We have two woodworking lathes, a smaller Central Machinery (Harbor Freight) Mini Woodworking Lathe Model 95607 and a larger Craftsman Variable Speed Wood Lathe Model 351.21 7170.

[[File:Hflathe.jpg|300px|Hflathe.jpg]]

Policies

• This tool will soon require certification… until we can offer training though it is a use at your own risk situation.
• Users must wear ”impact rated ”eye protection. That means it has z87+ on it, not z87 (other standards do exist – just consider having a heavy piece of wood fly at your face)
• Please try to avoid sanding on the lathe – the shop is not setup for it

Details

The smaller lathe is not particularly powerful but runs well and is also variable speed. It stalls quickly when it catches.

The Craftsman is making some very ugly noises from the reduction gearing. We checked the bearings, is not that – sounds like gears complaining.

Lathe Chisels and Accessories

The two share a good chuck, just need an adapter for the small unit.

A number of lathe chisels are available but we don’t have a grinding jig, nor are the ginders set up well for sharpening. Currently, it’s all freehand, and the grinder wheels tend to need resurfacing. Plans for chisel grinding jigs can be found online

A Note on Grinding Chisels

”ALWAYS ”dip the tool every few moments in cold water when grinding. As soon as the color of the edge changes the slightest bit you have ruined that portion of metal by removing the temper and it will have to be ground down past it, exposing good metal – it simply can’t hold any sort of edge if it this happens. Please post on slack if you would like help sharpening these.

If you find the wheel is cruddy with the remains of things ground in the past the wheel must be resurfaced. We only have a spiky wheel style wheel dresser. The handle of the dresser MUST be rested on the wheel guard or a tool rest. Do not try to use it held freely in the hand.

””’You must wear eye protection when grinding and wear a mask when grinding. The dust is very bad for you.””’

Manuals

[[Media:CentralMachinery_95607_miniLathe.pdf|CentralMachinery 95607 miniLathe.pdf]]

[[Media:Ow-talon.pdf|Talon Lathe Chuck]]

Testing out for certification

An experienced user may test out to obtain certification. Use slack to get in touch with a certification tester.

[[Lathe-CertificaitonRubric.pdf|Lathe Testing Rubric]]

Logs