On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:50:05 +0000, DoN. Nichols wrote:
On 2010-06-25, James Waldby wrote:
....
Reverse rotation is a standard feature on Sieg 7x10/12/14 minilathes.
In first picture* at http://www.mini-lathe.com/Features/features.htm

Hmm ... one minor problems with the URL above.

You left out the second "Mini_Lathe" in the url. It should be
like this:

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Features/features.htm

I inserted a reference to http://www.mini-lathe.com/ first, and evidently
didn't cut and paste properly when I changed it to refer to features page.

three controls are visible above the words "Mini Lathe" -- a bat-handle
3-position toggle switch for motor Forward/Off/Reverse, a Power On/Off
rocker switch, and the speed pot. The 4th and 6th pictures**, about
halfway thru the file, show the Forward/Neutral/Reverse gear lever that
controls leadscrew rotation relative to spindle rotation. (The next
picture after that shows the bolt holes in the nose of the spindle and
the thru-spindle hole.)

O.K. That gives me a better feel for how this lathe is set up.

Thanks.

* Also http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/features/Controls_y.jpg,
the 4th-from-last picture, has a clearer view of the switches and pot.
Boxed RPM numbers apply when High/Low lever is in Low.

Is the gearing in that all metal, or are the gears in part
plastic?

The leadscrew drive train has plastic gears, driven by a steel ring gear on
the spindle end. See pictures at next two links, from pages at latter two.
http://www.mini-lathe.com/mini_lathe/features/Gears_y.jpg
http://www.mini-lathe.com/mini_lathe/reviews/homier2/gears.jpg
http://www.mini-lathe.com/mini_lathe/features/features_2.htm
http://www.mini-lathe.com/mini_lathe/reviews/homier2/homier.htm

The spindle drive train also has some plastic gears in it; eg see
http://www.thms.tedatum.com/shop22.html which has numerous pictures
in a description of replacing the plastic gears with steel gears from
https://thehobbyistmachinestore.com/store/, a place that also has
a steel "Mini-Mill R8 Gear Set" for about $50, should Searcher7 need
to replace or fix a gear in a drill/mill of that sort.

Awkward location for those levers.
** http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/features/Levers_y.jpg

Yes, they are on the back of the lathe. Besides that, the leadscrew
direction lever is difficult to operate properly because of shallow
detents in the pot metal case, and overly stiff spring. However, most
projects don't require frequent shifting of these levers.

Looking at the motor control panel, I see a screw with a stack
of nuts at the upper left -- looking sort of like a terminal post for
multiple ring terminals to attach to -- perhaps as safety grounds?

No, that's a change the page author made, to store several 10mm nuts.
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Modifications/modifications.htm#nut_keeper

--
jiw