Which lathe?

[DAL1957]

Hi All,

I am relatively new to wood turning and quite enjoying the hobby to the point of wanting a better lathe.

Currently I have a Carbatec Pro Mini Lathe (https://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning/lathes-and-accessories/lathes/carbatec-mini-lathe) WL-B440P which I am told is a re-branded Woodfast, and it has been a great starter lathe.

However, it does have a few limitations for an ultimately aspiring wood turner.

I'd like a larger bed length, more swing, a rotating head stock, and an electronic variable speed (to hopefully future proof me for a long time).

What I am considering is:
1. Either the NOVA Saturn DVR or the NOVA Galaxi DVR from Carbatec.
2. The Woodfast C1000X from Wood Working Solutions.
3. A cheaper alternative could be the 3 position belt electronic speed control Carbatec WL-V1100C

I'd prefer to go with full electronic control over the 3 belt if the budget can be stretched.

Does any one have any views as to the better option? Or are they pretty even?

The Woodfast seems to be a simpler less complex system, theoretically less to break (though not any cheaper).
The (a lot) cheaper Carbatec's downside would be the belt changing (though this probably would be pretty rare).

Any views would be appreciated.

David.

[Lyle]

I really like my C1000X. Be aware the electronic variable speed range is within each pulley selection.
I also like that the speed control box can be positioned for easy reach when the head is swivelled.

[pommyphil]

There's been a few secondhand Vicmarcs around recently, have you considered used ?

[DAL1957]

Thanks Lyle, nice to know that you are happy with the C1000x. Yes, I am aware of the variable speeds being within each belt range, this is what slightly puts me off that specific Carbatec model, and leans me towards the C1000X or the Teknatool models. There is a big jump in price though if I want to lose the belts. I figured I would probably just leave the belt in the middle position for the life of the lathe and change pulleys only if I really had to (Up to 2000 rpm in middle position). But I would really like the full electronic control version.

Thanks for the reply pommyphil, I have considered a second hand lathe, and I regularly check out Gumtree just in case. Thing is it has to be for sale locally so I can see it and pick it up. All the Vicmars so far have been Interstate. But if an electronic speed model turn up locally in the ads I'll certainly take a look.

[Optimark]

I have been pondering the same question over the last two years, early this year I made a choice of a lathe that isn’t on your list, although it is in the same price bracket as your most expensive lathe. Scroll down and view the first video clip, I think you'll find it interesting.

https://www.gregmach.com/product/laguna-lathe-revo-1836/
(https://www.gregmach.com/product/laguna-lathe-revo-1836/)
These lathes are low, but not as low as what they look like as I would suggest that he is a reasonably tall person. Nevertheless, spindle height is a reasonably important consideration. This lathe has as an accessory, a riser kit, which, apart from Vicmarc, I know of no other lathes with variable height possibilities. Tool post is 1”, Spindle thread is M30 x 3.5. Spindle height is 1050mm. If you bought one of these, then I would suggest you would need to factor in purchasing the bed extension, which comes with tail stock and tool post riser units. As a side benefit, the bed extension can go on the lathe in multiple positions, including on the front allowing you to have the tool rest behind your work. With the bed extension in the drop down position, you can turn 800mm, which is getting up there.

The Carbatec unit is the model after what my Men’s Shed has. I am not a fan of it, neither are most of the fellas in the shed. Instead we gravitate to a smaller but much more user friendly lathe. The Carbatec unit is quite tall, enquire about spindle height from Carbatec. It also has a narrow footprint and is one of the few lathes I have used that definitely needs to be bolted to the floor. Bolting to the floor is certainly required when one puts an off balanced blank on. The banjo and tool rest are not exactly awe inspiring, worse still when you swivel the head and need to use the articulated tool post doo-hickey. This lathe has an M30 x 3.5 spindle thread, which is currently the default spindle thread in Australia. It has a 1” tool post.

Regarding spindle threads, there are currently three major threads on the most common mid to larger lathes in Australia. 1¼” x 8 TPI, M30 x 3.5 (currently the most popular) and M33 x 3.5 (standard in Europe, now becoming common in the USA and most other places in the world. Pretty much everything in Australia is currently supplied with M30 x 3.5 spindle threads. Exceptions I know of are English Record and the Nova units.

The Nova lathes you mention, are both excellent units. I have used a DVR Nova lathe, but with the 1624-44 chassis and thought it was the go for me a few years ago. I have a Nova 1624-44 8 speed lathe, excellent for what it is.I have the outrigger and the bed extension, which do turn that lathe into a quite good unit. The Nova runs the 1¼” x 8 TPI spindle thread. It has a 1” tool post.

