Cylinderhead for "Reserve"

Nice work Joe, 👍👍don’t forget to make another set as spares 🤪🤪

Already done, Richard
(The 250 mm length I bought was exactly enough for 8 more sockets as a reserve..!)...i following always my direction: To have it, is better than to need it...

(( And for the price of each about 4,15,- Euro here,...i can do 16 units  by myself for the price of two offered bushings....To have a good and full equipped lathe is always helpfull for me...!  ))
 

MFP-Joe wrote:

Already done, Richard
(The 250 mm length I bought was exactly enough for 8 more sockets as a reserve..!)...i following always my direction: To have it, is better than to need it...

(( And for the price of each about 4,15,- Euro here,...i can do 16 units  by myself for the price of two offered bushings....To have a good and full equipped lathe is always helpfull for me...!  ))


 

Oh so true - I only have a 400mm centre "mini-lathe" but I have done hundreds of little jobs on my project that would have involved sending out, waiting and paying fortunes in labour, My exhaust tip and sprocket carrier are about it's limit diameter wise and my fork seal tools where about the limit length wise, If you can accept the limitations of this machine it's the best £400 (plus tools) I have ever spent
Once my project is finished and I have some time I want to learn how to "cut threads" with it 

True, true, and damn true!

My lathe at my workshop is a very fine and expensive precision machine:  An  WEILER "Primus"...also with an relative short usable max. lenght about 400 mm...and max 140 mm Ø ...but equipped with achuck-clamp system with chucks between 1 to 20 mm in 1 mm steps... And of course, with fully automatic cross and longitudinal feeds...but still old-school WITHOUT a digital measuring system...Thread cutting is possible in various pitches in mm or inches, various change gears and a four-jaw chuck are also available, as well as a steady rest and "freehand" support..

.((Professionally and privately, I usually don't need a larger center distance or larger clamping diameter,...and if it is unavoidable in an exceptional case, I have access to a much larger machine at a friend's in an emergency...)) But I don't work on long fork tubes at all, for example.

But I also have a "cheap" lathe like yours in my garage: For small and quick jobs right on-site, it's often sufficient....and of course, you can (to a limited extent) also cut threads with these "Chinese lathes"....you will just need a good thread turning tool with (replaceable) carbide inserts and careful infeed with each pass....I am sure, you will learn that very quick as same, like you can work today withit !!
 
  

And BTW, Guy:

Always make sure you don't overload your lathe, either by overfeeding or machining parts that are too heavy, or by removing too much chip per pass!
(The biggest weak point of this lathe is the double plastic gear INSIDE the spindle housing!! If that breaks or wears out, you'll have to disassemble the entire lathe, including removing the spindle bearings and main spindle, and that's quite a lot of work!!)

It will give aftermarket gears, made from steel, in a case of damage good to know about,....but as i´ve mentioned: It´s a complete dismantle job, and not done in a half day

But as ever i´ve seen here all the things, you´ve done on your lathe, you`ve shown a great acknowledgement and precise kind of work !! Go on!!!

(( I´ve bought mine little chinacracker-lathe last march, about 250 Km´s each way from here, but it was very cheap for 25,- euro´s, ( was offered as "non-functional"..and nothing was wrong withit, as i´ve checked all here at home,..So, i´ve equipped it with an "quick-change-system with about now 7 cassettes for some different tools..and an bigger chuck: 100 mm diameter against the original Ø 80mm,..and it helped me few times, when i was too busy, or too lazy, to drive the way to my workshop....

The have fabricate zillions of these similar lathes, and for the hobby use, they are good enough,especially for the "quick`ndirty", when you really need some little distances, bushings, screws or anything that´s missed in a busy bike-wrenching-act
 

Thanks for the advice Joe, it has been a steep learning curve of "have a go" and "U-Tube video's" to work out how to use it. Once this project is finished I will be giving it some attention as I am sure a few of those plastic gears have been to the dentist as a result of my "heavy handedness" (it's a little noisy !!) and also it came with a "tapered bearing" upgrade for the spindle that hadn't been fitted so I can do that as well

 

Hey Guy, here´s the link about spare parts for your lathe, and by the luck, it´s in your country...save a lot post fees

www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Machine...C2-Mini-Lathe-Spares

And always a "lucky and sensitive hand"  on your lathe!!!

Wookie58 wrote:

Thanks for the advice Joe, it has been a steep learning curve of "have a go" and "U-Tube video's" to work out how to use it. Once this project is finished I will be giving it some attention as I am sure a few of those plastic gears have been to the dentist as a result of my "heavy handedness" (it's a little noisy !!) and also it came with a "tapered bearing" upgrade for the spindle that hadn't been fitted so I can do that as well


 

Looks like my lathe has different idea !!!! it's decided not to wait until the project is finished. I was trying to cut my engine mounts today but it was getting worse (hardly a surprise as it turns out) Entirely my fault and lesson learnt, on the upside all the plastic gears are perfect. When I bought it I just set it up and away we go  - turns out it's belt drive (which I didn't know) and as a result of lack of maintenance the belt is completely stripped of it's teeth. I got on the website you recommended but the belts are back ordered for 11-12 weeks which isn't helpful. Luckily I found a supplier of generic drive belts that have the correct length, pitch and width so should be back in business in a couple of days


 

Go to the Aliexpress website and search for C3 mini lathe. You'll find steel belts and sprockets much cheaper.
I have a mini lathe like this one, and I got a complete set of steel pinions and a set of pulleys. I also changed the spindle bearings.

That's the cheapest problem you can have with it...and the cheapest solution to fix it! - Be glad it wasn't more serious damage!!