Is this mini lathe a toy or a machine tool

I’ve been thinking of buying this it’s been out for a few years there has been many YouTube videos on upgrading modifying and fixing some of the little problems with it . I think this would be an excellent way to introduce my kids and grandkids to machine tools. And small enough to bring into a small home work garage for a little hobby projects

ive been wanting a lathe for yrs an i finally decided to pick one u that looks identical to what u have in the vidoe. mine was a 7x14, suppose to be here monday. cant wait, ive seen alot of ppl talk down on them but ive seen just as many say the opposite so i decide if i was ever going to get one an learn id bettter off trying one of these rather than spend way more on something ill never use to its full potential. i seen the smaller lathe an mill combos an i started to get one of those but it was half the price of the one i got an i couldnt really find anyone online showing videos of what it was able to do an the size of it just didnt leave me with much trust in it being worth the money especially for what i would want to use it for. i thought i had spent alittle more on mine than what i had to cause i got the one with the upgraded 500watt motor an metal gears but it was $525 in total so it was about half what you spent so it makes me alittle more concerned mine will not be as good quality, mine says its 130lbs in weight so im guess there 25-30lbs in just the crate it will be shipped in cause the page says it was 103lb so i figured that included the machine an everything thats shipped with it an not just the weight of the machine. i hope i got a good one.

The main thing I find with mini lathes is that you may need to do several spring passes with no change to make the final size. They are just not stable enough. But definitely a tool, not a toy.

These lathes are really good. I've dealt with amadeal too and they're great to deal with and very professional!

I'm impressed, looks like a good quality tool for the price.

On all professional lathe equipment (manual and CNC) that I saw axis representation was Z for longitudinal travel and X for traversal. Also there may be Z0 if the machine is equipped with compound sensor.

Hi Jerry, I have just found this because I'm about to retire and want an half decent lathe and turret mill that I can set up in my garage for jobs, i.e. e-bike kit etc. I have been in engineering all my working life (served my apprenticeship at Royal Ordnance). Current position; Technical Manager. the axis is Z not Y. (X is diameter, Z is length) you probably know this by now since the vid is 2yrs old.

The "smallest" lathe you have is nearly a tonne?! This item is rather out of my price range as something I would use rarely, if at all, but I would be interested in seeing more videos about it. I opted out of school metalwork before we got to play with the big machines so a little course on how you use it would be interesting to me (but child's play to you I imagine).

Hi Jerry- I enjoyed your objective look at this AMA 714b. It seems like a nice machine but were you able to you come to any further conclusions after a couple of years using this? I just returned a Creworks 7x14 variable speed mini lathe - loads of quality issues especially with adjustments, broken belt after about 10 mins and poorly machined tailstock (etc). So am now looking for something a bit better. Thanks Tim

Just found your channel and Subscribed. Very nice lathe

A great machine in the right hands I,m retired machinist and build model engines with it made a few mods just have to be patient !

When they come out of the box they are a toy but if you make some modifications and fit some things properly then they are pretty good. If you don't have machining experience and working with fitting machine components then you may get poor results.

It's not a bad machine for small jobs. It might need better spindle bearings (see This Old Tony's videos about this type of lathes). I started learning about turning metal parts on something similar to this. I think it is a nice entry level tool for anyone interested in learning machining. Usually, being a small machine, means that a beginner has less of a chance of loosing his/her fingers if he makes a mistake.

I'm surprised it has a threading dial.

You've mentioned that your intended use of this machine is for metal and possibly some plastic pieces. Would it also be suitable for wood turning, or is a larger machine needed for that?

I am defintively interested in a follow up video.

14:04 I have no idea what the hell to do. Its friggin useless. Nothing but confusing. Tried swapping up my plastic gears made of POM. The sound when spinning by hand is telling you "no".

If you can’t control the rate of feed, then you can’t control finish’s or make a chip. Only strings wrapping around the work piece leaving scratches. The DRO is certainly very useful however accounting for tool deflection feeds and speeds is key to accuracy and controlling heat. Again, without being able to control feed rates puts great limits on its usefulness. Also, at least a 1.500 in. Spindle through hole would expand the usefulness of this little lathe. The I.D of the chuck should at least match the I.D of the spindle. But the real deal breaker is no feed rate control.

its a very nice lathe but i dont understand if you thought it was going to be junk why did you buy it ? and all of these lathes need a bit of work.

Muy bueno video..