Best place to find a Hobbymat MD65?

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

HI all, I'm looking for my first lathe/milling machines. I've not got a huge budget so I've been looking at secondhand and I think a Hobbymat may suit my needs.

I've been looking at eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace but wonder if there's a better place to find used small machines?

Also does anyone have any recommendations of other machines that may suit me? Obviously there's a lot of the chinese stuff knocking about which I'm aware of, but something decent but alternative.

Kind Regards

Tom

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Tom, don't know what sort of budget you are thinking of, have a look at Hobbymat MD65

Regards Nick.

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

Depending on what you are planning to use it for, you might want to look at a Taig/Peatol. 2.25 x 8.75 (or 3.25 x 8.75 with riser blocks) vs the Hobbymat's 2.5 x12. There are a couple going fairly cheap on Ebay at the moment.

They are good little precision lathes, which are very modifiable, but don't have leadscrews or screw cutting capability as standard.

[Martin Hamilton 1Participant @martinhamilton1]

Home&workshop.co.uk has a nice looking MD65 lathe for sale at the moment, just depends on your budget.

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

I had seen the one on H&W advertised on ebay, all be it for £170 more than the website price. Even at the lower price it's still a little more money than I have at the moment (but the slow speed mod is a nice addition to make it worth the extra). It's also a good drive to get there as well.

I think I'll just have to keep an sharp eye out on the usual sites, I'm in no rush.

I'll have a look at the Taig lathes but screw cutting is certainly a plus for me.

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

Well I've just picked up a 1985 MD65 from a lovely house with double garage workshop in the Cotswolds. The seller who's clearing his late fathers tools said his father had lots of plans to built things but never actually did much. I think he liked buying tools more than using them!?! Anyhow, he had a new Warco 1022 that had never been upwrapped and a Myford along with other "bits".

Honestly, I don't think this lathe has been used, there's all the delivery grease over it and there were no "chips" sat in it. No belt dust on the inside of the cover that hadn't even had the hinge fitted to the machine. No sign of the tool post screws being "used". If it has been used it's been cleaned very well as I turned a bit of brass when I got home and got some in the grease, when trying to brush them off I moved the grease (lower arrow in pic). I think I'll have to give it a good clean and set it up.

 

Edited By Thomas Gregory 1 on 05/11/2021 10:05:43

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Hi Thomas,

Congratulations with your new lathe, it looks to be in good condition and with the change wheels needed for screw-cutting. Clean off the grease and apply some SAE 30 mineral oil (or way oil) on the non-painted parts. My lathes are certainly covered with chips.

Thor

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Looks like a great buy, Thomas

MichaelG.

[Roger BParticipant @rogerb61624]

That looks to be in excellent condition What accessories did you get? I can see the 3 jaw chuck and the drill chuck as well as what looks like the milling angle plate in the background.

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

Thanks for the replies.

As mentioned, change gears, drill chuck, milling plate, there's the hobbymat vice and dust cover as well. No centres but they're cheap enough to buy, no faceplate or outside jaws for the Bison chuck which is a bit of a pain but I've found some from Gloster Tooling.

Can anyone shed any light on the screw in the middle of this photo is for? I've got on in the "box of bits). The advert says gib strip etc but I can't see in the advert what the etc is or where it goes or what its for on my lathe.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hobbbymat-MD65-cross-slide-gib-strip-etc-/234250063701?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Also I have this backplate, although the register is internal which makes me think it's not a backplate, maybe an adapter for a front mount 4 jaw chuck (without the holes and register machined on the face yet)?

Many Thanks

 

Tom

Edited By Thomas Gregory 1 on 05/11/2021 21:05:03

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Screw – do you mean the one above the motor? It is for the perspex chuck guard.

The backplate is indeed a backplate. It needs the register to fit on the front flange of the spindle, You need 3 studs to go in the backplate (permanently) that then go through 3 plain holes in the flange and you have to develop the skill of getting a washer and nut on them in the confined gap. Small fingers rule.

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

Posted by Bazyle on 05/11/2021 23:41:09:

Screw – do you mean the one above the motor? It is for the perspex chuck guard.

The backplate is indeed a backplate. It needs the register to fit on the front flange of the spindle, You need 3 studs to go in the backplate (permanently) that then go through 3 plain holes in the flange and you have to develop the skill of getting a washer and nut on them in the confined gap. Small fingers rule.

Sorry the screw in the picture of the ebay advert I've linked to.

I've seen people remove that flange and make a new one and use a front mount chucks so they haven't got to mess about with the rear studs.

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

The Advert.. The knurled tops of the screw and bar are reminiscent of Hobbymat parts but not sure what they are – the plain bar looks like a 'knocker-out' ?supplied with the milling head.

It looks a stiff price (to my mind) unless you are desparate for a gib strip?

The manual advises leaving the spindle flange alone unless absolutely necessary (it's a tightish fit, ?turned on it's matched spindle at the factory) for maximum concentricity, however, (iirc) it has to come off for bearing overhaul, so probably not the end of the world as long as you are careful not to damage or compromise the fit of the spindle.

I've always heeded the manual, it'd be interesting to hear other owner's views..

I've never felt massive annoyance at the chuck fitting, the studs end up quite close to the edge of the flange – a bit annoying, but not insurmountable..

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, indeed DiogenesII is correct, the manual does say that the flange should not be removed and it won't really help much for changing the bearing or cleaning and re-greasing either, however if you are changing the flange for one that you will be truing up once fitted onto the spindle, then it should be OK.

Regards Nick.

[Thomas Gregory 1Participant @thomasgregory1]

Thanks both, I've flicked through the manual (printed it off yesterday) but not sat down and had a proper read yet.

I don't need to buy the gib, I just saw the knurled screw in the advert and recognised it as something I have in the spares box and wondered what it was for.

Can I ask what size tools people normally use, 8mm or 10mm?

Edit to say I've sussed what the knurled screw is for. The belt cover retaining screw, through the small hole above the spindle hole in the cover.

Edited By Thomas Gregory 1 on 06/11/2021 21:15:25

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

The screw in the middle of the advert is for holding the meal changewheel cover in place. Every MD65 owner has one surplus to requirements.

By the way the belt tensioner is a silly design – as you have found probably it is a pain to get at that little nut. Make yourself a rod drilled and tapped to replace it that rises above the headstock and may or may not then have an easy turn knob on it.

I hope you have read all the other threads on this lathe that are on the forum to save us repeating stuff. Lots of good advice hidden in them.

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Posted by Thomas Gregory 1 on 06/11/2021 20:23:32:

….

Can I ask what size tools people normally use, 8mm or 10mm?

….

Edited By Thomas Gregory 1 on 06/11/2021 21:15:25

For carbide insert tools I use either 10 or 12mm shank, I also have two tangential HSS tools, one with 1/8" tool bit for my small lathe, the other with 6mm tool bit. Takes less time on my small grinder to grind small HSS tool bits, the largest I use is 8mm. The size will depend on your lathe, so the cutting edge is at lathe centre height.

Thor

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I don't have one of those knurled screws, but I don' have a belt cover either, both were missing when I bought my lathe and the screw isn't shown in my manual. One thing I forgot to say Tom, is that when you make your new chuck flange, don't forget to drill the three holes that line up with the bearing cover bolts as these will allow you to service the bearings without having to remove the flange again.

Regards Nick.

[djswain1Participant @djswain1]

One on ebay at the moment:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hobbymat-lathe-md65-With-Accessories-/393682283845?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

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