have had one of these in the past and they are a very good, currently produced lathe.

[a3990918]

I would like to suggest a quick change gear box no matter witch lathe you choose.

Do they make a mini lathe with a quick change gear box?? I have never seen one but I'm sure if there's a market for it, someone will make one.

[jrrdw]

Do they make a mini lathe with a quick change gear box?? I have never seen one but I'm sure if there's a market for it, someone will make one.


http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Features/features.htm

Here is a page from minilathe.com. It shows a 7" X 10" with a two lever gear box. One lever for high and low range, another lever for the tumbler gears. Sieg built the lathe in the pictures.

About the plastic gears, they are very tough. As long as you don't run the carrage into the turning chuck and jam it up, you shouldn't have any problems with them. The drive belt would probly just slip anyway.

My 8" X 12" Harbor Freight has metal change gears. Mine is built by Central Machinary. :)

[a3990918]

[QUOTE=jrrdw;99636Here is a page from minilathe.com. It shows a 7" X 10" with a two lever gear box. One lever for high and low range, another lever for the tumbler gears. Sieg built the lathe in the pictures.

My 8" X 12" Harbor Freight has metal change gears. Mine is built by Central Machinary. :)[/QUOTE]

My mistake for not being specific. The quick-change gear box, when dealing with a metal lathe, deals with threading & leadscrew speed, not with the spindle speed. With a metal lathe w/out a QC gear box, you have a set of gears that you have to manually install on the lathe so the carriage will move along the work, via the leadscrew, at the right speed to cut the correct thread pitch. To cut 10tpi you would use one set of gears but to cut 8tpi you have to change (Hence the name change gears) the gearing to another set. On a lathe that has a QC gear box, you don't have to change the gears, just move a lever or 2 (Depending upon the make & style of lathe).

The tumbler gears basically pertain to forward and reverse.

From the website you listed above:

"Cutting Screw Threads
With the supplied gears, the lathe can cut a variety of threads - many more, in fact, than are listed on the chart on the gear cover"

AND

"Additional gears (not shown) are provided and together allow the lathe to cut a wide variety of inch and metric threads. Expensive lathes have gear sets attached to quick change levers to quickly and conveniently select the desired thread. On this lathe you must manually remove and add the proper gears each time you need a different thread pitch. This is a pain, but for most users, threadcutting is done infrequently, so the invconvenience is tolerable":(

Not saying that nobady makes one ( I have seen a one off, mini lathe w/QC gearbox. Machinist made it for his own personal use) but I have never seen a commercially made mini with QC.

[Alexires]

a3990918 - Don't double post. It's bad joo joo and will get you banned. You can edit your previous posts for up to an hour after you post them (I believe).

Also, use the preview button before you post. It will help prevent coding errors like in your previous post (you are missing a ] in between 99636 and Here)

Remember to check your spelling too. Nobody makes mistakes like "nobady"

[Anformula]

Someone briefly mentioned the Emco Unimat, and I wanted to add my two cents as I have had one for years....

A lot of the mini-lathes IMHO are pretty cheesy little pieces of crap, intended for turning wood or plastic or very soft metal at best.

The Unimats are quality machines like the best full sized lathes you can buy. They are just designed for smaller, more precise work. You can frequently find the Unimats on Ebay. I got mine that way and it was truly a steal.

Anyway, if in the market for a small lathe, I highly recommend them!

[jpsmith123]

I can't believe my shitty luck: I had essentially decided on the Cummins 7"x12" lathe; not bad quality...pretty good owner reviews...lots of accessories included...at a decent good price ($370.00 on ebay)...and now, two weeks before I'm due to receive my income tax refund (which I was planning on using to pay for it)...the seller stops listing them on ebay, and I'm told that they've been discontinued :mad:!

[jrrdw]

jpsmith123, you still have plenty of options. The 8"X12" I have from Harbor Freight is wonderful compaired to not having one at all.

[jpsmith123]

I'm thinking about that 8"x12"...the biggest disadvantage for me is the weight...given my present situation (someday I'll have a bigger, better place to work, but not right now unfortunately).

Can it be easily disassembled into more manageable chunks if it needs to be moved around? (I think when assembled it weighs almost twice as much as a 7"x12", maybe 200 lbs. or so, right?)

[Charles Owlen Picket]

That's God telling you to buy the Unimat....

[jpsmith123]

I'm worried I'm being steered to get the Micro-Mark MicroLux model 82710...at about double the price (with the same amount of accessories included).

[jrrdw]

"Can it be easily disassembled into more manageable chunks if it needs to be moved around? (I think when assembled it weighs almost twice as much as a 7"x12", maybe 200 lbs. or so, right?)"

If I remember correctly the weight is 242 lbs. You can go to Harbor Freight and download owners manauls in PDF format. It has a complete break down diagram so you can see what will be involved with disassembly. Very simple to do.

[jpsmith123]

Would anyone mind giving an opinion on this lathe? Also, which of the accessories shown would you consider a necessity? Thanks.

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=82710

[jrrdw]

It's basicly the same as the Harbor Freight 8X12, but smaller and cost more with less tooling.

Copy and paste that http, server isn't going to allow the link.

[jpsmith123]

As it turns out the Cummins lathe is back (apparently the lady mis-spoke when she told me it's "no longer available"), and although its price is relatively low for what you're getting, it seems the HF 8"x12" or the Lathemaster 8"x14" are better machines...although the heavier weight is a big disadvantage in my case.

Jrrdw, is your HF 8"x12" actually 12" between centers? I saw a review on the internet somewhere where the owner was claiming that his HF is actually 8"x14" and identical to the Lathemaster 8"x14" (except for color I think).