Recent content by harborfreight8x12

Hello my ex-neighbor and friend. How are you and were you able to get the HF 8x12 working to your satisfaction? As I said before, mine was ready out of the box and I simply love it to death. I'm so glad I didn't pull the trigger on any of the other offerings from Harbor Freight. Kind regards, Al

I absolutely agree with you. When buying from Harbor Freight, one must do their due diligence. Some items are 5 stars and some are junk, it is up to you to read all the reviews and research YouTube.

I have the round column 33686 which I purchased in 2016 with a coupon. The discount coupon paid for the shipping and much of the initial tooling. I have been very happy with this mill/drill.

No plans Joe. Just made from materials on hand and from searching YouTube for ideas. The "yoke" type is the simplest to make but very limited in size. The "over the top" can make varriable sizes but reqires a lot fiddling with the cutting tool to get the geometry right. Regards, Al

Hi Joe. Yes I did make the ball ends for the tool post clamp. I made a ball turner, actually two of them, pics attached. Also made several M2 tapers, but I also bought some because they're so inexpensive. The M2 tapers with the 3/8" x 24 thread are perfect for recycling drill chucks and the...

Hi. That tool with the bearing has been indispensable for me, with it I can center stock in the 3-jaw chuck with zero runout. Some machinists say that you can do the same with a piece of derlin but I love my bearing. The carriage clamp was a quick and dirty build and rides the ways perfectly...

Hi again. Did I ever send you the LatheMaster owner's manual for the 8x12? I think it's a little better (but not by much) than the Harbor Freight owner's manual. Sadly, Mr. Broussard at LatheMaster has gone out of business, he was located in Baton Rouge and I bought parts from him. Hope this...

Hi Lathe Nut. Attached is a copy of the original packing list. Down the page at #9 is a list of all the gears with their corresponding tooth counts.

Lol. You are right, I should have labeled the circles at the bottom as to "top" and "bottom", but I think Lathe Nut can decipher it from his own pictures of the 'rat nest' wiring. All of you following this thread all agree that the wiring diagrams included in the owner's manual are useless...

To Lathe Nut. I made a rough schematic so, as much as for my own use, I cleaned it up. Let me know if this helps. Kind regards, Al

Here are two pictures of my current gear setup. As you can see, I am not using the cogged belt and my gears are only setup for slow power feed for the carriage. I do not use the lathe to thread anymore because I find it too difficult and time consuming to set up the gears. The two threaded...

Hi Lathe Nut. I didn't pull my motor out to see how the motor and capacitors were wired. Is there anything else I can do to help? Kind regards, Al

I was limited to 10 but here are the rest that I took. The On/Off safety switch is pretty clear with the black and white power lines, the incoming green/ground is routed to a green/yellow to the motor. With the Forward/Reverse switch you can see how it's connected to the bar and the on/off...