The best swivel head lathes I have seen and used, are Vicmarc. However to use their swivel head properly, you certainly need the outboard turning attachment.

https://vicmarc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=166&virtuemart_category_id=21&Itemid=528

Vicmarc lathes run a 30mm tool post and M30 x 3.5 spindle thread. Vicmarc lathes have very rigid feeling tool posts.

Mick.

[NeilS]

I really like my C1000X. Be aware the electronic variable speed range is within each pulley selection.


I also like my C1000X, which I have had in constant use now for quite a few years. As I mostly turn bowls (I do very little spindle turning) I rarely have to change the belt position, but it is quick to do so if necessary.

I do most of my turning outboard and prefer the outboard turning arrangement on the C1000X to the Vicmarc VL175, but otherwise that is also a good lathe, but I think they have stopped making that one.

The VL240 is probably intended to replace it, but it also lacks a good easy to use outboard bed and banjo arrangement. Shame about that.

Lathes that have a sliding headstock are another option but I don't have enough experience of them to suggest any of those.

Happy hunting!





Sent from my ZTE T84 using Tapatalk

[DAL1957]

Optimark, I'm not sure wether to curse you for adding another option to my list to complicate my decision or thank you for bringing it to my attention. I had not considered the Laguna, mainly because it didn't appear in my Google searches, probably because I added "Adelaide" to my searches. I have just watched the video, and I liked what I saw, and think it is certainly a viable alternative when compared to the Teknatool Nova Galaxi or the C1000x. And it was nice to see the options available. I have just sent an email for shipping cost.

I also appreciate your insights on the Carbatec belted model, as it reinforces the direction I was originally heading. I'll just have to start some hard saving (or give the credit card a beating).

I'll head off and do a little further research on Laguna.

So I think it's a "Thank you"

And thanks NeilS. Nice to know that the C1000x has been a reliable model. Advantage of the C1000x and the Nova Galaxi is that both are available locally and can easily be added to the back of my ute. The Laguna will have to come from Qld and may incur a high shipping cost, have to wait and see.

[DAL1957]

In my Internet travels I also came across a Vicmarc VL240 ASM EVS lathe - https://vicmarc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=149&virtuemart_category_id=13

It can be fitted with an extension to give me the added length, has a rotating head, and electronic speed control; pretty much filling my wish list (just have to find a price).

Anyone have this lathe, or know about it? How does Vicmarc stack up against the rest?

I had a look at the Nova Galaxi a few days back and it is certainly a flash looking unit with a lot of computer control. However, given the choice, I'd rather have a simpler system than have to worry about learning to programme the Nova (though probably not that hard).



Addit: Ah, just found the Vicmarc 240 at CWS, and it's well out of my price range - I could just push to $4000, but $5483 is just a little to hard to find.

[DomAU]

I know absolutely nothing about wood lathes.

However I am watching this thread with interest as I'd like to pick up a lathe for turning chair legs in the near future.

Any thoughts on the Harvey T-50? About $3350- and seems a solid unit with plenty of capacity, variable speed, swiveling head etc.

Vicmark gets a lot of love here and that's understandable as it's made in Australia, which is great. I wonder, if Vicmark were made in Asia, would they still stack up in terms of value?

Cheers, Dom

[Damienol]

The Ayao lathes are good value

[Optimark]

In my Internet travels I also came across a Vicmarc VL240 ASM EVS lathe - https://vicmarc.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=149&virtuemart_category_id=13

It can be fitted with an extension to give me the added length, has a rotating head, and electronic speed control; pretty much filling my wish list (just have to find a price).

Anyone have this lathe, or know about it? How does Vicmarc stack up against the rest?

I had a look at the Nova Galaxi a few days back and it is certainly a flash looking unit with a lot of computer control. However, given the choice, I'd rather have a simpler system than have to worry about learning to programme the Nova (though probably not that hard).



Addit: Ah, just found the Vicmarc 240 at CWS, and it's well out of my price range - I could just push to $4000, but $5483 is just a little to hard to find.

If you think that is sticker price shock, don't even think about a bed extension or the outboard turning attachment. :oo:

The lathe is $5483.50 add the outboard turning attachment $631.40 and you are looking at $6,114.90

This only gets you a working length of 500mm , which is a bit on the small side but perfect for many people. If you wish, you can add the bed extension which realistically requires the bed extension stand for a combined total of $949.05 bringing the total to $7,063.95 which is a not insubstantial sum.

Picture shows a VL175, which is a long bed unit with the outboard turning attachment fitted. The outboard attachment is missing a component. I used this to wet turn some bowl blanks in March this year, hence the lovely curling shavings. :D

Mick.

434847

[NeilS]

Any thoughts on the Harvey T-50? About $3350- and seems a solid unit with plenty of capacity, variable speed, swiveling head etc.



