Greg, I've sent you an email from my mini-lathes group inviting you to join, so you can look at the link there, and download it if it interests you. Feel free to email me, too. wmrmeyers (AT) gmail (d

Look at the 7x Mini-Lathe sites for a Van Norman style QCTP. Mert Baker popularized them for the 7x machines some years ago. You'll need to make it taller since yours is a 9" lathe, but you can do all

I'm not sure I'd bet on that, Sam. I'm using a button based DRO on the lathe at school, and it's survived years there. I've been using it on and off for very nearly 7 years, and it was old when I star

Don't know about your pulley, but do know a bit about sharpening carbide cutters. Conventional wisdom is that you need diamond or CBN wheels to do a really good job sharpening them. Silicon carbide "g

Have you tried getting it red hot, and dropping it in a tub or bucket of used motor oil? Should do it. Will get flame and smoke, best done outdoors. Been decades since I did this. Bill in OKC William

You can make a micrometer stand. Good practice! Not that I have one yet. A set of gauge blocks is handy first for learning to measure accurately. I've had my set for several years, but you can get one

A 1" micrometer, a tungsten carbide scribe, a center punch or two, if you don't already have them, permanent marker or dykem to help you see your scribe marks and such things to help you do layout wor

Doubt I'll ever do anything that complicated, but being able to do internal splines is reason enough for me. Won't be doing anything too large, either, since all my machines but two of the drill press

None, at the moment. I'm using the machines at school while I still have access to them. I am working on the machines at home that aren't useable yet. Most of what I have I bought "out of service" in

The Atlas I mentioned came with a 3-jaw that was out by .014", and nothing I could do to it improved the situation. That's why I got the 4-jaw for it. First thing I bough for my 7x mini-lathe, which w

I'm not a professional machinist. But I have learned that a QCTP is very useful. Particularly when you have very limited shop time. Once you have all your dozens of tool holders set up, anyway. :) The

You can get a decent AXA-clone toolpost from Amazon, Shars, CDCO tools, or a number of other places for under $250. You can make a Van Norman style tool post yourself on the lathe. I got a 6" 4-jaw fr

I don't know where you're located, but in any medium sized and up city, there should be several places that can repair or rewind a motor for you. You can actually test the wiring in the motor yourself

I do them a year at a time for reasons that seem good to me. Got a discount this time, total was $61 and change. Rather than the $75and change. CHEER21 was the code IIRC. They email me when I'm about

Most Saturday mornings I eat breakfast with a crowd of live steamers. Several of the are building their own trains. Remind me Friday evening, and I'll ask what you should be looking for. One of the gu

I'm more inclined to start small, myself. I want to build a small steam engine to drive a generator to charge a cell phone. Tea cup boiler, or there about. Something interesting to watch run, but low

Webb, the email address made to me via email, though it is messed up on the site. I don't have Aloris toolposts, myself, but it was neat to hear how you worked through the problems to make those washe

Try asking here, for one. Also, join the unimat group, and Atlas-Craftsman, Might even want to join the 7x12Mini-Lathe group, and my Mini-Lathes group. Not a lot happening on my group right now, but a

The real trick is to replace the belts often enough they don't fail on you, and keep the most recently replaced belt in good condition as a spare in case the one on the vehicle gets damaged by road tr

I remember reading about using nylon hose as an improvised emergency fan belt in automobiles long before I learned to drive. That was, of course, well before the introduction of serpentine belts in au