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Hello my ex-neighbor and friend. How are you and were you able to get the HF 8x12 working to your satisfaction? As I said before, mine was ready out of the box and I simply love it to death. I'm so glad I didn't pull the trigger on any of the other offerings from Harbor Freight. Kind regards, Al

I absolutely agree with you. When buying from Harbor Freight, one must do their due diligence. Some items are 5 stars and some are junk, it is up to you to read all the reviews and research YouTube.

I have the round column 33686 which I purchased in 2016 with a coupon. The discount coupon paid for the shipping and much of the initial tooling. I have been very happy with this mill/drill.

No plans Joe. Just made from materials on hand and from searching YouTube for ideas. The "yoke" type is the simplest to make but very limited in size. The "over the top" can make varriable sizes but reqires a lot fiddling with the cutting tool to get the geometry right. Regards, Al

Hi Joe. Yes I did make the ball ends for the tool post clamp. I made a ball turner, actually two of them, pics attached. Also made several M2 tapers, but I also bought some because they're so inexpensive. The M2 tapers with the 3/8" x 24 thread are perfect for recycling drill chucks and the...

Hi. That tool with the bearing has been indispensable for me, with it I can center stock in the 3-jaw chuck with zero runout. Some machinists say that you can do the same with a piece of derlin but I love my bearing. The carriage clamp was a quick and dirty build and rides the ways perfectly...

Hi again. Did I ever send you the LatheMaster owner's manual for the 8x12? I think it's a little better (but not by much) than the Harbor Freight owner's manual. Sadly, Mr. Broussard at LatheMaster has gone out of business, he was located in Baton Rouge and I bought parts from him. Hope this...

Hi Lathe Nut. Attached is a copy of the original packing list. Down the page at #9 is a list of all the gears with their corresponding tooth counts.

Lol. You are right, I should have labeled the circles at the bottom as to "top" and "bottom", but I think Lathe Nut can decipher it from his own pictures of the 'rat nest' wiring. All of you following this thread all agree that the wiring diagrams included in the owner's manual are useless...

To Lathe Nut. I made a rough schematic so, as much as for my own use, I cleaned it up. Let me know if this helps. Kind regards, Al

Here are two pictures of my current gear setup. As you can see, I am not using the cogged belt and my gears are only setup for slow power feed for the carriage. I do not use the lathe to thread anymore because I find it too difficult and time consuming to set up the gears. The two threaded...

Hi Lathe Nut. I didn't pull my motor out to see how the motor and capacitors were wired. Is there anything else I can do to help? Kind regards, Al

I was limited to 10 but here are the rest that I took. The On/Off safety switch is pretty clear with the black and *********** lines, the incoming green/ground is routed to a green/yellow to the motor. With the Forward/Reverse switch you can see how it's connected to the bar and the on/off...

Hi Lathe nut. I'm occupied today but I can get you pictures of the wiring from my 8x12 tomorrow. A picture should be better than 1,000 words. Best regards, Al

It's going to look and run like new.

Baomain 660V 20A On-Off-On 3 Positions 12 Terminals Changeover Control Rotary Cam Switch SZW26-20/D303.3 I found this on Amazon for $10. It is perfectly rated for the motor on the 8x12 lathe. It is a Forward/Off/Reverse switch. Regards, Al

I have this gearing chart. You will find solutions for the 13 tpi gearing on pages 6 and 7. This chart, I believe, was from "[email protected]". I do remember it took me a while to get the gears set and this is why I prefer to use a tap and die set as first choice. By the way...

Hi Lathe nut. I made the bolt toy from 1/2" stock and I just don't remember how I came up with the gearing for 13 tpi. I'll look in my files and see if I might have an imperial gear selector chart. Best regards, Al