Thread: An Easter Holiday quandary

wont break the budget and allows more turning a good starter lather for under $400 https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Pr...stockCode=W382 plus you'll have to buy tools and chucks but not straight away chucks anyway.

Ray

Watch the Market place on the right side of the forum I am sure a lathe in Tassie was there recently some times ebay

I reckon your 2nd and 3rd options are far far better than the first. Another option, given Tassie had plenty of woodturners in the past (and maybe still does) is to put a 'wanted woodturning lathe' ad in your local paper. You never know what you might find. Any good quality second hand lathe would be a better option to a cheap new lathe, especially anything under $300.

You poor bugger!! Life will never be the same for you!!!

Just to add to what the others have said - You can turn small things on a big lathe but you can't turn big things on a small lathe.

A crack high eh? Must've been some lathe.

Here are some homilies:

Act in haste, repent at leisure.
The sweetness of low price is soon outweighed by the bitterness of low quality.
Go for the best you can afford; that way you only cry once ;-}

In terms of your budget, GJ and I estimate that the ratio of costs of the lathe to nec. accessory costs, at the low end of the market, is about 1 : 2

Brendan's advice is good. In fact, I'd find phone numbers for Tas woodworking/turning clubs and tell them you're in the market. Turners who get addicted upgrade their machines and often the old one gets offered only in the network.

In terms of models, consider a young Chinese-made MC900 or MC1100, or the Woodfast midi which has a loyal following. Click me.

The time you take now will be repaid many times in your early turning career. If impatient, burn up your energy on the Overland track. There's a fabulous Myrtle forest south of DuCane Hut in which to do some dreaming.

Get a good mini or midi to start then increase the number and size as required, I have 3 at the moment and use all of them.

Ross

Ray, Brendan, Artme, Ern and Ross
Thanks for all the great advice from everyone,
as usual, it is hugely appreciated.

I am just going to have to be patient I guess.

The Woodfast I was looking at was their midi $399 + $100 Postage (extention bed an extra $136) so $535 all up. I assume that it is a good quality lathe, just rather small.

There is also the chance of an MC-900 for $460 which I have also heard good things about.

I will also try the small ads.

And then there is getting tooled up......
2:1 ratio..... Better not let SWMBO read this!

Chris

PS
Ern: "burn up your energy on the Overland track. There's a fabulous Myrtle forest south of DuCane Hut"
Are you suggesting some sort of treadle powered lathe taken in a back pack and some judicious illegal turning of Myrtle in National Parks?
Would be fun to see the reaction of the Park Rangers when they caught me. Quite rightly they think a campfire is bad, imagine their reaction to turned bowls and pens in the middle of the World Heritage Area.

Oh, just get off the track a bit, do your thing and bring a few pieces into the campsite each night. Plenty of cashed-up backpackers from Europe there. Just make sure you take credit cards ;-}

....

Yeah, a lot of us started with an MC-900. Can do a lot for the money. May need a bit of fettling.

As for the WF midi, I haven't used one but there are a lot on the mobile turning circuit and I don't recall seeing gripes about it posted on this forum.

Having been a woodturner now for nearly a couple of months, there is little that I don't know about the addiction. I mean, I have done everything from pens to eggcups and everything in between. So I really know what I'm talking about.

I bought a Woodfast M305 from another forumite and it is wonderful. I put it to bed carefully each night and wake it up gently in the morning. Could not be better.

Just don't forget to allow a budget for a set of tools, some polishes etc. , sandpaper, micromesh pads, perhaps a scroll chuck etc. etc. You can easily spend another $300 - $400 in your first week of ownership - I did.


sad really....

Yeah, a slippery slope ;-}

And don't forget a bench grinder and white wheel.

All good advice above. I'd be looking at starting your wood turning career NEXT school holidays and spending the meantime collecting every $$ you can. Hit the library for some introductory info. Use the time findiing bits of tree (in various forms).
Artme's advice "....... You can turn small things on a big lathe but you can't turn big things on a small lathe." is well justified as many wood turners can testify - the funny thing about wood is one piece will (at least 'can') demand handlinig other than with a lathe.
Walking past a yard just pruned produces a smell of cut wood and thoughts immediately turn to shedtime.
Good luck,

soth