ZYTO mini Lathe – need help!

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ZYTO mini Lathe – need help!

This topic has 17 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 7 February 2025 at 16:52 by Macolm.

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2 February 2025 at 17:27 #781678
theshonkymachinist
Participant
@theshonkymachinist
Hello model engineers!

I have recently come into the possession of a lovely ZYTO mini lathe. I am, however, very new to model engineering, and so have no idea of how to construct the lathe or even if I have all the parts. I can’t seem to identify it beyond the big “ZYTO” on the side, and a small metal plate that I think says “T357”. Just posting here to ask, does anyone have ideas as to what this is, and if I have everything? I’d like to try and get it up and running (I’ve ran it once, but by holding all the pieces far apart so to properly tension the belts), but my expertise is very limited.

Best Regards.

theshonkymachinist
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2 February 2025 at 19:16 #781701
Roderick Jenkins
Participant
@roderickjenkins93242
First port of call for questions like this is the lathes.co.uk archive:

https://www.lathes.co.uk/zyto/index.html

HTH,

Rod
2 February 2025 at 21:36 #781709
Huub
Participant
@huub
The required knowledge to put this nice lathe together is not learned by reading a few comments on your request. You need to get familiar with lathe work. YouTube can help and that takes time but it is well spend. Maybe a forum member in your neighborhood can help you get started.
2 February 2025 at 22:10 #781712
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
The first rather odd thing about your lathe is that it currently has a vice mounted on the cross-slide … which might suggest it was last used for a milling operation.

It would be worth checking the loose parts to see how much of the top-slide assembly you possess.

MichaelG.

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2 February 2025 at 22:22 #781713
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
Lathes UK will provide more information.
the wooden piece with hinges looks to be the countershaft.

The motor having been made in Toronto, and a little battered, may very well be old.

If this is your first lathe, do buy some books, and study them, Only when you have a better idea of whats what try running the lathe. Then try cutting metal.

Stan Bray “Basic Lathework”, or Harold Hall ” Lathework – A Complete Course” would be good for starters.

Remember that the cut that you put on will come off both sides, so a 0.005″ cut will reduce the diameter by 0.010″.

The tool needs to sharp, and with the cutting edge set at centre height. If it isn’t it will not cut properly, if at all!

It is only a small lathe so don’t go looking to churn off 1/4″ a side.

In the right hands, it can do good work, within its limitations.

You will need some measuring equipment, such as a calliper, (Vernier, Dial or Digital; your choice).

If you PM me with an E mail address, I can send you a copy of “Notes for Newbies” which you might find useful.

Howard
2 February 2025 at 22:40 #781716
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
The “T357” is probably a serial number, which MIGHT allow you to find when it was made.

Yes, I noticed that a vice is mounted (To my mind, the wrong way round) on the Cross Slide.

If the paintwork is anything to go by, it looks to be in reasonable condition.

Explanation of the gears and their uses, can wait until you have a little more experience, as can the many tools with the lathe.

By moving the belt between the pulleys on the motor and the counter shaft, you can vary the speed. Moving the belt across the pulleys in the countershaft and the spindle will provide another set of speeds.

It looks as if, in total, you have nine possible speeds available.

But be wary of using the highest ones. The spindle might well be running straight in the cast iron of the Headstock, and so not be suitable for sustained high speeds.

Use oil to lubricate the bearings, rather than grease.

Given a little time, things will become clearer, and you can expand your activities on the lathe.

You will be surprised that the jobs that you can do with it; when are experienced and familiar with the machine.

Do not expect the 3 jaw chuck to hold work absolutely concentric, but there are ways of coping with this.

As they say in Suffolk, “Make Haste Slowly”. take things slowly, and you will learn, even from your mistakes.

We all had to start once!

Howard

Howard
2 February 2025 at 22:48 #781717
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
Can you set out the loose parts and photograph them? That will help anyone here help you identify them.

Fior exanple: the small rectangular block on the ground between the lathe and red box in the first photo, seems to be the top-slide so you need know how complete that is. It should contain a screw with a bearing and handwheel and those might be loose in the box.

Those gears with the key-ways are likely the “Change-wheels” used in various combinations for cutting screw-threads. The numbers stamped on them are of their teeth-counts, used in working out which wheels for what threads.

You’ve a goodly collection of tools there, probably all High-Speed Steel, so you’ll need a bench grinder for resharpening them, with introductory books on turning explaining their shapes.

Though those things in the wooden box look like grease-guns, lathes like this are normally lubricated with a light oil.

A tip on what steel to learn on: use a “free-cutting” grade. Many grades of steel can be right so-and-sos to turn satisfactorily so until you’ve enough experience to handle those, use metals that should return good results reasonably easily. If you use steel from an unknown source – as I am wont to do – you might be lucky but are very likely to find it is something very tough, tears rather than slices, and generally gives you grief. (Free-cutting steel, typically containing a tiny trace of lead, was developed for high production rates in industry.)

