To begin you will need to a piece of round stock that is at least a quarter inch longer than the final part. The extra material is so that your part will be the correct length after machining the end to a smooth face (facing). Using the chuck key found in the tool holder, place the stock in the chuck and tighten to secure the stock. Always remove the chuck key from the chuck or it can fly across the room once the lathe is turned on. A common difficulty with using these lathes is activation. The images below demonstrate the differences between Lathe 1 and Lathe 2, please refer to the video below for more information. Lathe 1 must be turned on using the power button circled on the left and the spinning is initiated using the activation lever. Note that the activation lever on Lathe 1 needs to be pulled out before being moved up and down. It also has a neutral position. The lever must be in neutral position for the machine to turn on. It is safer to run the machine in forward because the chips will tend to fall down and into the tray rather than fly up and out. Lathe 2 is controlled by an intuitive button panel. The final piece to using the lathe is setting the correct speed. Refer to the speed chart posted on the wall above the lathes to determine the correct speed for your specific material and set the spindle speed to match. Use the control panel to do this on lathe 2 and the left most knob to do this on lathe 1. You can then begin machining. For more details see the video below. | To begin you will need to a piece of round stock that is at least a quarter inch longer than the final part. The extra material is so that your part will be the correct length after machining the end to a smooth face (facing). Using the chuck key found in the tool holder, place the stock in the chuck and tighten to secure the stock. Always remove the chuck key from the chuck or it can fly across the room once the lathe is turned on. A common difficulty with using these lathes is activation. The images below demonstrate the differences between Lathe 1 and Lathe 2, please refer to the video below for more information. Lathe 1 must be turned on using the power button circled on the left and the spinning is initiated using the activation lever. Note that the activation lever on Lathe 1 needs to be pulled out before being moved up and down. It also has a neutral position. The lever must be in neutral position for the machine to turn on. It is safer to run the machine in forward because the chips will tend to fall down and into the tray rather than fly up and out. Lathe 2 is controlled by an intuitive button panel. The final piece to using the lathe is setting the correct speed. Refer to the speed chart posted on the wall above the lathes to determine the correct speed for your specific material and set the spindle speed to match. Use the control panel to do this on lathe 2 and the left most knob to do this on lathe 1. You can then begin machining. For more details see the video below. |