Expert-Line Rhino 4 Speed Lathe

[Mooncabbage]

I just bought one of these lathes quite cheaply, just for odd jobs and such. However, the headstock just seems to have a threaded rod on it, on which the faceplate attaches. It didn't come with any spurs or centres for the headstock end, and the faceplate has no grippy bits either.

Just wondering if anyone has a manual for this, or any experience with it? I don't mind doing a bit of work to get it going, but it'd be helpful to know what I'm dealing with. I'm really only interested in spindle turning for tool handles and such really, so I'm not expecting miracles. Quite a bit of googling has turned up no useful information, so I thought I'd come to the experts.

PS. This is what I've so far worked out. It's a crappy chinese one (I expected that, I paid virtually nothing for it), very similar to a lot of models that have been released over the years. It's very similar to the one harbor freight offers here. It has a 3/4"-16 thread, and no hole for morse tapers or the like. Replacement parts seem to be very very difficult to find. The part I am missing is referred to as a "Lathe Tip" in the Harbour Freight manual. So I'll have to see if I can track one of those down.

[Bobrumie]

Mj

I just bought one of these lathes quite cheaply, just for odd jobs and such. However, the headstock just seems to have a threaded rod on it, on which the faceplate attaches. It didn't come with any spurs or centres for the headstock end, and the faceplate has no grippy bits either.

Just wondering if anyone has a manual for this, or any experience with it? I don't mind doing a bit of work to get it going, but it'd be helpful to know what I'm dealing with. I'm really only interested in spindle turning for tool handles and such really, so I'm not expecting miracles. Quite a bit of googling has turned up no useful information, so I thought I'd come to the experts.

PS. This is what I've so far worked out. It's a crappy chinese one (I expected that, I paid virtually nothing for it), very similar to a lot of models that have been released over the years. It's very similar to the one harbor freight offers here. It has a 3/4"-16 thread, and no hole for morse tapers or the like. Replacement parts seem to be very very difficult to find. The part I am missing is referred to as a "Lathe Tip" in the Harbour Freight manual. So I'll have to see if I can track one of those down.

Hi I believe I have bought one of these lathes and like you I don't have a tail stock centre I thought never mind I go to my local wood lathe guys an pick one up how wrong was I. Did you ever find one I don't mind just a solid if I cannot get a live please let me know if I'm just wasting my time

[Hermit]

Perhaps a post in the woodturning section with a link back to this thread would yield some useful results.

[Treecycle]

These lathes come under many different brand names such as Ryobi, GMC and lots of others. Unfortunately I think they were only ever made to turn people off woodturning. The parts you are after are not interchangable with mainstream lathes. The drive centre and the live centre for the tailstock would need to be sourced through one of those generic name machine suppliers if they were available. The other option may be to go to the Market Place on here and put an ad in there to see if someone has an old one they don't want, or doesn't go anymore. They may be willing to part with the items you are after.

[soundman]

Um yeh...people post about these things fairly regularly...as a lathe, the are pretty awfull..in pretty well every respect.

The best option you have is to cut the bed rails off, screw a nice piece of flat plywood to the face plate and convert it to a disk sander.

They seem to be fair as a disk sander as opposed horible as a lathe.

cheers

[Mooncabbage]

Sounds like a plan to me soundman

I don't really have room for a lathe that size anyway, since I've now acquired some more useful machines. Be interested to see how it fairs as a disk sander.