MicroLux Lathe

[langstonshelby1950@gmail.]

Does anyone have experience with the MicroLux® 7x16 Mini Lathe?

Thank you

 

[pete]

No hands on experience, but that's a whole lot of money for one of those mini lathes. Ok as the advertising says it has "true" inch based lead and feed screws, but I've seen nothing yet that mentions any actual improvements over some of the well known corner cutting, faults and inaccuracy's those lathes have. And fwiw, I've had the unfortunate experience of buying a 10" swing off shore lathe that was so poorly machined for it's basic alignments it never should have left the factory. Fortunately for myself, I did have the extra machine tools, experience and knowledge to re-machine those faulty parts back to where they should have been. Today I would never buy any lathe that didn't clearly advertise it actually comes with a proper test certificate, and verify those numbers myself as soon as I got it. That gives at least some buyer protection and a baseline the machine was supposed to be built and tested it's correct right at the factory. Not all of those test certificates can be relied on either. The numbers I could properly check with my Vertex rotary table didn't agree with it's factory supplied certificate of accuracy. But I finally checked those long after the warranty was up.

Any lathe below about a 10" swing will cost right about the same for all the additional tooling that's required before you can even use it. 10"-12 swing will also have almost equal tooling costs for lathes of that size. Frankly and after wasting a whole lot more than I'd like to add up, buying the largest and best optioned lathe with the features that are the most important for the work your planning on doing now or possibly in the future really is the most cost effective way to go. And because of that inevitable tooling cost, that initial price of any lathe is after a couple of years almost incidental. In my opinion, buying right now and what you can afford may not be the very best method. Being a bit more patient and saving for something a whole lot better will in the end be much more satisfactory. That in itself is a hard lesson to learn, and many seem to refuse to listen to advice like that.

 

[rleete]

I don't see the MicroLux is any better than the other Seig produced machines in that category to justify the higher price.

That said, I have been using a mini lathe for many years now, and the biggest drawback is having to take lighter cuts, so things take longer. Would I like a larger, sturdier lathe? Absolutely. But space is very limited in my small shop, so the mini lathe size has had to do.

 

[langstonshelby1950@gmail.]

No hands on experience, but that's a whole lot of money for one of those mini lathes. Ok as the advertising says it has "true" inch based lead and feed screws, but I've seen nothing yet that mentions any actual improvements over some of the well known corner cutting, faults and inaccuracy's those lathes have. And fwiw, I've had the unfortunate experience of buying a 10" swing off shore lathe that was so poorly machined for it's basic alignments it never should have left the factory. Fortunately for myself, I did have the extra machine tools, experience and knowledge to re-machine those faulty parts back to where they should have been. Today I would never buy any lathe that didn't clearly advertise it actually comes with a proper test certificate, and verify those numbers myself as soon as I got it. That gives at least some buyer protection and a baseline the machine was supposed to be built and tested it's correct right at the factory. Not all of those test certificates can be relied on either. The numbers I could properly check with my Vertex rotary table didn't agree with it's factory supplied certificate of accuracy. But I finally checked those long after the warranty was up.

Any lathe below about a 10" swing will cost right about the same for all the additional tooling that's required before you can even use it. 10"-12 swing will also have almost equal tooling costs for lathes of that size. Frankly and after wasting a whole lot more than I'd like to add up, buying the largest and best optioned lathe with the features that are the most important for the work your planning on doing now or possibly in the future really is the most cost effective way to go. And because of that inevitable tooling cost, that initial price of any lathe is after a couple of years almost incidental. In my opinion, buying right now and what you can afford may not be the very best method. Being a bit more patient and saving for something a whole lot better will in the end be much more satisfactory. That in itself is a hard lesson to learn, and many seem to refuse to listen to advice like that.

Hello Pete, I appreciate your answer. I am building small model engines, and that is why I have been looking into the smaller lathes and mills. It is challenging to find them other than made in China or Taiwan. I did find a bit larger lathe made in Italy. The only small lathe I can find made in the good old USA is Sherline Micro,, however it is really small.

 

[ChazzC]

Does anyone have experience with the MicroLux® 7x16 Mini Lathe?

Thank you

I have had mine for close to 10 years snd have been happy with its performance. It is on par with the Little Machine Shop lathes, and since I got it on sale it was a good buy. It’s cleaner & tighter than other Seig 7x lathes, but is small: if I were doing it again, I’d go for a 9” lathe (and a Bench Mill instead of a Mini Mill).

