New Lathe advice

[Damienol]

Hi WWF

BONUS has just come through and I have decided a new tool is required is required as a reward

thinking a lathe may be the way to go however I know exactly nothing about lathes.

budget sub $1000 and looking for any advice

[hughie]

Hi WWF

BONUS has just come through and I have decided a new tool is required is required as a reward

thinking a lathe may be the way to go however I know exactly nothing about lathes.

budget sub $1000 and looking for any advice

At that price I suspect Chinese knock-offs might be the option. But what are intending to turn to day and where do want to go to tomorrow? I mention this as it will have a direct baring on your choice.

Other than that second hand Ebay, Gumtree etc

[Damienol]

At that price I suspect Chinese knock-offs might be the option. But what are intending to turn to day and where do want to go to tomorrow? I mention this as it will have a direct baring on your choice.

Other than that second hand Ebay, Gumtree etc

Current thinking is that turned work will be parts of furniture components. Legs of chairs, stools etc. no interest at this stage in bowls or pens etc.

[hughie]

Current thinking is that turned work will be parts of furniture components. Legs of chairs, stools etc. no interest at this stage in bowls or pens etc.


Then look around for a second hand lathe a Chinese knock perhaps as tools will dwarf the cost of just about any lathe you buy. I think your better off going this way so as to leave a good amount for quality tools, dont forget you will need a grinder and probably a bandsaw.

[Paul39]

Current thinking is that turned work will be parts of furniture components. Legs of chairs, stools etc. no interest at this stage in bowls or pens etc.

An older long bed Woodfast would be perfect. You may have to look for a while. Be patient.

The below were advertised in Gumtree or ebay in AU

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTE5NVgxNjAw/z/~TwAAOSwjVVV1taL/$_20.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTE5NlgxNjAw/z/7TAAAOSwpDdVbWTl/$_75.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/zx8AAOSwMmBVyB1~/$_75.JPG

Something with a 1 meter or longer between centers that looks like the Woodfast would also work.

I have a Woodfast bowl lathe that pleases me no end.

[chuck1]

My first decent lathe was a Hyco, came with 2 toolrests G3 Chuck 2 faceplates
The longest it will turn is 960mm with tailstock hanging off bed.

[Damienol]

An older long bed Woodfast would be perfect. You may have to look for a while. Be patient.

The below were advertised in Gumtree or ebay in AU

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTE5NVgxNjAw/z/~TwAAOSwjVVV1taL/$_20.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTE5NlgxNjAw/z/7TAAAOSwpDdVbWTl/$_75.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/zx8AAOSwMmBVyB1~/$_75.JPG

Something with a 1 meter or longer between centers that looks like the Woodfast would also work.

I have a Woodfast bowl lathe that pleases me no end.

what about this Carbatec
https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/woodlathe-1100mm-bed-cast-legs-1-s-182kg-162-44-52-cm

[Paul39]

what about this Carbatec
https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/woodlathe-1100mm-bed-cast-legs-1-s-182kg-162-44-52-cm

It has the cast iron bed and is long enough. I am not impressed with the look of the articulated tool rest and flimsy tail stock.

I will let people who have used or played with one in a store comment.

If you are able, go to a store that has a display room and look at and operate the controls of all that are there. With luck you will play with $500, $1000., $2000, and $4000 lathes.

If you are a user of machinery, light will dawn. 20 year old $500 used lathes in decent condition feel and work like new $2000 ones.

You will need a drive center and a tail center which may or may not come with a new lathe.

The advantage of buying a used lathe is that often it will come with a box full of accessories worth half the price of a bare lathe.

You will need a roughing gouge, skew, parting off tool, and a spindle gouge or two to start.

Also a grinder to keep tools sharpened. I prefer a slow speed (1725 RPM here) grinder with 8 inch wheels. if you have a high speed, and or 6 inch wheels, that will do for now.

Before you spend any $$ it would be good for you to do some turning at a men's club or have a little instruction on a decent lathe or three.

Variable speed is nice, but if it is reasonably easy to move the belt on a cone pulley lathe, not really necessary. I have both kinds. For what you will be doing you may start at one speed for roughing, and finish at a higher speed.

After you have some experience you will probably start and finish at the higher speed with a decently balance blank.

If you get a new variable speed lathe built to a price point, sometimes the electronics are of minimal quality. Replacing that can cost 1/4 the price of the lathe

Used mechanical variable speed lathes if maintained and kept clean work fine. If worn and neglected can be troublesome and expensive to fix.

I like cone pulley belt drive lathes. Simple, basic, easy to upgrade or replace motor.

