[earthman]

7x14 Mini Lathes

Opinions on the above lathe please, many people on here own one?

Are they reliable, replacement parts easy to get hold of? What's the deal on the internal cogs being made from plastic? Have you replaced them with metal ones?

[Simon C]

Hmmm, just looking at the picture in the link you posted. it shows the older type tailstock in the pic. i bought my lathe almost exactly 12 months ago from Amadeal and the tailstock that mine came with is a meatier version with camlock built in. might be an idea to ask them exactly which tailstock it will come with. heres a pic of the tailstock on mine.

regards
Simon

[earthman]

Thanks for posting that picture, another thing to look out for then.

[earthman]

YANGZHOU REAL BULL MACHINERY CO., LTD.

Going by the manufacturers website/picture, it looks like this is the current tailstock.

[helijohn]

I have had two of them. The first I got new from Amadeal, the second I got used. I got the second as it was a bargain; came with loads of extra kit and had been set up already. I loved the first so much that it was irresistible.

I would say that, like most of these, you will need to strip it down and set it up before first use. I did a complete write-up on mine and some of it you can find here Airgun-uk.freeforums.org • Login

These lathes are reliable and if you need owt Harry can get it. Don't worry about the gears being non metal but as I said above, the whole lathe needs to be set up and that includes the gear train. You can see more of the extensive work I did on this forum but I am no longer a member so cannot direct you to the exact section - you'll need to search. ukchineseairgunforum.myfreeforum.org :: Index


The 100mm chuck size is at least the one to go for as 80mm is a tad inadequate.

[earthman]

Thanks, I'm not a member of that forum either, any chance of putting your write up on here at some point? Could be more useful on here than a gun forum???

[helijohn]

Thanks, I'm not a member of that forum either, any chance of putting your write up on here at some point? Could be more useful on here than a gun forum???

Well I'd like to but the Chinese forum banned me and it was many pages in length.

[earthman]

Oh,......I see.

[earthman]

Am I right in saying that there's no up and down adjustment on this tailstock?

I've found the four small grub screws around the base which obviously give some adjustment left to to right.

How do you guys set up a drill bit in the tailstock chuck so it drills bang in the centre of the end of a piece of bar? I've worked out the slight left/right movement but I think the height is slightly out on mine.

[loply]

There is no height adjustment on the tailstock. If it's wrong (it's probably high) you need to take it apart and scrape/grind/mill the underside of the top part.

[earthman]

Thanks, at first I thought it were low actually so that would require shimming up I guess.

I had a little play with the grub screws today and consciously made sure by hand pressure that the tailstock were fully seated/up against the V groove before clamping it down via the lever. I think it's better now.


In general what is the best method of checking that it's spot on?

OK, using a dead centre tool in the tailstock is a given, what do you put at the chuck end? If it's a round bar how do you mark the centre exactly before hand? I've always found that very difficult to do, to put a centre punch mark bang in the centre.

[Dano523]

I can not open the link to tell, but your spindle should be something like a MT-2, and the tail stock something like a MT-3, Which the machine should have come with two dead ends for both.

So with the chuck pulled, insert the two dead ends, then with the machine on slow, sister spin a razor blade between the two point. If the tail stock is set correctly, the razor should spin true at 90* to the dead ends (do this first with the tail stock spindle pretty close inward.

Now take the tail stock spindle out about half way, and spin the razor blade again. If the razor now spins off 90*, then it time to play with the tail end again to see where the problem is.

As for once you have the tail stock set correctly, then while reinstalling the chuck, chuck up a piece of round stock and dial indicate off the stock to get the chuck (jaws) set true to the spindle next.

[earthman]

I'm not sure what you mean about the razor blade, the ones in the UK have a slot down the centre so how would you clamp it between the two points?


I think I've managed to do it without the bade, the dead centre in the chuck is a live one, I tried to clamp it via the tapered shaft but I couldn't get it to centre correctly so I clamped it on it's edge.
I didn't run the machine, just turned the chuck by hand to see if it looked in line, then I drilled a hole in a bit of bar, what do you think?

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[Dano523]

Yes, that razor blade will work fine (or any other thin small piece of hardened metal). You put it between the two dead center points where the razor has metal, then spin the machine. If the two dead points are not dead on to each other, then blade will not set/ rotate at a true 90* to the two points.

Forget using the live center, there will always be a tad slop in the system. So pull the chuck and use the taper in the chuck spindle for the correct Dead center in it if possible. If you have a larger through bore without a Mt type taper in the spindle, then at least use a pointed piece of stock that you have dial indicated so you know it running true with the center line of the spindle (down to .0005 run out of less at least).

Again, with the tail stock not extended in'ish (to hold the dead end solid), check the two points with the razor blade, then extend the tail stock out and check again. You are doing this to make sure that the tail stock is not canting up or down on the bed, and given you a fail reading at one one point of the tail stock travel.

Lastly, once you think that you have the tail stock set perfect, drop the longest piece of round stock in the machine that you can get between centers, make two light cut at the same dial setting on both sides of the round stock, and mic the two cut OD's. If the tail stock is set true (and the rest of the machine as well), you should have just made the two cuts on the bar stock the same OD on both ends.

If this did not happen, do the same with a shorter pieces of round stock to see if the problem is in the bed, or that you just need to shift the tail stock over to one side to achieve the same OD cut plane thought the length of the bed.

