Brand New LittleMachineShop Lathe Owner

[RB211]

Wait. that thing costs $2700???????? What????? 😱

[JRouche]

P.S. I still don't understand the difference between the power feed and the half-nut. It sounds to me like they do the same thing.

Hey? Guaranteed everyone here has had the same question at some point.

My only advice is only use the half-nuts for threading and use what you have left over for power feed. Not all lathes with half-nuts came with a seperate drive for the saddle and power feed. Some folks did use the hal-nuts as a sort of power feed though, I probably have.

Thats a very nice machine. It has all the features you are looking for. You are going to have Fun! JR

[The Artful Bodger]

P.S. I still don't understand the difference between the power feed and the half-nut. It sounds to me like they do the same thing.

It is possible that on your machine it does use the half nuts to move the carriage both when thread cutting and when power feeding. I have a lathe that is at least 120 years old, it is much bigger than your machine but it too uses the half nuts for both functions.

[lynnl]

.....

On this machine, the speed of the lead screw appears to be set solely by the change gears. There also appears to be exactly two (and only two) speeds.
......

Is your "...two (and only two)..." comment maybe referring to the motor speed? If so, that only directly governs the spindle speed. Though the spindle speed, through the gear train combination chosen, will in turn govern the lead screw rpm and feed rate.

[Richard P Wilson]

I don't have your model of lathe, but based on others I've used, I'm guessing the following:-
Somewhere on the apron will be 2 levers, one of which will engage the half nuts for screwcutting, the other of which controls power feeds and should have 3 positions, one for longitudinal feed (sometimes called 'sliding', one mid position for neutral and one position for power cross feed (sometimes called 'surfacing'). You may find that unless the power feed lever is in the neutral position, an interlock prevents the the half nuts from being engaged.Similarly, having the half nuts engaged the interlock (if there is one) should prevent the feeds being engaged. Anyway, set up the gear train for 80 tpi (yes it will seem like a lot of messing about, but with practice becomes easier. All small lathes were like that back in the day) Make sure the half nuts are disengaged, then engage the power feed lever for longitudinal feed and see what happens. Report back here when you have!

Just a warning, when you are playing with power feeds on a lathe you are not familiar with, make sure there is plenty of space before the saddle or cross slide comes up hard against the end of its travel. This can be an expensive lesson to learn. Just don't ask how I know!

[darryl]

Might have to check out a lathe group to find out more about this machine. I don't think you need a manual, you just need to connect with someone who has that same machine. You're not the only one who's bought it. Be nice to have a closer look at that chart, and at the lever there under the front of the headstock.

[darryl]

It seems as if the two speeds you speak of are one speed for each of those levers on the apron. One is for threading, the other is for power feed. The manual, which I found online, says nothing about a gear train for the lead screw- only about change gears. The pictures show the stacks of change gears, and the lettered positions where those gears go. The threading chart should show a position for that semi hidden lever near the bottom of the headstock, in addition to the positions for the change gears. I haven't found a close enough picture yet that could shed some light on this.

[Bented]

Is your "...two (and only two)..." comment maybe referring to the motor speed? If so, that only directly governs the spindle speed. Though the spindle speed, through the gear train combination chosen, will in turn govern the lead screw rpm and feed rate.

Feed rates are generally described as either Inch Per Minute or Inch Per Revolution, the two are different animals.

IPM is feed over time
IPR is feed per revolution, and is unaffected by spindle speed, .020" inches per revolution is the same at every spindle speed whether 10 RPM's or 5000 RPM's of spindle speed.

IPM is exactly what it describes as well, Inches Per Minute of feed rate that is unrelated to spindle speed.

Most modern lathes will give you a choice of using RPM or SFM spindle speeds and IPR or IPM feed rates, choose wisely.

[chucketn]

All SEIG products have a user manual. You just have to look for it: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/53...C4.html#manual

Don't be concerned about the brand Axminster, that's the UK version of Little Machine Shop.

I'm shocked that LMS didn't provide one.

[Peter.]

Looking HERE it seems that the half-nuts on the C4 are only for threading, The lever on the right end of the apron is up for cross feed and down for carriage feed. Carriage feed rate being half the rate of the feed provided by the threading half-nuts.

[oxford]

P.S. I still don't understand the difference between the power feed and the half-nut. It sounds to me like they do the same thing.

They do sort of do the same thing, move the saddle towards or away from the headstock.

The half-nut which engages the lead screw is used for threading, and the threads on the lead screw are directly related to the threads you are cutting. Any wear or defects in the lead screw can show up in your work piece when threading.

The power feed on lathes is separated from the lead screw. Mentioned above, some lathes use a separate feed rod to power the carriage. A lot of the smaller lathes don’t. If you are curious pull the cover off of the lead screw, there will most likely be a key way cut into the lead screw. This is what drives the power feed. Also mentioned above some lathes do rely on the half but for power feed but I don’t think yours does as you have a different lever for each.

