Is this mini lathe a toy or a machine tool 

A great machine in the right hands I,m retired machinist and build model engines with it made a few mods just have to be patient !

The main thing I find with mini lathes is that you may need to do several spring passes with no change to make the final size. They are just not stable enough. But definitely a tool, not a toy.

I’ve been thinking of buying this it’s been out for a few years there has been many RU-vid videos on upgrading modifying and fixing some of the little problems with it . I think this would be an excellent way to introduce my kids and grandkids to machine tools. And small enough to bring into a small home work garage for a little hobby projects

When they come out of the box they are a toy but if you make some modifications and fit some things properly then they are pretty good. If you don't have machining experience and working with fitting machine components then you may get poor results.

ive been wanting a lathe for yrs an i finally decided to pick one u that looks identical to what u have in the vidoe. mine was a 7x14, suppose to be here monday. cant wait, ive seen alot of ppl talk down on them but ive seen just as many say the opposite so i decide if i was ever going to get one an learn id bettter off trying one of these rather than spend way more on something ill never use to its full potential. i seen the smaller lathe an mill combos an i started to get one of those but it was half the price of the one i got an i couldnt really find anyone online showing videos of what it was able to do an the size of it just didnt leave me with much trust in it being worth the money especially for what i would want to use it for. i thought i had spent alittle more on mine than what i had to cause i got the one with the upgraded 500watt motor an metal gears but it was $525 in total so it was about half what you spent so it makes me alittle more concerned mine will not be as good quality, mine says its 130lbs in weight so im guess there 25-30lbs in just the crate it will be shipped in cause the page says it was 103lb so i figured that included the machine an everything thats shipped with it an not just the weight of the machine. i hope i got a good one.

The "smallest" lathe you have is nearly a tonne?! This item is rather out of my price range as something I would use rarely, if at all, but I would be interested in seeing more videos about it. I opted out of school metalwork before we got to play with the big machines so a little course on how you use it would be interesting to me (but child's play to you I imagine).

These lathes are really good. I've dealt with amadeal too and they're great to deal with and very professional!

Just found your channel and Subscribed. Very nice lathe

I'm impressed, looks like a good quality tool for the price.

On all professional lathe equipment (manual and CNC) that I saw axis representation was Z for longitudinal travel and X for traversal. Also there may be Z0 if the machine is equipped with compound sensor.

It's not a bad machine for small jobs. It might need better spindle bearings (see This Old Tony's videos about this type of lathes). I started learning about turning metal parts on something similar to this. I think it is a nice entry level tool for anyone interested in learning machining. Usually, being a small machine, means that a beginner has less of a chance of loosing his/her fingers if he makes a mistake.

I'm surprised it has a threading dial.

That machine looks to be made in Taiwan, better quality control, good fit and Finnish, half decent components and all metal gears. Always better (not perfect) from Taiwan.

Hi Jerry- I enjoyed your objective look at this AMA 714b. It seems like a nice machine but were you able to you come to any further conclusions after a couple of years using this? I just returned a Creworks 7x14 variable speed mini lathe - loads of quality issues especially with adjustments, broken belt after about 10 mins and poorly machined tailstock (etc). So am now looking for something a bit better. Thanks Tim

Muy bueno video..

Well....since I have a SHERLINE 4100 I am always interested in anything "mini lathe". Unfortunately, these PRC machines have been ripped in a number of reviews and they always come back to the same problems. The machine looks good from a distance, but without Considerable attention the fit and finish really Suck. Further, AFAIK after-market items such as colletts, cutting tools, DRO-s and after-market up-grades do not fit well without ....again.....considerable amount of "customization". When all was said and done I paid about $1300USD for my set up but it came CNC-ready, a full set of collets, cools and tool holders. I'm guessing that if I had purchased only the machine by itself, I could have gotten a used SHERLINE off E-BAY which would STILL out-perform ther PRC items. You really do get what you pay for. 😊

I am defintively interested in a follow up video.

You've mentioned that your intended use of this machine is for metal and possibly some plastic pieces. Would it also be suitable for wood turning, or is a larger machine needed for that?

14:04 I have no idea what the hell to do. Its friggin useless. Nothing but confusing. Tried swapping up my plastic gears made of POM. The sound when spinning by hand is telling you "no".

If you can’t control the rate of feed, then you can’t control finish’s or make a chip. Only strings wrapping around the work piece leaving scratches. The DRO is certainly very useful however accounting for tool deflection feeds and speeds is key to accuracy and controlling heat. Again, without being able to control feed rates puts great limits on its usefulness. Also, at least a 1.500 in. Spindle through hole would expand the usefulness of this little lathe. The I.D of the chuck should at least match the I.D of the spindle. But the real deal breaker is no feed rate control.

Jerry, I think you've found a very nice small machine tool, especially once you've "dialed it in" _and_ modified the tail stock. Will you use your micrometers for dialing in the DRO at several diameter ranges rather than using your calipers on the one 20-mm piece, or is that "accurate enough" for the restoration(?) work you plan to use it for? Regardless, I think you made an _excellent_ purchase decision based on what little I've seen in this video! I wish my mini-lathe had a variable speed motor and all of the options yours came with! (Of course, I bought mine second hand ~30-years ago and don't know what it originally came with, but I can still hold well within ±0.005-inch [~0.127-mm] with ease. ;)

its a very nice lathe but i dont understand if you thought it was going to be junk why did you buy it ? and all of these lathes need a bit of work.

Your carriage is your "Z" axis. The only two axis on a lathe are X and Z

Ma te ci pensi che quando il tuo popolo viveva ancora nelle caverne nel frattempo i cinesi costruivano la grande muraglia e avevano scoperto la polvere pirica? Ora vi permettete di denigrare prodotti cinesi che nella vostra nazione pagheresti dieci volte tanto? Spendete poco e prendete qualità?

Toy