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scaarmor
12-12-2005, 01:47 AM
Hello to all,
I was aimlessly clicking around on a few sites (as is my norm), when I came across a mini-metal lathe. Now I have a few kits on order form Tim, but I have many ideas in mind I could use a lathe for. My question to all of you is-Does anyone know where to get a decent quality mini-lathe that isnt horribly expensive? Any help is most appreciated.

Cain

Strydur
12-12-2005, 01:59 AM
Pretty much all of the mini lathes out there are made by the same company and sold under different brands. They are all pretty decent models.

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

informalmyx
12-12-2005, 06:17 AM
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33684

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44859

thse are the cheapest lathes i have found when was searching

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xwingband
12-12-2005, 07:18 AM
There was a topic on this on ASAP under the machining forum. The moral was that if you spend the time they can do what you want but they are limiting. You'd have to work in sections and have a steady hand since mini-lathes are primarily used by model builders and wood users.

vadeblade
12-12-2005, 09:14 AM
Got mine from Cummins - the 7x12. Worked great for me. I find the largest aluminum stock I can work with comfortably is 2.5 inch diameter and nothing longer than 9 inches. Hilts designed to hold electronics need to be made in sections anyway, so figure 9 inch body 2 inch emitter and 2 inch pommel and you got a decent length lightsaber.

The key to succesful turning is good cutting tools and the dial indicator - live by the dial indicator. Thats' stuff you have to buy separate and adds to the cost of operating a lathe. And shipping adds over 20% over the total cost too. See my hilts in the share pictures thread to get an idea what a mini lathe can do.

Lightsaber Warning Label: "CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to sharpen blade."

Strydur
12-12-2005, 02:50 PM
Yes..if you plan on buying a lathe expect to pay double the price by the time your done getting tools you will need.

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

vadeblade
12-12-2005, 06:50 PM
And I don't really think a steady hand is all that necessary either. The tick marks on the cranks on a lathe are marked .001" inches. On my lathe 1 full rotation of the crank only gets you .040". So for me totally F*** up I gotta turn that crank the wrong way with a lot of force and with purpose, something I have never done. If I wanted to I could have my work rotating at 1000 rmp with the tool hovering .001" inches above the surface and walk away, come back a few minutes later and it would still be hovering .001" from the surface with the piece spinning away.

*NOT* that I would ever, ever do something like that. NEVER walk away from a running tool. I'm just saying that because metal lathes have such tight tolerances, an unsteady hand aint really gonna screw much up. Just be thoughtful of which way you turn that crank.

Now, an unsteady mind is another matter. lol.

Here is a lathe users guide (pdf): http://littlemachineshop.com/Info/MiniLatheUsersGuide.pdf

Lightsaber Warning Label: "CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to sharpen blade."

JediSaberSmith
12-12-2005, 07:59 PM
I have been using metal lathes for a long time know and ill just say a couple things. A lathe is a precision tool, you dont want to cheap out when you buy one of these things. I have seen the lathes that Harbor Freight sells, and to say the least there not very good. They are very low quality just like everything else that they sell. I reasearched just about every mini lathe that is availible. If you want to get one look at

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

It is a very high quality lathe. This lathe, a bit set, and a tailstock chuck is all you need to turn out some real nice sabers. There are many lathes out there that look just like this one but they are not the same.

JediSaberSmith
An Elegant Weapon From A More Civilized Age

Strydur
12-12-2005, 08:14 PM
The micro mark is pretty much the top of the line mini lathe but it is still made by the same company..Sieg, just like the ones harbor frieght sells. The cummins..grizzly..harbor freight etc are all decent lathes for the home machinest. The one I have is the cummins. If you want more information visit these websites.
http://www.mini-lathe.com/
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

xwingband
12-13-2005, 06:27 PM
Thoughts non-star wars related... what are the capailities of the mini-lathes? Can curves or tapers be done?

I'm a trumpet player and the thought struck me about milling out mouthpiece blanks. It costs a lot of money to get custom blanks made by a normal manufacturer but if I could get someone with some skill on a mini-lathe...

http://www.wholenotemusic.com/trmthpce.jpg
http://www.slidebone.com/images/k351.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b394/reelbigporter/clone2.jpg

1st is what 90% of all mouthpieces look like. 2nd is a large mass mouthpiece. 3rd is just right in my book. Could the outside of that be milled out on a mini-lathe?[:D]

BTW I don't want the inside, that's too much for anyone to do without special tooling, but the exterior...

JediSaberSmith
12-13-2005, 10:44 PM
I can be done

JediSaberSmith
An Elegant Weapon From A More Civilized Age

Strydur
12-13-2005, 11:09 PM
I can be done? hehe

Tim
The Custom Saber Shop

xwingband
12-14-2005, 08:49 AM
Sweet! I'm definatly going to look into finding someone with a mini-lathe. I only know of a few companies that can make copies of existing mouthpieces and custom blanks and they're all booked for months.[V]

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vadeblade
12-14-2005, 09:35 AM
JediSaberSmith and Strydur,
Do you guys have a tool mount for cutting curves and radius? those mouth pieces have a lot of curves. I have yet to figure out how to cut curves like that without special tool mounts. I saw one for a Sherline once but nothing for a mini lathe.

Lightsaber Warning Label: "CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to sharpen blade."

Strydur
12-14-2005, 03:00 PM
littlemachineshop.com sells one


Tim
The Custom Saber Shop