New Lathe purchase and accessories

[bloggs1968]

Hi all,

I have searched the forum for the various posts on buying advice for a lathe but need to refine the question further.

I am looking at some spindle turning up to about 600mm long and the odd small bowl up to 250mm in diameter. I don't really want to go down the track of an el cheapo setup that will give me the ##### in a few weeks. Most of the lathes seem to be capable of at least this size turning and many offer greater capacity (which would be unused).

So can anyone suggest a good but basic setup that can handle the above requirements including accessories (chucks, tools, sharpening bits??) that would get me up and running. I know most replies say get bigger than you need now as you'll probably upgrade in the future, however, the turning is mainly for small bits for boats at work so I am aware of the use that the lathe will get.

Alternatively, am I better off looking for something second hand and if so, what are good brands to look for?

TIA

AD

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Standard advice, this'll see you make a good start for a low(ish) outlay (app. $800):

• MC-900 lathe
• Vicmarc or Teknatool scroll chuck (I like the Supernova2) & insert to fit to lathe
• Aluminium Oxide wheel (white) to fit bench-grinder
• cheap set of Carbon Steel tools (as low as $15- a set of 8 @ Bunnies!)

Use the tools to learn sharpening and discover which tools you use the most. Replace as needed with good quality HSS ones... expect to pay up to four times as much (or more!) for one unhandled HSS tool than you did for the entire cheap set.

With the MC-900 (& variants) the irritation comes when you start doing more advanced stuff... for just smallish bowls & spindle turning, it'll last a lifetime.

[Lance Stunning]

I like the idea of going used. The machine has been in service, most turners are open and tell you why they are selling it. You usually get to see it in action and maybe turn something on it. Many times the same money for a new lathe buys a better used lathe. If this is your first, 1/2 of the money will go into chucks, tools, centers, face-plates etc. Buying used gets some of this free or highly discounted.
Main drawbacks are knowing "good" machinery, spotting cheap, cracked or repaired castings, motor problems, and checking for solid bearings. Do you have "Craig's list" or equivalent. This has been a good source. 25-50% of new cost is common for machinery. My last "find" was a Delta P20 scroll saw for 50.00. It looked like crap, but was virtually unused with nearly (500) blades, all new. 4 hours of cleaning and lube, works like new, just does not look like it.
Your local turning group may have some used lathes to sell. Plus, their knowledge and past experiences may steer you away from something that sounds good.
It sounds like a bench top with an 8" swing, 30" between centers will work. Cast iron is nice, but steel tubes works for the right price. Personally, I prefer having Morse No. 2 in head/tail stock. 1/2-1 hp. 5 speed; nice to find one that is slower than 500 rpm. But, if primarily spindle turning, not a big deal. If turning 24" spindles, look for a steady rest to fit the bed. Good luck.

[Wild Dingo]

Gidday bloggsy
All good advice given... although... Id shell the money and get a MSL-3815 from Carbatec actually I did and build a good solid bench for it the one that comes with it is crap... the only complaint I have is that the electronic speed thing doesnt work anymore for some weird reason its just stopped all I get is a 0 ... sad I know but then I didnt get it from Carbatec either but the same item from the Orange company... my bad I know! ...Also do yourself a favor and get the SupaNova chuck setup and a reasonably good set of 6 - 8 chisels not the best mind but near enough so you dont get phissed of with the things.... and update as you find which ones you use most

And then once your over it get a Vicmarc VL300EVCM no idea of the price as I dont want to scare the shyte out of myself just yet

When I bought mine I had ABSOLUTELY no experience whatever with lathe work none zero zilch narda not even at school all those years ago... but the one peice of advice I got from here was dont scrimp buy the very best you can afford then upgrade from there... buying cheep was a mistake I made once with a table saw a thicknesser a router and router bits (bits from bunnings damned things near cost me my life bloody shyte crap gear! sheered of in full flight clipping my arm hand and then embedding itself in the wall of the shed! :eek: believe me its not a good experience) and have resolved that no matter what I will never put my life on the line again for the sake of a few $$ or a few months wait to get the $$ for the better machine

oooh and get a good book in learning lathe work and READ IT... OFTEN!!