First things first though, give the lathe a good cleaning and oiling, set it up on a suitable bench, sort out what are lathe parts and accessories and what aren’t in those boxes.
3 February 2025 at 10:04 #781738
noel shelley
Participant
@noelshelley55608
Do all the reading you can on the use of a small lathe. If there is a ME club near you it would be a good idea to join you will get help and assistance . Where abouts are you ? in the UK ? There may be one of us near who may be able to help. The motor, yes it’s old, but may well be good. Before using it keep it in the house and warm for a few days to dry out. Lower left of the box, can I see a cut off lead ? If so note the connections VERY carefully, IF an old lead it may have red, black and green wires, modern flex will be Brown, Blue and Green/Yellow. Run the motor on it’s own for a while, 10 mins say. If all is well proceed. If things go bang or get hot see if you can get it tested at a rewind company. The motor is single phase,240v, 4 pole 1425 RPM, 1/4Hp. The full load current appears to be 2.3A, this is not a fuse value, use a 13A in the plug to handle the starting current.

The motor has a 5 step pulley, the counter shaft a 4 step. Measure the steps and try to align so they are equal, biggest and smallest on each pulley the same. This will make changing speeds easier. Good Luck. Noel.
3 February 2025 at 12:18 #781758
Howard Lewis
Participant
@howardlewis46836
Good advice from Noel.

Try to see if you can assemble the Top Slide from the bits in the box, and the part lying just beside it.

If you can, you will find that a top Slide allows you to produce chamfers and tapers (Useful for trimming up centres before use).

Eventually, you will want to use the changewheels to provide a power feed rather than traversing the Saddle by hand. But don’t rush, until. you feel ready.

When it is finally set up, you will have useful little machine.

Howard
3 February 2025 at 19:30 #781813
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
Hi, one thing I think you will find, is the piece I’ve shown with the red arrow, is the moving jaw for the vice, which is on the cross-slide that MichaelG has mentioned.

Regards Nick.
4 February 2025 at 10:45 #781861
daniel johnston
Participant
@danieljohnston78944
I have one myself although still needs some attention and would say not as original, but looks very similar. I shall try and clear some space and take some pictures (recent workshop move)
4 February 2025 at 14:02 #781873
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
There must have been a year when green Hammerite was the height of fashion – I have a lathe vandalised like this. The topslide base can be seen in the wooden box but teh screw may have gone for a walk.
4 February 2025 at 15:21 #781877
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
Hi Bazyle, I guess you must be right about the green paint, as I have a lathe that I bought many years ago, that’s almost smothered with it.

Regards Nick.
6 February 2025 at 23:40 #782107
Nigel Graham 2
Participant
@nigelgraham2
Is crackle-finish paint still made?

That was once all the rage for practically anything, including my EW lathe whose paintwork has just a few chips. Though overhauling the two-piece headstock is its real need.

Adding to Noel’s point about the pulleys, the shafts should of course be parallel and the opposite flanges in line. On a lathe like this it is normal to have a two stage transmission but always a step-down from the motor to the countershaft (I think it’s about 3:1, maybe 4:1 on my Myford, which has a single motor and c/shaft input pulleys) then the countershaft / spindle pulleys to give a useful range. The centre pair normally is of equal diameters.

I take it the rather complicated covers etc. behind the chuck hide the back-gear. That is an extra low-range for screw-cutting and for turning large items on the faceplate. NB: Tempting though it is, the back-gear should NEVER be used as a spindle lock when unscrewing a chuck that has tightened itself onto the spindle nose thread, as they like to do. That practice is almost guaranteed to break the gear teeth.

Those Tee-slots in the saddle are a bonus, allowing a range of accessories to be used, and providing for “boring between centres”, for producing relatively long parallel bores such as in model engine cylinders. Remember that Tee-slots are relatively fragile on any machine-tool so need care to avoid jacking against the underside of their flanges.

Anyway, Roderick, please do keep us up to date on progress and don’t hesitate to ask for further help.
7 February 2025 at 08:36 #782128
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
On 3 February 2025 at 19:30 Nicholas Farr Said:

Hi, one thing I think you will find, is the piece I’ve shown with the red arrow, is the moving jaw for the vice, which is on the cross-slide that MichaelG has mentioned.

Regards Nick.

Hi, looks like my picture is not working, so I’ve tried it again.

I’ve also got a vice like the black one that can be seen in the left hand corner of the box, it’s not what you would call precision, but it’s handy for holding and drilling small parts that don’t need a high degree of tolerance. It came in a box of other stuff that I bought at an auction.

Regards Nick.
7 February 2025 at 11:46 #782164
Roderick Jenkins
Participant
@roderickjenkins93242
Nigel, not mine, although my first lathe was a Zyto in its original dirty grey paint.

Nick, the vice is a Minicraft like this:

I’ve also got a mini jigsaw and orbital sander which plug into the transformer, all of which I inherited

Cheers,

Rod
7 February 2025 at 15:32 #782177
Nicholas Farr
Participant
@nicholasfarr14254
Hi Rod, thanks for that information about the vice.

Regards Nick.
7 February 2025 at 16:52 #782185
Macolm
Participant
@macolm
The vice may have been a makeshift toolpost judging by the size of some of the tools.
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