It sounds like you have as many feed options as you do pitches for threading. You will have to use those gears for different feed rates. You should be able to play around and find some combination where you are only changing 1 gear and can get a rougher feed and a finish feed that works for most projects.

Honestly, on my lathe at home I am rarely adjusting the feed rates.

[wmgeorge]

Read the manual in the Link above, of course the threading 1/2 nuts could be used for power feed and it appears to have only one drive screw. Plus you have power cross feed, and you can feed it by hand. LMS is a good outfit and they do not sell junk. Sieg C4 is a very popular machine and well made.

For the folks who can't follow a link, the spec's

• 1000 Watt output spindle motor with spindle speed display
• Genuine NSK bearings
• Metal gears
• Induction hardened ways
• Power longitudinal feed
• Power cross feed
• E-stop safety power switch
• Spindle on-off button
• Forward/reverse button for spindle and lead screw direction
• Reversible lead screw allows for right- and left-hand threading
• Extended threading capability - inch and metric threads
• Zero-resettable dials graduated at 0.001" and advancing 0.050" per turn
• Cam-lock tailstock
• Four-way tool post
• 4" (100 mm) 3-jaw self centering lathe chuck

[Doozer]

I do sometimes imagine that so many beginners get turned off to the hobby
because they buy a low end budget lathe, and are disappointed when it is
a huge pain in the azz to use. My first lathe was an Atlas 10" and it did not
have a quick change box, only loose gears. I was so put off by trying to figure
out the pile of gears, that I never did any threading with it. Total PITA.
Now that I am older and smarter, I can pretty easily figure out a gear ratio.
But back when I was 15 years old, it was kind of a pie in the sky thing.
I expect new bees might have the same frustration.
Another thing, my Atlas could only cut 30 thousandths off the diameter without
chattering. This snail slow metal removal rate also gave me a bad taste for
metal turning. And add insult of worn old chucks that did not center worth a hoot.
I had a 4 jaw, but at 15 years old (a total new bee to machine work), Indicating
the part in the chuck seemed like something impossible and time consuming.
I had just bought a Brown and Sharpe 6" dial caliper at the flea market and I was
just at the point of being able to measure stuff, larger than the 1" micrometer
that I had from my grandfather. I did not have a dial indicator yet.
I remember I got a Starrett last word indicator for Christmas that year, and I began
to play with the 4 jaw a bit.
But all this was very slow. I fumbled along for a few years, making go cart and
mini bike parts. Then after college I got a job at a shock absorber factory.
There was in charge of machine building. I had at work a 1440 Nardini lathe
and a Bridgeport. Now I thought that was a great lathe. It taught me what a real
lathe could do. More important, IT MADE METALWORKING A PLEASURE FOR
ME AND NOT A SLOW LABORIOUS PROCESS. The Nardini would cut over
100 threads and power feed too. I remember it had a power feed pop stop
you could set on the bed ways (and the cross slide). This was so cool for taking
multiple plunge cuts to the same depth. I could also take 100 thou off the diameter
and probably a bit more. I remember I ordered an 8" Bison 4 jaw and I had an
Interapid indicator, and I learned to indicate my work in the 4 jaw chuck in about
a minute and a half to be within half a thou. The factory also had a Mori Seki
16 x 60" lathe that was just awesome. Take .250" cuts like nothing.
All that being said...
If I only had access to my crappy old Atlas lathe, I might not have kept with the
machine hobby. At least not like I am now. So buying a mini lathe is for sure
better than nothing. But my advice is, if you are interested in buying your
first lathe, wait a little longer, save a little more money up, and at the minimum
buy a 10" South Bend or Logan or Sheldon or Rockwell or Myford.....
Something like that. And make sure it has a quick change gearbox for threads
and feeds. Belt drive and back gear is fine. Gear head lathes get heavy, but
if you can move it, get it. If you are considering an Asian import lathe, the
12 x 36" size seems to be the point where the rigidity and features that you
want come into existence.
Anyhow, I am just trying to give advice to prevent the hobby guy from getting
frustrated with a machine that is more cumbersome than productive.
Best of luck with your endeavor.

-Doozer

[lynnl]

Feed rates are generally described as either Inch Per Minute or Inch Per Revolution, the two are different animals.

IPM is feed over time
IPR is feed per revolution, and is unaffected by spindle speed, .020" inches per revolution is the same at every spindle speed whether 10 RPM's or 5000 RPM's of spindle speed.

IPM is exactly what it describes as well, Inches Per Minute of feed rate that is unrelated to spindle speed.

Well, yes, certainly! What I thought might be confusing him was having a two-speed motor.

[oxford]

It seems like there could be a lot worse choices for a small lathe. A quick change box would be nice but a lot of the small lathes that have one still need some change gears to get the full range.

I think I would rather have the power cross feed rather than a QCGB that still needed some sort of gear swap although I don’t do that much threading.

It doesn’t look like that lathe would be all that hard to set up with a small motor and speed controller and drive the lead screw electrically for variable feed if changes for that was really a problem.