Bowl making

[country]

What would be a good lathe for bowl making?
Jet, Craftsman, Delta?
Thank you
John

[HappyHammer]

Welcome to the forum John.:2tsup:

I'm guessing you're a beginner so are you looking to start and stay small for a while or work your way up to the big stuff 12"+ diameter as quickly as possible? Also are bowls the only thing you want to turn? Is it likely you'll ever want to turn a reasonably long spindle say a metre or so....say when you need a new baseball bat?

HH.

[bobsreturn2003]

if you are serious get a stubby -vicmark or woodfast . true pro lathes ,and will last for years ,several turners in fact . have the woodfast variable speed electronic 1.5 hp and its great up to 16inch diameter .0thers will do 2ft and more on the rear enjoy the turning , cheers bob

[Ozartisan]

I would have a look at the Nova - 1624-44 (or the DVR if cash is not an issue)
Good, mid size lathe - swivel head (important for bowls IMHO).
Easy add-on of outboard turning rest, forward & reverse, etc etc
Agree with Bob re Vicmark etc - depends on budget....
Whatever you choose - have fun!
Peter
Ozartisan

[DJ’s Timber]

Sounds like you're in the states, so a Oneway (http://www.oneway.ca/) would also be available to you

[OGYT]

Welcome, John. I have used Craftsman and Grizzly lathes. I bent the shaft on the Craftsman the first time I put a 10" chunk of Mesquite on it. The Grizzly I had to do some fine-tuning on the tailstock to get it to meet up with the spindle, and it was a little underpowered (actual 1/4hp with a chinese rating of 3/4hp).
I now have a small Vicmarc and a Oneway 1640. With the outboard capabilities of the Oneway, I can turn a 23" dia bowl... inboard, a 15" bowl... and a 40" long spindle. With 2 hp, I can core large diameter blanks with my K-M coring tools. I had to scrape up the money to buy the Oneway, but it's paid for itself already, and I've never looked back. Just about the best service anywhere, if you ever need it... I haven't.
The little Vicmarc I have is Awesome, too, so I'd be willing to bet the big one is the same.
I've seen the Stubby and Robust at SWAT symposium, and they both look like Caddilacs!

[hughie]

John,
Pretty well any lathe will turn a bowl, some do big, some do small bowls. In the end it will largely depend on your budget. $$$$

The high end lathes are seroius pieces of kit at serious prices. Perhaps look at the lower priced end or even second hand to get you started.

Much of bowl making is in the eye and hand of the turner and price is secondary.

[orraloon]

Welcome John,
I can not comment on what lathes are the go in the States. As an almost self taught turner, I did some at school about 40 years before I took it up and got a lathe. If you are totally committed to turning then get the best lathe you can afford. If you are putting a toe in the water then get a small lathe that will have a resale value. Bowls are the second stage in turning. Learn to turn spindle work first and get to know the tools. Join a club and get advice before you fork out $ on a lathe. Small bowls to start with as a large diameter ones will scare the bejeassus out of a novice. The larger the radius then the faster the outside is on the move. I have learned by mistakes and could have done it a lot easier if I had learned from people in the know.

Regards
John

[artme]

I don't know what your budget is but all the good ones are mentioned here.
Whatever you do don't buy something cheap and nasty, or too small. You will spend your days lamenting the decision.

[country]

Bowl`s wouldn`t be the only thing I`d use it for, but I`d like to have the option to turn say a 10 – 12 “ bowl. I looked at the lathes (Nova, Oneway, Woodfast, Vicmark) that where mention here, that I never heard of.. I `ll just have to think alittle more about how much I want to do with a lathe. And take another look at the money end of it.

Anyway i`d like to thank everyone for there help.<o></o>
John

[Sawdust Maker]

John

I got into this aspect of woodwork a bit over a year ago
I didn't know whether it was something I was going to enjoy so I bought a cheapie made in Taiwan or mainland china. I played with it for about a year - decided that turning is in fact a lot of fun. I upgraded to a machine which is a heck of a lot better, the old adage you get what you pay for? I sold the first lathe on ebay just recently, didn't get what I paid. But for the insurance value in not outlaying a lot of cash at the beginning, it was worth it. The other thing is that almost everything is transportable across lathes, ie your chucks, spur drives etc, I suppose rests aren't as they have different post sizes!

Anyway now I'm hooked:rolleyes:
and the suggestion that you hang around a club would be a good one, something I didn't do and still probably can't but would like to

This forum is a bit of an extended club, with members everywhere:2tsup:

[country]

I`d like to try all the aspect of woodworking, the only thing holding me back is money :weeping:

[Sawdust Maker]

Yeah
my budget does not accord with my aspirations :no: