Rigid Mini Lathe Upgrade | Tapered Roller Bearings, Solid Tool Post, Brass Gib Strips Mod

G’day everyone, I think that we can all agree that the biggest issues with regards to the 7 x 14 import mini lathes stem from their lack of rigidity and overall mass. At only 60kg in mass, they tend to struggle when it comes to cutting ferrous metals. That is not to say that we can not improve what we have. Having used this lathe for over 2 years, I have identified several area where we can upgrade the mini lathes rigidity and improve cutting performance and see an improvement in surface finish. I will be upgrading the spindle bearings to 30206 tapered roller bearings (for the lathe spindle), upgrading the saddle retaining plates, replacing the steel gib with a brass one, adjusting the grub screws and replacing the compound with a solid tool post. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 0:44 - Tapered Roller Bearings Upgrade 5:17 - Brass Gib Upgrade 6:43 - Gib Adjustment 7:09 - Saddle Retaining Plate Upgrade 9:13 - Solid Tool Post Upgrade #machining #lathe #minilathe