Hey all,well I finally got my new HF 7 x 12 the other day,and it's set up in the shop. I posted my first forum post in the general section and I guess I should have posted it here first. I was surprised to see the crate at my front door,since I did not hear the doorbell when it arrived. As I looked down at the crate the first thing that ran through my mind was, "Oh, man this doesn't look good". I guess the gal that delivered it was the same weight (or less !)as the crate,since my neighbor said she dropped it from the Fed Ex truck and proceeded to drag it up the drive way ! Broken metal wrap band ,splintered wood and such.Visions of extended talks to HF customer service with "Peggy",from some place in the far regions of India or other third world country danced through my mind .  I was not a happy camper. Upon opening the crate,it revealed no damage and all was in order. Taking a deep sigh of relief, I proceeded to disassemble,degrease and put the red beast together. All went well without a hitch. A few adjustments and tweaks were in order,and I highly recommend the  "Mini Lathe Users Guide" that is available from Little Machine Shop.com. Adjustment of the gibs on the cross slide , drive belt tightened,motor aligned,back lash adjusted on the cross slide,and deepening the punch marks on the drive lever detents were all that was needed. I used Mobil one 30w and white lithium grease as recommended for a proper lube and oiling.It fired up without a hitch. So far I am happy with my purchase,and can't wait to get the chips flying. I would like to add a tach in the near future,since the speed control takes a bit of getting used to. I tried to attach some photo's,however they seem too large for this forum to accept?(They can't be that big,I took them with my phone ?) Perhaps the moderators can help me on this one. Regards, Rick