[Paul39]

Damienol,

Look at the tool rest and tail stock on this home built lathe compared to the one you cited.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=198012

[Damienol]

Thanks for the posts guys

On reflection i am thinking I am not ready for a Lathe. The suggestions of training at Mens sheds and tool costs put this is the too hard basket.

I might visit this idea again in a year or so.

Have decided that i will put a spiral cutter head on my thicknesser instead. I use it every weekend and the tear out is getting annoying.

[Christos]

....On reflection i am thinking I am not ready for a Lathe. The suggestions of training at Mens sheds and tool costs put this is the too hard basket.....

If you put it off for a year then the option is to keep your eyes and ears open for something that might come up.

I was like you split between two ideas. I purchased some tools before I got the lathe and the lathe was a fixer upper that I got for free from this forum. They do come up it is just a matter of timing.

[rsser]

Certainly playing around with a lathe at a men's shed or club is advisable.

Some folk never warm to turning. It's pretty odd when you think about it - moving the workpiece (fast) while the cutting tool hardly moves.

[bpbuilder]

Certainly playing around with a lathe at a men's shed or club is advisable.

Some folk never warm to turning. It's pretty odd when you think about it - moving the workpiece (fast) while the cutting tool hardly moves.

Definitely agree with getting some lessons and advice from experienced turners. I was in this boat some time ago and you'll save yourself a heck of a lot of frustration learning to hold tools with the correct presentation. It's likely they may have some contacts in regard to second hand lathes/tools too. When I was taking lessons, for example, there was a Vicmarc VL175 for sale for less than $1000 with many included tools.

[Damienol]

Rightio then, I am back onto this idea and trying to pick one up for Xmas.

From what I can tell I can get a second hand MC1100 (Hafco/Carbatec) with tools or a TeknaTool Nova 3000 with bed extension for about the same money.

i am tending towards the TeknaTool however I am very keen to get feedback from this community

[Optimark]

I have the Tecknatool 1624-44 which appears to be exactly the same unit you have mentioned you are thinking heavily about, although a bit older. Mine was purchased second hand from someone upgrading to a smaller electronic speed controlled lathe.

It is an excellent machine, not that I have pushed it much, but with everything I have thrown at it, it has come up trumps. One accessory that came with mine that I didn’t think I would be using much, if at all, is the Tecknatool Outrigger accessory. I have in fact used it a few times, it works very well and surprised me at how easy it is to work like this.

The outrigger accessory is really perfect for finishing anything flat, like platters or bowls, not really much help for your intended purposes, but extremely handy nonetheless to have in one’s armoury.

The extension piece is probably something you would like/need, I have that as well, works well although when attached and hanging off the end one wonders, but I have experienced no flex in the couple of times I have used it.

Changing the belt on the pulleys is probably the Achilles heel, but in reality I have found three speeds as work progresses from very rough blank to high speed polishing/waxing is easy as, to do, and about all you do change. I have used electronic control, it would be nice, but the price is prohibitive.

It is a well thought out machine and is able to hold a tree trunk of about 360mm diameter by about 600mm long with minimal vibration/shaking on the initial roughing.

The Tecknatool with outrigger and extension picture, plus the legs with adjustable feet picture, is exactly what I have. I was looking for a lathe and the Tecknatool 1624-44 was on the radar, but not a high priority as I believed it was out of my price range. After about 6 months one came up.

The variable speed unit from Carba-Tec you referenced to in post 7 of this thread, is a worthwhile lathe, but the variable speed design is one that requires a belt moving between two steel plates use a Reed Drive set-up (I believe). The second picture in this Wikipedia article is a graphic illustration of how this works. Look at that for a few moments until you understand how that lever on that kind of lathe changes the output speed of the unit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission#Variable-diameter_pulley_.28VDP.29_or_Reeves_drive

Having had a brother with one of those lathes, or a near as exact version of that lathe. I can tell you they do work well, they are good and reliable. That belt does wear and fray, it does need changing and getting a precise speed can sort of be gotten. You will, in a very short time of use with one of these variable speed lathes, understand what speed does what.

Having said that, when my brother came around to look at my Tecknatool lathe, he just said, “well that is a lathe for life, unlike mine”. He now has a Tecknatool electronic variable speed lathe, with a bed extension. This could also be something you may just consider. It is fairly smaller than my 1624-44, but not that much smaller with regard to length of material he can do with the bed extension.

https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/comet-ii-lathe-1-carton-37kg-84-22-45-cm

My Men’s Shed, has one of these.

https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/lathe-variable-speed-1-s-190kg-151-74-56cm
It is not too bad a machine, but I don’t like using it. It is not as stable as my 1624-44, the height of the lathe is such that unless you are quite tall, at least 185cm I think, you may need to stand on a box of some sort. I am 174cm and cannot use this unit without standing on a box at our men’s Shed that is about 15cm high, neither can almost anyone else, except for one rather tall fella. The tool stock doesn’t seem to be as rock steady as my 1624-44 one, but as I do not have them side by side, I really don’t know what the difference is, except the Tecknatool 1624-44 one seems like a rock.