[earthman]

So pull the chuck and use the taper in the chuck spindle for the correct Dead center in it if possible. If you have a larger through bore without a Mt type taper in the spindle, then at least use a pointed piece of stock that you have dial indicated so you know it running true with the center line of the spindle (down to .0005 run out of less at least).

I don't really understand the first sentence, which chuck should I be removing, the one that actually turns/holds a work piece or the drill chuck attachment?

The lathe's chuck looks like it's held on by 3 nuts, I did remove them but the chuck was still solidly mounted, I expected it to come right off, what on earth is still holding it on?
At some point I'll probably want to fit a face plate or 4 jaw chuck.


If you mean clamp the drill chuck in the lathe's chuck then I'll have the same problem, trying to clamp a tapered surface dead centrally.

There is a bore hole right the way through the lathes chuck so I could turn the end of a long piece of bar. I don't have a dial gauge though.

[wildwestpat]

I have the Amadale 7x14 lathe and have found very little wrong with it in out of the box condition. There are at least two main factories making 7x14 lathes in the Far East. There is Seig and RedBull. The Amadale machine is a Red Bull. As far as I am aware both manufacturers make specials for various importers throughout the world. the differences can be a lot more than just the colour of the paint. There is a lot of information on the web about these machines but it needs to be read only when you have problems because some of the early ones from China were not very well made and quite roughly assembled. Over the ten years or more that have elapsed since the first examples were sold the quality has improved. If you are buying look at the tail stock as this is a good indicator of how satisfactory your lathe will be. The length of the foot that rides on the bed is important - the longer the better.

The chuck supplied attached to the headstock is held on by three studs and nuts or short hex head screws. There is room to remove these and the chuck will then be removable. Always a good idea to protect the bed with a bit of plywood until you get the hang of removing the chuck as it is quite heavy and comes off the spindle register suddenly. The mounting flange is part of the spindle and there is an MT3 tapper as well as a through hole. When replacing the chuck make sure the flange and recess are clean and lightly oiled. The chuck should be a nice slip fit onto the spindle locating flange. Tighten the fixings and you are ready to go!

Checking the alignment of the head stock shaft to the tail stock is a long and laborious process and you would not be doing this until you have problems. If you have problems out of the box then you should contact the seller. I have found Amadale very responsive when I had problems with a bench mill. They also go the extra mile in getting parts.

This link Mini Lathe Tuning will show you how to do a lot but do bear in mind the differences between the manufacturers quality and how it has improved with the passage of time.

My advice would be to buy and only look for problems when you have run into them unless you are the sort of person who likes modifying and improving your machine and makes those modifications a hobby in its own right.

You will need a DTI of some sort sooner or latter but only buy as you need.

Regards - Pat

[earthman]

The chuck supplied attached to the headstock is held on by three studs and nuts or short hex head screws. There is room to remove these and the chuck will then be removable.

I did take off those nuts, chuck was still attached rock solid, should I have unscrewed the studs too? Although not much room to do that or remove them, it were bad enough retrieving the nuts from that area. Are they actually threaded through the mounting flange as well as the chuck then???

[Dano523]

earthman, Since your chuck is being a PITA to remove,
do this,

Chuck up a piece of round stock with the bolts back in the chuck, set the compound rest to around 45*, then use the chuck to make a point stock piece. Even if you have run out in the chuck, so long as you keep the piece you turned tight in the chuck (don't remove it), the point on the stock you just made is going to be center line of the spindle.

Now with a dead end in the chuck, go back to installing a dead end in the tail stock and true the tail stock. Also, double check the full throw of the tail stock, and even remember to make the two light cuts on a full between max centers in case you need to shift the tail stock one way to true and correct for the bed flaws on long turns.

As for tools that you really need out the gate, a dial indicator with magnetic base, and even a digital caliper are a must right now. No, you don't need to go big bucks on either right now since the Chinese seem to be able to make at a least these that are workable. I wouldn't trust either for a precise measurement over all on something, but in the case of the dial indicator, your just checking dial arm movement in most cases for run out, and in the case of the digital caliper, your really only using the rest button function on it to check the difference of something over to the work piece you making on the lathe for the most point (read zero out on the piece that you are measuring, then work within that small distance difference on the caliper).

[earthman]

earthman, Since your chuck is being a PITA to remove,
do this,

Chuck up a piece of round stock with the bolts back in the chuck, set the compound rest to around 45*, then use the chuck to make a point stock piece.

You know, I haven't even done that sort of task on my lathe yet, how easy is it to form the point accurately? If I set it at 45 degrees will the machine just take care of it when I make several cut's/passes? Could I end up with the point being off centre? Operator error I'm thinking here. LOL

I do have a couple of digital callipers and other measuring tools, just not a dial gauge yet.

[Dano523]

With the piece of stock being turned in the chuck, at least the point of the stock piece you make will be true to the table at that point, no matter how off the chuck is in run-out or axis holding the piece of stock.


This will allow you to set up the tail stock, then you can come back to the chuck at a later date.

Just remember to leave that piece of stock you made to a point in the chuck solid until you are done.


Also, don't try to cut the piece of stock to a point in one pass. Use the compound slide to make the cuts, while moving the cross slide towards the chuck between each pass (start off with some rough cuts, then go to light finish cuts as you start to get to a point on the piece of stock so you are not deflecting the piece of stock on the final cuts.