[knudsen]

http://lmscnc.com/4100

[blades]

oO pretty! l really like the idea of a gearless spindle drive, should be smooth and relatively quiet. Noise and plastic gear breakage are very common gripes about the gear-driven X2 mini-mill. Other than the presumably belt-driven spindle, it looks like any other typical mini-lathe that comes out of the China factory. Speaking of X2, that's how much this new lathe is priced over what I paid for my 7x10 from HF.

I see that HF currently has the 7x10 on-sale for $399, and it's back-ordered. They show the regular price as being $599, but I don't ever remember it being that high. I was wondering if HF was their preparing their exit strategy for this lathe as they just did for the 4x5?

BTW knudsen, 2:51am ?!? Having trouble sleeping? :rainfro:

[knudsen]

BTW knudsen, 2:51am ?!? Having trouble sleeping?

An all too common occurrence!(nuts)

[blades]

Sorry to hear that buddy. Seems like I never get enough sleep anymore. Toyota has had me working 12-15 hours a day. Some months I hate my job!

[alexander m]

The lms 7x12 looks like a grate machine, but it has a bigger brother from micromark. Altho it is an addition of a hundred dollars to it price tag, I think it's well worth the investment with the imperial dials and the 16 inch between centers.

[blades]

The lms 7x12 looks like a grate machine, but it has a bigger brother from micromark. Altho it is an addition of a hundred dollars to it price tag, I think it's well worth the investment with the imperial dials and the 16 inch between centers.

16" between centers?? It's a 7 x12 lathe, Specs say 12.2" BC.
IMHO, it's getting way too close to 8 x 12 pricing.

[knudsen]

I agree, I don't think they will be selling truckloads of these, unless there's a ninch. I think the 7 x is going to be a slow seller unless it's dirt cheap, like the 7 x 10 at HF when on sale. I have a 7 x12, I like it, but I think you can get much better for a little more. When I bought mine, that was the only inexpensive new lathe out there. If I don't get a used American lathe next, I'll probably get a 9 x 20 or 10 x 22, unless something better comes along. The 7 x was an outstanding deal in it's day, and if that's all you need, it may still be the way to go...

[blades]

HF seems to have had a spike in their pricing on the 7x lathes from what I can see. But with a 20% off coupon, my 7x10 was only $320. And with a 20% coupon, the 8x12 would be almost $100 less than the new one from LMS. And the 8x12 is a real heavyweight compared to the 7x lathes, making it a much more capable machine. Not so much in capacity, but in stability and rigidity.

That being said, I'd still like to have that drive motor on my 7x10.

[knudsen]

I agree that motor will be a nice addition. I've got a treadmill motor, but haven't decided what to do with it yet. Might be nicer in the mill. Probably end of going in whichever fails first

There was a huge increase several years back. I got my x2 for around $400 ($420 maybe) just before the hike. My 7 x was $300, but that was in the mid 90's. It took me almost a year to get one, as they disappeared for a long time. I heard they would all go up, which motivated me to get the mill when I did.

[Nelson_2008]

Hello Alexander,

I'll offer some unsolicited advise about MicroMark: Don't buy a MicroMark anything. As I found out, the extra bells and whistles don't mean anything if you can't make a true cut with it.

To be fair, some people have apparently received lathes from them in a reasonably aligned condition. But mine wasn't, and I've heard of a few others with similar complaints.

I just aligned the tailstock, and it was a PITA, and maybe tomorrow I'll work on the headstock.

If the tailstock had been designed and manufactured differently, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but the tailstock is such a sloppy mess, it seems you almost have to modify it to be able to set it up properly.

If I had it to do over again, I would either buy whatever minilathe I could get for the lowest possible price, or I would spend a little extra and get a lathemaster 8x14 or a Sieg C4 or something.

That's not the only issue I've had with MicroMark, btw. For example, right out of the box, the carriage would hardly move until I put shims in it. There's no way that was "assembled and tested" at the factory, as they claim.

Also, one day I thought I was going to need to bore out a piece of 2" OD tubing that was a little too long to properly hold in the chuck by itself. So I ordered a steady rest from MicroMark.

As it turned out, shortly after I ordered it, I found a piece of tubing with an ID that was close enough to what I needed at the time, so I didn't have to bore anything out and I didn't even take the steady rest out of the box.

Then, maybe two months later or so, I went to use the steady rest, and I was disappointed to find out that the biggest piece of stock it will hold is about an inch or so in diameter. And MicroMark wouldn't take it back, being that I had it a few months, even though it was unused.

I admit, I was partly to blame for ordering it, but their catalog didn't specify how big a piece it would handle, and in my naivety, I just assumed it would be at least two inches or so. (Being that the 3.5" swing Sherline lathe has a steady rest that will handle a 1.75" diameter piece, I felt a steady rest for 7" swing lathe should at least accomodate a 2" piece).

You might order a lathe from them and luck out, but I now don't trust them at all and I'll never order another thing from them.

Regards,
Nelson

The lms 7x12 looks like a grate machine, but it has a bigger brother from micromark. Altho it is an addition of a hundred dollars to it price tag, I think it's well worth the investment with the imperial dials and the 16 inch between centers.

[blades]

Nelson, my blood boils for you every time I read your posts about your experience with MicroCrap, because I too would have fallen for their deceitful advertising about it being such a precision lathe. It would piss me off to no end.

[knudsen]

There's no way that was "assembled and tested" at the factory, as they claim.

They just don't tell you the test consists of making sure it fits in the box for shipping. They do all the adjustments too; if it won't fit in the box, they adjust the box.

[theMightyCasper]

I guess I was one of the lucky ones that got a decent MicroMark lathe last year. However, alignment issues won't be an issue much longer since I'm planning a heavy overhaul / redesign when I convert it. Once I finish getting my mill converted I'm going to start experimenting with the lathe. If the lathe conversion works, great! If not, looks like I have a reason to buy a bigger lathe!

[knudsen]

I got lucky with mine too, real lucky. It is a homier bought in the mid 90's and all I've ever adjusted is the gibs. The quality of it is way better than the original design, but quality on average went up after I bought mine. I guess all the tolerances stacked up the right way. It's a roll of the dice, regardless of what brand you get.

[Crevice Reamer]

These miniature lathes are okay if all you have is a table top to work on. If you have the space you should get something larger.

This LMS is a nice mini lathe, but woefully tiny next to the much more capable Grizzly 10x22 G0602:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-x...al-Lathe/G0602

If you have a need for a lathe, you might as well get something that will do what you need--and the G0602 comes WITH plenty of accessories.

It's on sale now for only about $400 more than the LMS. And believe it or not, the Grizzly shipping is probably less money. That's a real bargain if you didn't buy the little lathe first. Don't ask me how I know this.

Here's a size comparison with a MM 7x14 sitting on the G0602 bed. And a 7x10 sitting on the G0602 headstock.

CR.

[blades]

The Grizzly looks like 4x the machine for 2x the price of a 7x.