Cummins Mini Lathe

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I was give my Cummins Mini Lathe by my dad for my 17th birthday, and ever since then that poor machine has been going through hell. Well maby not hell, but it has been used nearly every day since I received that nice wooden crate with the lathe inside. I bought it from as you can probably guess; Cumminstools.com, which is now called "ToolsNow.com" which i think is a somewhat crappy new name. Anyways, It is a simple Chinese made 7 X 12 mini metal lathe.

The motor on it is not the best, but it has had the torque needed for everything I have been able to throw at it, which is including some very hard grades of steel and stainless steel. back when it was purchased i believe the price was only $399 or so, so for the money it is really a good machine. The accuracy on it is pretty decent, of course i always want more, but overall this machine performs its duties quite well. Typically I am using the lathe to turn 6061-T6 Aluminum which is my favorite grade of aluminum for its machinability and high strength (of course its an aerospace alloy). I also regularly use it with Mothers Mag/Al Polish to bring rocket press spindles up to shine. Here is a closeup of the cover/Specs:

If you are just getting into machining I would highly recommend getting this machine, it is quite durable and can take quite a few screw ups on the operators part. I would rather learn on this small, inexpensive piece of equipment than ruin a nice lathe and since i ave spent a few years learning on this lathe, I am now looking for a nice Southbend or Atlas lathe.

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