And enjoy!! Its bloody brilliant! says he thats turned buggar all

[bloggs1968]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I've nearly been caught (again) in the justification (read gratification) scenario of buy the best - save upgrading later etc that I have always followed. The web is an evil thing that has too much temptation - like pictures of big Vicmarcs and Omegas. By sunday night after a few reds, i'd suddenly expanded my budget to a nice vicmarc or Nova 3000 with all the bells and whistles. ( I firmly believe that e-commerce and the wine industry are linked somehow!)

I reckon I will go with good quality tools such as P+N or Hamlet, a vicmarc 100 chuck and probably a lower end lathe such as one of the carbatec variants or if they are really bad, a lower end Jet as I have some of their gear and it is pretty good.

I'm doing an adult ed turning course at the moment and they have a bunch of smaller old Durden lathes which seem OK and a couple of big Centauro beasts and a poor old carbatec machine in the back corner that hasn't been fired up yet so I'll get it going this week and have a look.

Any preference over carbatec, HAFCO or Leda? ( not buying that orange brand ever again - another story).

regards,

AD

[Wild Dingo]

Ive heard good things of other people having good experiences with Hare and Forbes and certainly they appear to have good solid machinery... however their customer service sucks at least the day I went in there and so they lost a large customer and I'll never again enter their doors... Leda? as ol Hanson would say "Please Explain?" Carbetec great service good prices and worth the effort... the orange mob yep same here

Good on you for the adult course mate wish I had the time and patience for one! but I dont so I fiddlefaddle along

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Any preference over carbatec, HAFCO or Leda? ( not buying that orange brand ever again - another story).

Personally, I prefer Leda over Carbatec as they seem to have a wee edge in quality, although in the same price range. I won't comment as to HAFCO, having never owned one.

The only complaint I have against the Leda's is their tendency to use plasticky locking handles for the banjo/toolrest... they don't stand up to long-term abuse in a production environment, although they're easily replaced with metal ones.

[CameronPotter]

You can come to my place and look at my (cheap) set up if you want.

It may be cheap, but the ONLY complaint I have is that the slowest speed it runs is 600rpm, which limits drilling with the larger forstner/saw-tooth bits.

PM me if you want.

Cam

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

A quick(ish) workaround for that, Cameron, is to make a sliding jig to hold a battery drill... just hold the piece in the chuck as per usual (lathe OFF, of course ) and let the drill do the slow work.

I've made such jigs in the past and although they're a pain to build initially (ya gotta allow for centring to the headstock, truing to the bed and easy removal/replacement of the drill) once they're built they save a heap of hassles.

I've no idea if any of mine still exist to photograph... but I can do a rough sketch of one if you'd like?

[CameronPotter]

Yeah, I would like!

I have been pondering this trouble and I thought that I could drill a pilot hole on the lathe for centering then drill the serious holes on the drill press. I assume that would work? It sounds a lot easier than making a precision jig of the type you are talking about - but I ALWAYS like to see new jigs as even though my fix might work for some things, it might not for others.

Cam

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

This is a quicky sketch of the basic setup... (SketchUp is good for this sorta thing! So, I'm a convert...) but there's plenty of refinements possible. Nuts & washers not shown.

The middle section is boxed, simply to prevent racking. Build the top & bottom sections first, so you can work out exactly how tall this section should be. You want the drill to be some 5mm-1cm too low when finished, to allow for shimming during final assembly.

The bottom piece should fit snugly in the slot in the bed of your lathe, the slots allow adjustment to both line the drill bit up with the headstock and get it square to the bed of the lathe, but only in the horizontal plane. It doesn't "lock in" to the bed, no point as you should be holding the drill to use it anyway, and it's easier to lift in and out as you need it.

The top section needs to be modified to fit your drill (fitted upside down, with the trigger to the top). I use an electric hammer-drill with a removable hand-piece behind the chuck... so my jigs clamp on that spot to hold the drill. Every drill is different. [shrug] The 4 screws joining the top to the middle box allow you to insert shims between the two, to both line the drill bit up with the headstock and get it square to the bed of the lathe, but only in the vertical plane.

The screws could be replaced with bolts, but of you only use the one drill you only need to shim once and then forget about it... From memory it took me about half an hour to build the jig, another 20 mins to adjust it to my satisfaction, a couple of minutes actually using the bloody thing and a few weeks to lose it so I had to build another the next time I needed it...

Hope this gives you an idea of one approach to the problem, anyway.