However the three phase motor is powerful and extremely smooth, it seems to have serious grunt. This Carbatec lathe has the same sized motor as my Tecknatool lathe of 1500W, but it certainly delivers it effortlessly, or at least seems to.

Some thoughts.

Mick.

[rsser]

I had one of the asian-made direct drive Teknatools and found the castings rough and there were a number of niggles with things not lining up well. Slack QC. Others reported similar. The motor is a beaut and a pleasure to use but there are a few reports of failed PCBs and long waits for replacements. There was no braking on my motor and it could take 40 seconds for a lump to stop spinning - an aftermarket remote kill switch was essential.

[Damienol]

Having said that, when my brother came around to look at my Tecknatool lathe, he just said, “well that is a lathe for life, unlike mine”. He now has a Tecknatool electronic variable speed lathe, with a bed extension. This could also be something you may just consider. It is fairly smaller than my 1624-44, but not that much smaller with regard to length of material he can do with the bed extension.

https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/comet-ii-lathe-1-carton-37kg-84-22-45-cm

.

Mick.

Thanks Mick, I did consider the Comet however at 30+kg dismissed it as a proper lathe and thought it was targeted more for pen makers etc

[Mobyturns]

what about this Carbatec
https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/woodlathe-1100mm-bed-cast-legs-1-s-182kg-162-44-52-cm

If you are going to be turning furniture components look for a lathe with more between centers length and less swing. Many very good older Hyco, Tough, Golding, Vicmarc (old 850's etc) & original Woodfast lathes languishing in sheds all over the country, just advertise - wanted. Far better castings than Chinese / Tiawanese.

It is not hard or expensive to retrofit a 3 ph machine to single phase or fit a quality VFD & motor later as there are many 3 ph lathes which go for bugger all from auctions. Many of us have 1 hp motors & controls that we will never use again lying about that I'm sure we would part with for a carton or so. :wink:

The other thing is that many will come with additional banjo's and longer tool rests if coming from private sales. Many older turners who can no longer turn want to see their pride & joy go to a good home.

Be wary of the tool rest and banjo designs and the quality of the castings from the generic clone lathes. We have seen many failed castings - far to many for my liking.

[skot]

Damienol,

As you are in Brisbane, I recommend that you do a course or 2 with Rob McKee at Qld Woodturners Association over at Greenslopes.

I did a few and it is well worth the money. They have different lathes that you can try, Rob is a good teacher and you learn good techniques of turning..... care of tools....lathe safety and when to duck as the the lump of timber flies off the lathe....:2tsup:....:o

Cheers

Scott

[Damienol]

Damienol,

As you are in Brisbane, I recommend that you do a course or 2 with Rob McKee at Qld Woodturners Association over at Greenslopes.

I did a few and it is well worth the money. They have different lathes that you can try, Rob is a good teacher and you learn good techniques of turning..... care of tools....lathe safety and when to duck as the the lump of timber flies off the lathe....:2tsup:....:o

Cheers

Scott

Hi Scott, Yes I am. I will keep your advice in mind. Dollars are tight so I tend to learn everything from Google and You Tube. Havent had a lesson yet but hoping one day I will have some spare cash to do so

[rsser]

I've spent a wad on woodturning and the best spending was on lessons. There is important stuff you can't get from the web or books and there are habits you shouldn't learn and are hard to unlearn if you do. There are innumerable ways of getting good results quickly and safely that you will only learn via feedback from an experienced turner who's also a good teacher.
An alternative to paid lessons is to join a club and learn from the guys there.

[Mobyturns]

Damienol,

As you are in Brisbane, I recommend that you do a course or 2 with Rob McKee at Qld Woodturners Association over at Greenslopes.

I did a few and it is well worth the money. ..........

Cheers

Scott

Scott & rsser make good points. A few lessons early from a good tutor will save you a lot of time & heartache. Rob is one of the best about.

[Paul39]

I agree with the above. A couple of hours of instruction will save you weeks if not months of experimentation on your own. I took me about two years to go from making a bowl in 20 - 25 hours to making one in 2 - 3 hours. I am sure some instruction would have shortened the time.