 

[pete]

I would say that picking a lathe size for Model Engineering and small engine type work really depends on what your current interests are and maybe more importantly, where they may lead in the future. For most, that usually means getting bigger and more complex. And you can't add more capacity later without changing machines. As ChazzC just mentioned the 9" swing lathes. I'd add those would obviously be more rigid, in general maybe a bit easier to use, more durable etc. Most engine designs and casting sets from the UK are based around having at least a 9" swing lathe because at one time the Myford ML7's and Super 7's were just about standard in the average British M.E.'s shop and had a gap bed capable of that 9" swing even though there really a 7" lathe. Depending on your own experience and knowledge to properly access the true condition, then good, lightly used could be a further option. But it could also get costly if you over estimate your real ability's in that direction. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see the the value verses what Micro Mark want for that lathe. And I sure don't fully believe all there statements about that lathe either. Much of it seems like a used car salesman's pitch to me. I also get not everyone has the spare room for a larger machine. Budget is also a real consideration for almost everyone here as well as being more than true for myself.

But small engine parts don't necessarily require a small lathe. Maybe for ultra small parts well below average, then yes something like a watch makers lathe could make some parts production a bit easier. To be honest, I really can't think of a single small part that couldn't be produced to a high degree of accuracy on my 11" x 27" lathe. I've also built my own spindle adapters to use all of my work holding chucks and collets and bought step down Morse Taper sleeves to use the tail stock tooling from my little Emco C5 lathe. So in reality, I have the exact same small work holding and part production ability's that much smaller lathe was capable of, with the pluses of having a more rigid 450 lb lathe than that 45 lb Emco is. What you can accomplish is mostly determined by the additional tooling your willing to buy and/or figure out what can be made to work. I also have a Taiwanese built 3/4 sized 1100 lb Bridgeport clone, and a couple of normal sized 6" Kurt type vises on it. Again there's no small parts I can think of I couldn't mill with it. But work and tool holding for any really small part production creates the same amount of difficulty no matter how large or small your machines are. One real benefit of larger machines is that ability to take those larger cuts to save time when needed, but they better resist even minor deflections when the accurate fine finishing cuts are being done. In hindsight and with the small machines I started with, the larger machines in most cases are easier to work with simply because the machine parts themselves are closer to human sized scale, and there's better room to do that work and tool holding. There's not much fumbling around with the 5/8" hold down set on my mill verses the same in 1/4" or 3/8" I sometimes use on my sub plates for those small parts. Tooling and availability are easier and far better at 1/2" shank and above for the lathe, and if it's not made in R8 for the mill, then you probably don't need it.

After that fiasco I mentioned with that 10" sized lathe, I decided I finally wanted to have a much better optioned lathe. My shop is small, but overall weight in my shop with it's wooden floor construction is a real issue or my choices would have been much different. I would have bought a bit bigger, much, much heavier and properly rebuilt whatever I bought back to at least brand new accuracy levels and condition despite the cost involved. I also have no real liking for almost all of the more hobby sized lathes the Chinese are producing. And some of there design decision's to meet that out the door price are quite poor. That's not racist, that's the facts due to the semi illogical corner cutting in that design, materials, heat treatment or lack of, and properly checking and aligning there manufacturing equipment, part fixtures etc simply to save a few bucks. They are getting better, but still not quite there yet. And the rise in prices are starting to reflect that. I still bought a Chinese produced lathe, but as I said, one I knew that would come with a test certificate that I know is believable because I ran the exact same checks myself. I also know these lathes can be properly tuned to be even better if you understand what's required and then made to work more than well enough at least at a hobby level. However it's not exactly an easy task and one that took me many years of searching just to find the information about how to accomplish and make my equipment do what I wanted.

 

[ShopShoe]

Since this thread is veering into philosophy, I'll add my two cents in favor of starting small, but with qualifications.

I spent a lot of years planning and waiting to get a large lathe before being able to start any real machining. then I had a re-think about what I could do with a small lathe.

I can say that it was important for me to actually begin doing something rather than wishing and dreaming and waiting for a dream shop.

I bought a mini-lathe after a lot of thought and comparison against other small lathes in the same price ballpark. (BTW, I also considered making a lathe as well.)

I did learn a lot from the mini-lathe, and I did have to put a lot of work into making it better, but then I'm one who likes to do those kinds of things. Needless to say, shopping for a new lathe today would follow a different path because my needs and knowledge base is different.

So, make any decision that fits your space and budget and allows you to start doing the projects you want to do right now, but plan the next step or two you will take if you like what you accomplish. Allow for setbacks and diversions along the way, but do what you enjoy doing.

--ShopShoe

 

[Shopgeezer]

My adventures in machining began in total ignorance. As a result I bought the wrong machines for the wrong purposes. Great learning experience but I can’t correct the problem by buying new machines since I am now retired and don’t have the income anymore. I’m stuck with what I have. My recommendation to a beginner is to find an experienced machinist to help you make decisions.

 

[Richard Hed]

I would also chek to see if it had LH thread capabilities too.

 

[timo_gross]

Hello Pete, I appreciate your answer. I am building small model engines, and that is why I have been looking into the smaller lathes and mills. It is challenging to find them other than made in China or Taiwan. I did find a bit larger lathe made in Italy. The only small lathe I can find made in the good old USA is Sherline Micro,, however it is really small.

I do not see much problem with a lathe from Taiwan in general, but you will have trouble to find a decent small machine.

I am quite sure that this one is not to available for 2000 USD. Toolroom Lathe Series: CP-27EVS Model | Cyclematic Lathes Machinery
Someone told me is a Hardinge clone.

What is the advantage of "true inch"? I am asking that in my function as "metric troll".
The "true inch", feature can be had with a DRO and one set of change gears. Since I have the DRO I do never look at any dial on the machine anymore.

Greetings Timo

 

[awake]

Timo, I don't know if this is the issue here, but I have run across machines where the dial was marked in inches, but the lead screw was metric, leading to some obvious error on each revolution. As you say, a DRO would be one (very nice) way to eliminate the problem!

 

[Apprentice707]

In the UK we have the Cowell range of lathes and milling machines. They are not cheap but they are accurate and well-built. Some of the members at my Model Engineering Club have used one to produce award-winning small engines and locos.

This is their website Cowells Small Machine Tools - tools to model engineers, clockmakers and professional engineers

Regards

B

 

[minh-thanh]

Hello Pete, I appreciate your answer. I am building small model engines, and that is why I have been looking into the smaller lathes and mills. It is challenging to find them other than made in China or Taiwan. I did find a bit larger lathe made in Italy. The only small lathe I can find made in the good old USA is Sherline Micro,, however it is really small.

Hi !
My opinion...most mini lathes can do engines and can do small parts so there is no need for a Micro Lathe
Your goal will be how many cylinders the engine has and choose a lathe that can make the crankshaft of that engine.
Similar to a milling machine, as long as it meets the Engine block that you are aiming for is enough
Just a lathe is enough for a beginner .

 

[pete]

As far as that lathe being "true inch", I was quoting from the Micro Mark sales add that pointed that feature out. Unless you have that high prime number 127 tooth gear within the screw cutting gear train, then the sometimes metric pitched lead screw on what was sold as an imperial machine can only cut a close approximation of an imperial pitch screw. Depending on the overall accuracy of whatever your single pointing threads on, that may or may not affect just how important that detail might be. Some small lathe owners never single point threads at all. When its important enough, I always do so. If I was building my own version of an imperial pitched 40 tpi feed screw for a shop made boring head, then I'd want that screw to be very accurately made as just one example, and cutting the threads with a die wouldn't imo be good enough. And yes a dro makes whatever metric or imperial pitch you have on the feed screws immaterial since it can be switched to either measurement system with a single push of a button. However a DRO no matter how good it is can't compensated for an incorrect pitched lead screw for that single pointing of screw threads. For some of those lathes that in reality were built with metric pitches and dials approximately marked in imperial, it's not that tough to find very well made replacement Acme screws and nuts that only require cutting to length, some machining on the ends, and possibly adapting the oversize nuts to what the machine design already has. (sometimes) But due to the dimensions some of these machines were built to, the OEM screws and nuts may have non standard or even finer than usual pitches and diameters machined to those metric dimensions so those off the shelf imperial screws and nuts can't always be made to work. And this isn't exactly a new or even unusual practice limited to those off shore machines. There's many older industrial level machine tools that also used for various manufacturing and design reasons what are now non standard pitches and diameters even when the machine was built using true inch or metric dimensions for those screws and nuts.

While calling any screw used for thread cutting or slide movements on a manually operated machine tool a "lead" screw, and that is in fact technically correct. That's not how the better screw and nut manufacturer's list there products. There always listed as feed screws and nuts even when one would be used as a lathes lead screw, and that term would be required for Google to even find what your looking for. Quite possibly its pedantic, but my own personal opinion is when discussing machine tools, then the lead screw term would be better used for any lathes actual lead screw and the rest would be more accurately called feed screws since its more descriptive of what each really does. But I doubt I'll change what now seems to be the usual practice of just calling them all lead screws.