That's a new lathe to me, so I can't comment on it from experience.

But, from the info in that link, it does look like a solid lathe with a 2HP motor and extra features at a competitive price.

The ability to swap in a new belt without having to remove the spindle is a nice feature to have.

The side bed is an interesting design that might appeal to us outboard turners, although how convenient it would be for those of us who also use long handled gouges would not be known until we were working on it. You only have 400mm to play with between the spindle centre and the the outboard bed in the outboard orientation, so it may be an issue (or not). Although not a consideration for you, Dom, if you are mainly spindle turning chair legs inboard.

The 11/4" x 8tpi spindle thread would be an issue for any of us who are already set up for the more common 30mm x 3.5 size here in Australia, but an adaptor might overcome that issue.

However, the main concern with any new lathe coming onto the market here is how well it will hold up over time and how readily available will spare parts be if anything does fail. Lathes like Vicmarc and Woodfast (and to some extent Teknatool) have been here for a very long time and proven their reliability and serviceability. Some of the new contenders may do so over time, but you have to take the risk with them without the benefit of a proven track record.

For you, Dom, I expect that a lathe like that will do the job of turning many hundred (possibly thousands) of chair legs without any problems.

[Gabriel]

If you're looking at serious lathes, but not quite the vicmarc or stubby, then I'd certainly look at the Laguna Revo 18-36 (I think that's the model)...I know a few people with one and it certainly looks impressive for the money (around the 4k last I looked up think)

This is all just off the top of my head so details could be sketchy...

[DAL1957]

The Ayao lathes are good value

I did notice the Ayao lathe on eBay, and it was a pretty reasonable price for what you get. However, having watched a YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TulMdeSZITI I was a little less than impressed with the way it seemed to bog down while turning the big platter. But being new to turning, perhaps all lathes would slow up a bit in this situation. it just seemed a little gutless. Anyone tried large outboard turning?




The Laguna Revo seems to stack up well on features for the price, it's a little cheaper than the Woodfast and the Nova Galaxi, and when I inquired about shipping I was told it would be shipped free to Adelaide. My only reservation on the Laguna is that the distributor is in Qld, and that's a long way if I have a problem. And while I am sure there are an awful lot of the Laguna Revo 1836 out there working well, I did get a little scared by the YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTsVWABOVFY This is most likely a one-off (I hope) because I like the look of the Revo and it offers all I want. perhaps I should just avoid YouTube.


Likewise, I had not heard of the Harvey T-50 - https://www.bbta.com.au/harvey-t-50-wood-lathe/ It looks a nice unit at a good price and well featured, but being new to the market, and unheard of by most people, it remains a gamble. Would be nice to know where it comes from and if there are any reviews. There are a few Harvey T-40 videos on YouTube that I have not looked at.


The Vicmarc is certainly well thought of and loved by it's users, but as pointed out, the price does add up considerably and I don't know that at the end of the day it is worth the extra for what it offers over the Laguna/Nova/Woodfast options.

[Damienol]

Harvey is the manufacturer for many resellers like Laguna. I don’t know about this particular lathe however I would not shy away from Harvey just because you have not heard of the .


my experience has been very positive

[Gabriel]

I have the Harvey table saw (3hp 15amp) and gave had it for about 4 years....it hasn't missed a beat and is quite the solid unit. If their lathes are similar then I'd certainly give one a go if the 'unknown brand' was my only downside....

Just my thoughts again

[DomAU]

Any thoughts about a Vicmark VL200 long-bed, 6 speed, bench-mount lathe for approx. $2500- and then add a 3HP motor and Powtran VFD control for about $600. If you don't mind building a solid bench to suit then you'd have a Vicmark with variable speed control and 3HP for approximately $3100- . Sounds good to me, unless I'm missing something? On that note, is there any disadvantage to too much HP for a particular lathe? I'm considering this option for myself.

Cheers,

Dom

[DAL1957]

Thanks for putting out another option DomAU. It certainly sounds like an idea, albeit perhaps a little outside of my DIY league. Though, that said, I wonder if you could not use one of these Powertran VFD controllers on my existing lathe to give me a variable speed. Might be a lot cheaper than the $4000 that all the lathes I am looking at are.



I like the fact that some of these lathes have an option to turn the headstock 30 degrees which makes working on a bowl a little easier than having to lean over the lathe. Looking at the specs on the Laguna Revo I don't see anything that talks about the headstock being able to swivel, and even it's outboard turning is done by sliding the head down to the end of the unit. I guess you could position the banjo/rest at the very end, then slide the head almost all the way to the end and just stand at the end facing up the lathe bed, it would be much the same as the 30 degree option.

[rbjozzia]

Hi Guys

A Stubby. No question.

