Mini-Lathe (Crowood Metalworking Guides)

If you are thinking of buying one of the several flavors of Mini-Lathes (7X10 to 7X16), or already own one, this is a must have book!I am not a professional machinist, nor would I claim to be a highly skilled one, just a hobbyist. I have, however, rebuilt two 12 inch Atlas lathes, and spent a fair share of time using them. I recently had to sell my last Atlas, and as part of the deal, picked up the new owners old Harbor Freight 7X10 mini-lathe.When I started with my Atlas lathes I bought several good books on using and maintaining a “Full Size” lathe, including the Atlas and Southbend manuals, and used much of what I learned. This book is the equivalent for the mini-lathes.This book is filled with chapters on the construction of various vintages of these lathes, discussions of how to adjust them for better precision, and work piece finish, and easy modifications to improve their range and usefulness. The book is also fair in pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of a mini-lathe.The book explains how to use the lathe for those who have never used one, as well as several projects that you can use to improve the lathe and your skills at the same time.I would recommend the book to those who have been using this type of lathe for a while, if only for the adjustment tips, examples of after-market accessories available, and the projects. Many of the adjustments are the same as for a larger lathe, but there are also many specific to these types.

Planning on getting a small lathe and have not been near one for about 40 years ago from when I took some high school and college classes. This book gives a good introduction on how to set one up, problems, and suggestions on how and where to start. I found it easy to understand and the pictures brought clarity to the subject matter. I now have a good idea on what to expect and some direction on how to get started.

This book is a good introduction to hobby lathes, the author gives a lot of good info and there are some good projects to practice on. Probably the best book of this type.

I found this book to be very informative. It helped me make the decisions I needed to.

Before you buy a lathe. Know what you need for what you want to do. Not everyone can just plunk down a few thousand to get a fully automatic lathe. Learning what functions your style lathe is capable of helps you make a better purchase.

Good reference guide for a newbie, but lacks the details that I really needed.

Covers the basic for lathe and a lot of the terms you need know. Recommended for those interested in metal work and machine work.

A little too basic, good read for the 1st timer but too basic with someone with experience with bigger lathes

This was recommended from a number of machinist / model engineer websites as a superb book but I was a little disappointed. If like me you know nothing of lathes, then alot of the book seems to assume that you can picture what is being described. Well I couldn't so found it a bit disappointing and had to supplement alot of the book with Google searches. Not a bad thing for learning but a few pictures would have made a considerable difference. Also I found it grammatically challenging with poorly constructed sentences that didn't flow nicely when being read.It is however an OK little book, just not as good as some reviews made out.

Very nice book on metal mini lathes. Having read it I know what I need and what to buy. Really good book.

A good introduction to owning a mini lathe. Explains much and wets your appetite for things to do with your new machine.

Other books on this subject have dealt with large lathes whereas this is specific for the mini lathe - I know its in the title but it is a well written book that explains things in an easy to follow manner

Having purchased several books on mini-lathes I found myself still looking for something that made sense. New to 'turning' lots of things were a mystery until I found this book. It's brilliant, loads of colour pictures and written in a style that is simple to follow and as clear as can be. Well done to the author - fabulous.