The $600 Mini Lathe - 4 Years later

Comments · 181

• AN

  @andybelieves · 3 years ago

  You've made that machine work for you and have probably learned quite a bit along the way, it's been very interesting watching you accomplish all of that, excellent job!

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• JI

  @jimsvideos7201 · 3 years ago

  It boils down to this:  You can improve these after purchase which is good because you'll need to improve them.

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• GO

  @gofastwclass · 3 years ago

  Excellent video about benefits and detriments of a mini lathe. I think you covered the topic well and shared solid information in a professional, concise and unbiased manner. <br><br>One thing you brought up about used equipment is location, I would like to expand on this a bit. I live in North America and people say to buy bigger used lathes or mills (I have one of each), but the reality is your proximity to current and former manufacturing centers dictates availability and price. Where I live most of the older manufacturing died long ago, so prices are high and availability is low. Four or five hours drive south or east and the prices drop as selection goes up exponentially. In these areas machines are available because places are upgrading equipment, machine resellers are in the area, or companies are closing their doors. &nbsp;<br><br>A second problem with used equipment (at least industrial equipment) is most of it is three phase. This isn&apos;t a problem as much as something to know, understand and factor into your time and materials budget when purchasing the equipment.

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• RU

  @russellwall1964 · 3 years ago

  I started out on a SIEG C3 7x14 a year ago. &nbsp;It was an excellent way to discover if this was a passing fancy or if I was seriously interested in machining. &nbsp;Well, I just took delivery on a Little Machine Shop 7550 Deluxe - basically a SIEG C4 with all the upgrades you’d end up doing. &nbsp;Having spent time learning the fundamentals on my C3, I have an immense appreciation for all the little (and several big) differences a C4 brings. &nbsp;I believe that if I started out with a C4, I would not have the appreciation for all the wonderful things like the rigidity of AXA compared to 0XA, having power cross feed, and so much more. &nbsp;These lathes are a wonderful way to get your feet wet in the amazing world of machining!

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• PE

  @peterspencer6442 · 3 years ago

  This is the most in-depth and objective mini lathe review I&apos;ve come across.<br><br>I brought an old vintage lathe (I&apos;m in UK) and it&apos;s been great but a very different beast to a new or modern lathe. The time it&apos;s needed to clean it up is significant, old machines pick up a lot of abrasive dirt and it&apos;s a labour of love to remove it all. I&apos;ve also just recently picked up a vintage milling machine and I will say that an old vintage lathe will almost certainly be more useable out of the box than a second-hand mill, the cutting forces can be so much higher and more variable in the mill and slopiness in a mill is much worse than for a lathe.<br><br>I think that either new mini-lathe or old full-size lathe, both are somewhat of a project and we&apos;re paying less to compensate for the need for extra setup and care in use. If your priority is to explore the world of machining and you like the learning process, then cheap mini-lathe or vintage machine is a good choice; if you want an instantly useable machine to produce top quality for little effort, then the low-end or vintage is not the way for you. Either way, you could expect to get the same results within the same time/money equation by going either route.<br><br>For me, I love to discover and see for myself so I have really enjoyed getting the vintage machines and learning step by step.

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• ST

  @steveflorey8663 · 3 years ago

  It&apos;s good to see an honest assessment of these machines. I always enjoy watching your work and look forward to the next episode.

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• TU

  @tune3garage · 3 years ago

  Thanks for your input on &nbsp;these machines. I am quite fortunate to own a 22 year old Toolmac 9x20 and it has a hardened bed. I enjoy watching all your content and I&apos;m looking forward to whatever it is that you decide to upgrade to at a later stage.

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• PU

  @Pulse-musik · 1 month ago

  I have been using the same C3-based mini lathe for 90 years. The gear part for the screwdriver was made of poor material and broke quickly. However, I didn&apos;t do any thread cutting and used a die, so I didn&apos;t have any problems. Automatic feed allows you to finish the surface beautifully using the wiper motor and controller. <br>I have mastered the adjustment method by repeatedly disassembling and reassembling each part. It was a time when there was no internet yet. This mini lathe is an indispensable machine tool when the size of the workpieces matches. Even if the motor breaks, all you have to do is replace it with a belt drive like you did, and each part is easy to manage. It&apos;s a standard among hobby mini lathes around the world. <br>However, if I have to give advice to people before purchasing, please first find someone who can operate a lathe before placing your order.

• NE

  @nefariousstylo9943 · 3 years ago

  A lathe like tha for my small bike projects could still keep beer flowing in the shop. It and the upgrades would pay for themselves and maybe even into a bigger lathe down the line. Thankfully my shop gives me free space for projects, awesome when you rent. But seeing how well you got along I&apos;d have no worries if I needed to get something for myself

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• DO

  @douglashank8480 · 3 years ago

  In the description, you refer to this as your &quot;final video&quot;. <br>Please say that you don&apos;t mean that in the absolute sense!! &nbsp;<br>If you do, then I will truly miss seeing your videos. &nbsp;Your ingenuity in making ever more extreme efforts to improve the little 7×14 have been very instructive to watch, and the always humble attitude in the way you make your presentations, and always end your videos by thanking us for watching, have put you in the top tier of my favorite channels. <br><br>If you truly are ending the channel, then know that YOU WILL BE MISSED! &nbsp;...It&apos;s also a completely understandable decision. &nbsp;I&apos;ve never tried to make a video but, based on comments from various YouTubers I&apos;ve heard, producing videos - especially one per week like clockwork for years as you&apos;ve been doing! - takes a tremendous amount of of time, work, and dedication. &nbsp;Life moves forward. &nbsp; Continuing to grow requires change, and there comes a time when one thing has to be set aside to make room for the next.<br>You mentioned &quot;university&quot;, so presumably you&apos;re moving - or have moved - on to a regular job, and maybe toward starting a family. &nbsp;If you don&apos;t mind my saying so, I think your self-motivation and obvious work ethic would also serve you well if you decide to go into business for yourself. <br><br>THANK YOU for all of your hard work over the years. &nbsp;You and your lathe (and more recently, milling machine) projects have taught me a lot about machining.<br><br>On the other hand...<br>I hope you&apos;ll forgive me for hoping that you&apos;re moving up to a bigger lathe instead - maybe one that can make more use of that monster 3 HP motor!, and that you might continue to share at least some occasional videos with us. &nbsp;<br>I think I can speak for a lot of us viewers (though I certainly don&apos;t mean to pry into your personal life) by saying that we&apos;d like to occasionally hear how things are going for you.<br><br>Last, whether you continue to make videos or not, please, please, please consider getting a bandsaw!! 😃 &nbsp;<br>The single most painful thing about watching your videos has been watching you chew your way through a small mountain of metal with nothing more than a hacksaw. &nbsp;...I can appreciate budget limitations and a willingness to work hard, but even watching the edited down versions makes my own arms hurt from half way around the world! LOL &nbsp;So go ahead and treat yourself to a bandsaw. &nbsp;You&apos;ve earned it!! 😇 &nbsp;Even one of those little portabands like I have make short work of most any size stock that a hobyist is likely to use, and they don&apos;t take much room to store.<br><br>Cheers to you, and good fortune for your future! &nbsp;🍻

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• MI

  @mikebroom1866 · 3 years ago

  And always remember when buying used, if you take care of it, you&apos;re probably not going to lose an value. Just sold the lathe I had for the last 5 years for almost double what I paid.

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• PA

  @paul_domici · 3 years ago

  I have one and love it! Bought mine in the late 90s and paid around $300 for it

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