Thread: Anyone own/use an AL-30 metal lathe?

They are a good choice for a 1st lathe, so good in fact, that there are Yahoo groups for these machines.There is a wealth of information about these lathes with-in the FILES section, so if you really want to find out about them, join up in this group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/7x12mi...yguid=97172132

regards radish

Woops, forgot to add that the exact same machine, will have about 20 different company names attached to it and all differenmt prices, it's called badge engineering. Some places sell them for a reasonable price, then there are the RIP OFF joints, so shop around for the best price.

The chinese company that makes them,SEIG, will take orders from all over the world and paint it whatever colour is ordered and even make the different stickers for them too.

regards radish

Cheers mate,Yeah i have been able to secure one cost price from a friend who works in the industry so should be rite there.

Just wanted to other peoples opinions/recommendations before shelling out the bucks for it.


Cheers.

They are quite a capable little lathe.

One of the best sites is MiniMill.com, very comprehensive.

Another very good one is Gadgetbuilder

and last but not least Varmint Al

as well as the Yahoo user group referenced above.

Hey,yeah i've made a post on the yahoo group just gotta wait to get a reply.

The only thing that is concerning me & holding up my purchase is wether or not it will be able to do imperial threads?

Cause it only says in the description that it does metric threads?

Anyone shed some light on that.


Cheers

Originally Posted by faroogoo

Hey,yeah i've made a post on the yahoo group just gotta wait to get a reply.

The only thing that is concerning me & holding up my purchase is wether or not it will be able to do imperial threads?

Cause it only says in the description that it does metric threads?

Anyone shed some light on that.


Cheers

Yes, imperial and metric, see here

Varmint Al's page has more info as well as a gear calculator for various threads.

Hi faroogoo,

I own the bigger brother to this machine, the AL-60 and have been so impressed how much work I have turned out on this machine, and how nice the finish is on the work. My only reservation would be the small size of the AL-30, what do you intend to use it for? The quality is very good for the price, I only payed $1,300 and well pleased to get a metal lathe that can turn out quality work and have enough grunt to get the job done.

If you have the room and the budget,I would recommend getting the larger unit (AL-60), then you can turn out larger items, but that said, sometimes even my lathe is not able to cope or handle some jobs, but that is the case with any other machine.

I don't think you can go wrong with your choice, and I am sure you will get many years of service out of this little beast, or it's bigger brother,

Regards

Steve

Hey Steve,

Yeah i looked into a couple of the other models too but thought i'd get an entry level lathe to start with.

Im planning mainly to use 6061 billet alloy most of the time,This lathe should be ample for turning out alloy parts with ease shouldnt it?

Il prob use mild steel every now.


Cheers

More than capable to handle the ally, it will eat mild steel all day long.

As I said in an earlier post, it's a good lathe to get for the first one, then, when you do decide to get a bigger one, you still got a good 'un to sell.

The best thing to do to satisfy your own mind, is go along to Hare & Forbes, ask about the lathe in question, then see if you can have a go at one, with a bit of steel in the jaws, soon show you how good it is.

regards radish

Originally Posted by faroogoo

Hey Steve,

Im planning mainly to use 6061 billet alloy most of the time,This lathe should be ample for turning out alloy parts with ease shouldnt it?

Il prob use mild steel every now.

Cheers

Yah no problem turning Ali and mild steel etc, I see it is variable speed too, so that is very handy.

By the way there are new Aluminium's out now, that I am finding cut even better than 6061, the 6026 and 6262 that I am now using cuts like butter and the finish is fantastic,

Steve

Originally Posted by STEAM

Yah no problem turning Ali and mild steel etc, I see it is variable speed too, so that is very handy.

By the way there are new Aluminium's out now, that I am finding cut even better than 6061, the 6026 and 6262 that I am now using cuts like butter and the finish is fantastic,

Steve

Hey Steve,

Whats the going price for the alloys you mentioned,im guessing they come in bar form?

I've just been holding onto bar off cuts from my mates business i've got 2 6061 pieces so far that are around 75mm diameter X 150mm length.

That should be ok to learn on?

they are awesome to learn on, and are still quite capable of making lots of things. Such a handy machine to have. Here is my thread, Ive just started learning how to use mine.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/7x12-mini-lathe-item-98152

Originally Posted by martrix

they are awesome to learn on, and are still quite capable of making lots of things. Such a handy machine to have. Here is my thread, Ive just started learning how to use mine.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/7x12-mini-lathe-item-98152

Hey mate,

Thats nice work,I was hoping i'd be able to do tappered pieces,dont know how yet though lol.

When your machining are you doing all your work in forward gear or some in reverse?

Its hard to tell from the vid.

Cheers

Originally Posted by faroogoo

Hey Steve,

Whats the going price for the alloys you mentioned,im guessing they come in bar form?

I've just been holding onto bar off cuts from my mates business i've got 2 6061 pieces so far that are around 75mm diameter X 150mm length.

That should be ok to learn on?

Yep 6061 is fantastic to learn on, most ali,brass and mild steel will turn nice, go around the local scrap dealers, sometime you can pick up some good stuff from them and at bargain prises. Depends were yah live, but most places has steel suppliers, but on small stuff they may require a minimum sale amount, just check um out first.
Now lets get one thing very clear, you need to keep safety in mind at all times, never think your machine will think for you, it won't, so ALWAYS use eye protection, short sleaves or if you must ware long sleaves, then make sure your buttons are done up and not flapping around, never use gloves, but if you do, you must be 100% sure you are not going to get near any turning tool or piece you are turning, even that small machine will bite your fingers or hand off, so please think safety all the time and you will enjoy machining for a long time to come. Get into the habit of taking out the chuck key and placing it in the same safe place ever time, don't start the lathe until you sight or touch the key to ensure it has been removed. Good practise is to turn the chuck my hand one turn, this will also ensure that the key is out and also that you are not going to have a tool crash into the chuck jaws (I did this once and never want to do it again, trust me).
Here is a link to some video's that will help and some nice tips for you http://techtv.mit.edu/genres/24-how-to/videos/127-machine-shop-4
Have fun and keep safe,

Regards
Steve