Cheers

[Gabriel]

Hi Guys

A Stubby. No question.

Cheers

Whilst I agree, I don't think the op had that sort of budget to play with

[rbjozzia]

Whilst I agree, I don't think the op had that sort of budget to play with

Yeah! I guessed, I was lucky enough to obtain one some years ago from a deceased estate, certainlly could not have afforded a new one. Can't go past Vicmarc though.

[Sawdust Maker]

...

Vicmark gets a lot of love here and that's understandable as it's made in Australia, which is great. I wonder, if Vicmark were made in Asia, would they still stack up in terms of value?

Cheers, Dom

I think you'll find that Vicmarc gets a lot of love because they are extremely well made. The quality of the lathe and its fit and finish are 1st class
The fact that they are made in Australia is a bonus

We recently purchased one for the Men's Shed and although I've seen them in the past and turned on then, I oversaw the installation of this one and I couldn't help but be impressed

BTW I have a Nova DVR XP which I'm happy with

[hughie]

Any thoughts about a Vicmark VL200 long-bed, 6 speed, bench-mount lathe for approx. $2500- and then add a 3HP motor and Powtran VFD control for about $600. If you don't mind building a solid bench to suit then you'd have a Vicmark with variable speed control and 3HP for approximately $3100- . Sounds good to me, unless I'm missing something? On that note, is there any disadvantage to too much HP for a particular lathe? I'm considering this option for myself.

Cheers,

Dom
Nah you can never have too much HP. The bench type buy is good value if you're handy. Its what I would go for. :2tsup:

[MSDD]

About seven weeks ago I bought
NOVA Saturn without stand, after playing with Comet II for couple of years.
Saturn is a fantastic machine. I could not be happier!
Both;
the NOVA Saturn DVR or the NOVA Galaxi DVR are simply great. The old school users will never understand until they try.
The only reason I could not buy Galaxi; it comes with stand, bed is much longer but I had no floor space available for it.

I am happy to answer specific questions if any.

[BobL]

Nah you can never have too much HP. The bench type buy is good value if you're handy. Its what I would go for. :2tsup:

In general I agree but in case some newbie decides to take this to extremes, it depends on what machine it's being installed in. Big electric motors have enormous torque at low revs and won't stall as easily as a small motor so they can severely damage a cheap machine if something gets jammed. Some folks get away with running a slightly loose belt(s) but that's not exactly best practice. Plenty of folks ask me about increasing the size of the motor on VFD installation and my usual recommendation is to not not more than double the original motor HP on a particular machine. This still provides plenty of leeway but I wouldn't be recommending a 3HP motor on a lathe built originally for say 1/2HP.

RE: 3 Phase motor and VFD installation
Suggest anyone contemplating this reads the "VFD install summaries" thread in the Electronics forum to see what pitfalls there may be with using these devices.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f271/vfd-install-summaries-213878/11#post2085205

[DAL1957]

Bit of an old post now but I thought perhaps a quick update.

A while after trying to decided where to go from my original Carbatec 6 speed unit I ended up purchaseing the Jet 1221VS from Carbatec. It has given me a year of very good performance and I have been basically very happy with it and especially the variable speed component.

However, as time has marched on and I have spent a lot more of it with my Jet I have found certain limitations, specifically the 300mm turning circumference, and the fact that being on the smaller less weighty side large out of balance pieces can cause considerable vibration (thought being able to slow up the lathe with the varibale speed has helped a lot). But at the end of the day I felt that the ability to go beyond the 300mm limitation and having a lot more heft to absorb some of the vibrations would be nice. So the search began again.

Price point has remained an important consideration, and out of all the lathes I had previously considered (as detailed earlier in the thread), I ended up opting for the Carbatec WL-V1100C which I purchased a little over a month ago. It was originally listed at $3000, but about then the price dropped to $2800 on the Carbatec website. And as the local Carbatec was offering a 15% discount to wood club members this brought the price down to a more attractive $2380.

This lathe offers me the extra length, rotating head stock, more horsepower, more weight, and of course the electronic variable speed. One month down the track I remain very happy. It has been a worthwhile addition. And it gave me all the features I needed at a far more reasonable price than all the other contenders. So far no regrets. (One little caveat though, the underneath storage shelf while reasonably generous has no lip. So you can imagine my minor annoyance when a big unbalanced piece of wood vibrated the machine just enough for the face plate to rattle off the shelf and land on my foot! I have now added an aluminium lip - Be Warned!).

And my old Jet 1221VS will now become my secondary/back-up machine. It is currently doing a great job of holding my Beall Buffing system, which saves a little time by just moving to the Jet for polishing. It's a machine I like too much to consider selling. Just need to get a bigger shed.