Who has a bowl turning lathe in Sydney?

[Brendan1152]

Hi,

I am trying to work out what larger lathe to get now that I have my Jet Mini, I am interested in bowl work and have been using a Nova 1624 at Trend Timbers Turning Workshops.

However I am interested in getting a look at a dedicated bowl lathe (such as the Stubbie) to see if it might be a better fit for me.

Does anyone know of a turning club in the Sydney region that has a bowl lathe that I could look at?

Alternatively is there a forum member with a bowl lathe that I could have a look at and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this style of machine?

Regards

Brendan

[rsser]

I don't know of a Stubby owner in Sydney - you could join up and post a request on the Yahoo Stubby group.

Unless you want to do a lot of large and heavy stuff in my opinion a Stubby 750 or 1000 is overkill (speaking as an owner of one). Suggest you consider a Vicmarc 175 which has a heavy bed and swivel head. The latter is helpful in getting good flowing lines with a bowl as you can direct your cut by moving your body, not just your arms. A DVR XP is also worth a look; the castings are not so heavy but the EVS is good.

[hughie]

Brendan
I have two Bowl lathes that I have built myself, to look over a good range take a trip down to Carbatec in Station Rd Auburn.

Erns advice is sound as he has owned both lathes spoken about.

As for clubs check the link below, they have around 10 clubs across Sydney

http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/

[rsser]

Yep, the most common home-built lathe is a bowl only lathe.

Simple in principle: pillar, spindle + pulleys, bearings, motor and a stand-alone tool rest. Google for VB36 to get the general idea.