I got one of the new Harbor Freight 95012 micro lathes. It is roughly the size of my old Sears/Sherline lathe--taller but shorter in length, and heavier because of all the cast iron. There is no aluminum or potmetal anywhere that I can see, even the handwheels and knobs are ferrous. For me, the upside is the 4-inch swing in a small package that I can get close to with the loupes on. It comes with a 50mm Fuerda 3-jaw tommy-bar chuck which screws onto the spindle like the Sherline and Unimats. The drive is two-pulley v-belt, and the motor speed is variable. It has no trouble turning steel at low revs, and doesn't seem to have the chatter tendency of the HF 7x10. The machine won't cut threads, but the Unimat 3 gearbox attachment will drive the lead screw. For $250 I was expecting a kit like the 7x10, but the only part that has needed work is the saddle gib. The holes in the plate are too large, so it will shift and pinch. It took just a few minutes to make a better one. There is tooling for this little lathe at LMS where I got the lead screw drive and compound rest for only $65 and postage--less money and more fun than dinner out with the wife.
- posted
17 years ago