mini metal lathe -- tool post for woodturning

[Colstover]

I just purchased a used Clarke 7x14 mini metal lathe. It appears to be one made by the same company that makes the Grizzly and/or Harbor Freight.

I'm going to take some training from a Machinist on it ... have zero experience! Just finished reading O'Brien's "How to run a lathe ..."

I do woodturning ... therefore I would like to have a tool post for it to allow me to be set up - when not doing metal -- as a station to turn pens using my EWT carbide cutters. Has anyone made a tool post for this size lathe?

Thanks
Gerry Stover

[mklotz]

Wood dust is not good for metal lathes. It tends to wick up oil and rob the sliding precision surfaces of lubrication. Also certain woods, especially roots, can have a lot of sand/grit in them which won't do the precision surfaces any good. Oak contains rust-inducing tannins so you may want to avoid it.

On the rare occasions when I hand turn metal on my lathe, I improvise a rest by mounting a length of metal in the boring bar holder. This arrangement allows the rest to be easily repositioned by simply turning the holder.

Metal lathes generally run at speeds much lower than those used for wood lathes. Will you have enough speed to turn small diameter wood such as pens and get a good finish?

[Colstover]

Thanks ... I will abandoned that idea for wood but what about acrylic?

[whome]

Yes, it turns nicely, some years ago I turned several intermittent positive pressure valves from acrylic bars, acrylic is not abrasive. Regarding turning wood on a metal lathe, don't avoid doing it. We all use tool post grinders to precision grind round parts, covering the ways and compound with rags. Grinding swarf is much worse than anything found in wood, except, maybe industrial diamonds. I have been grinding on my South Bend 9" lathe occasionally for the past 67 years, with no harmful effects.
Since you are not generating red hot sparks, slightly oiled rags will do a great job of trapping particles, while lubricating the ways and compound. Just don't store oiled rags
bunched up, indoors, Hang them over something preferably outside, to avoid heat building up heat leading to spontaneous combustion. In the shop, oily rags are stored in a steel drum with a tight lid.

[whome]

Thanks for bringing that to our attention, I should have mentioned not to use just a single layer. I like rags for the top layer because grinding swarf does not bounce off, like it does on a smooth or hard surface. The rags provide a labyrinth to trap particles,and the oil is sticky, oil can not be used where sparks are generated, you don't want to start a fire. Unless the motor is totally enclosed, fan cooled, (TEFC), it must be protected, always including the shaft so nothing gets past the seals or into the bearings.

[pfredX1]

I have a mill that I've owned for over 25 years. I work on whatever with it. Wood, metal, plastic, I grind sometimes. Just clean and oil your machinery regularly and you'll be far ahead of what most production equipment is made to deal with. Tools are made to be used. Anyone that tries to tell you anything different is a fool. They'd all have heart attacks if I ever took them to E P Heller's shop. He works all in carbide. Someone's gotta. Talk about abrasive grit.

[Toolmaker51]

Marv is correct.
Machine tools depend on sliding surfaces and lubrication far differently than woodworking equipment. Incidental use is feasible if; 1] The ways are fully shielded by plastic such as food wrap, oiled for adherence of desired surfaces. 2] Sufficient RPM is available for the small diameters of pens. 3] Duty cycle of motor isn't exceeded. 4] Lubrication and cleaning are attended to accordingly.
All manner of examples pertaining to homebuilt wood lathes are in HMT.net. They shouldn't occupy much space, power requirement, or cost. You'll find yourself better served by two machines, I think.

Wed 10 Aug 2017 0753;
A recommendation occurred to me in respect to this topic. I'd move carriage far right and place tailstock [if needed to work between centers] inboard, and use 1 thru 4 detailed above. This solution would require a self supporting toolpost, independent of crossslide/ compound, quite like a wood lathe uses normally. This alleviates far more issues connected to dust, lubrication, and fitted surfaces.
ultralightflyer allows daughter to use lathe for wood turning in post #4 with restrictions. That achieves many positives; including the 'grooming' of a craftsperson, maybe even a tradesperson, but a new maker none the less.

I've always believed in STEM education, yet feeling it falls short of creating and reinforcing the critical work force to support it.

[ultralightflyer]

Little Machine Shop sells a wood tool rest and center for the mini lathe. I just bought 1 for my daughter to use on my mini lathe. To prevent any problems I INSIST that she cleans up and wipes down the whole area and lube the bed and anything exposed to wood particles when she's done. Here is a link to LittleMachine.Search For... - LittleMachineShop.com

[GeoffN]

This is a small tool rest I made to turn up some odd jobs. As said by the posters before me if you do clean thoroughly and oil after use.

[RickT]

Hi Gerry,
Little Machine Shop sells parts for these lathes, and has all kinds of accessories and tooling! They are also the go to for information and projects plans pertaining to these. Chris is a wealth of knowledge.
Cheers,
Rick