Ball Turning Attachment for 7x14 & 7x16 Mini Lathes | Precision Tool Turns Concave & Convex Metal Balls | Optional Box & Spare Carbide Inserts | Ideal for Myford & Similar Mini Metal Lathes

I watched a few Youtube videos before purchasing this product and it seemed to bolt on to some lathes without any modification. However, on my new Vevor 7 X 16 lathe it was way too short to reach the chuck centerline. It needed a .485 thick spacer to raise the cutter to material centerline. Actually I just got a piece of .500 aluminum and fabricated the spacer. This left it .015 high but it works great for the moment. The bolt holes were no problem they all lined up perfectly and the stock screws were correct although on the very short side. It was only the height that needed adjustment. So FYI : The height of the cutter from the base on the one I received was 2.225 in / 56.5mm. You may want to check this dimension on your particular lathe to determine if you will need a spacer. I am very happy with this product. If it is mounted and used properly it is rigid based on the design, the bearing provides a very smooth turning action, there is no chatter at least on aluminum and it produces perfect chips if speeds and feeds are correct. I believe it is the best design out there. However, I have spent time improving the rigidity of my lathe. There is plenty of room for improvement on these Chinese lathes

No instructions on how to set up or use

I installed this on my 7 X 12 lathe in minutes with no modifications necessary. I turned my first ball right away and had a blast doing it. I’m no expert and it was very easy to figure it out. It’s easy to switch back and forth between concave and convex configurations.

Well designed, made from quality components. Works well. As noted in other comments, it does not do well making concabe features in the ends of stock. It does fine with concave on the side of stock.

Product seems nice, smooth action after degreasing. Product didn't ship with cutters, so looks like you're on your own trying to figure out what insert it takes.

Nicely engineered. Do believe this the only ball turner to fit directly onto the mini lathe and it does perfectly on my micromark 7x16

Best design I've seen and tried. Only one drawback, there's no adjustment for up/down so you need to shim the tool platform to get it lined up with your lathe centerline.

The description says this can be used to turn convex or concave. Works fine for convex but it is impossible to make concave curves at the end of a piece of stock because the cutting tip protrudes the tool holder by only a few thou. so after one or two passes the tool holder hits the work being cut. This is probably a limitation only if one is trying to make a concave indentation on the end of a piece of stock. Should be OK for making curved relief or concave cuts along the side of the stock. I made a new tool post to accept 1/4" lathe bits which can be extended beyond the tool holder to get around this problem.

Couldn’t use. Couldn’t fit.

So far they work as they should