Vevor MX 8x14 Chinese mini lathe rookie update. Pics attached.
- I took a day and stripped everything down. There was a lot of what I'd call, "factory grit&oil" on all the bearing surfaces, gears and everywhere.
- All the gibs were loose. A couple of bolt/screws had come undone and were rattling around.
- Washed all components (detergent and hot water), then put it under heat to get them all absolutely dry.
- Then applied a coat of machine oil everywhere. The 'manual' called for "non-detergent 20W". I'm using a light oil made for sewing machines. Seems fine. Recommendations?
- Day 2. Re-assembling it all was a good exercise in getting to know how this all works, especially the gib adjustments. HIGHLY recommend.
- Day 3 First chips off 306 brass 3/4" round bar. Did a facing cut and turned a few diameters. NOTE: Learned how to sharpen the brazed carbide cutting tools that came with. 7 degrees.
Conclusion, for me it's been fun. I can see the appeal of diving into upgrades on this class of machine. There is so much on YouTube for that. Next step will be looking for precision.