Durden

[John Saxton]

Has anybody out there had or does have one of the Durden Top turn Lathes.I was wondering how they compared in use with Vic-Marc,Teknatool,Woodfast etc?
I have been considering upgrading for some time now but it will depend on how the present problems with my Teknatool pan out.
I would prefer a heavy lathe if I was going to replace rather than the lighter models around,but am desirous of your own considerations with your experiences if possible!
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[DonN]

John
I have just bought a Teknatool lathe. What problems are you having with your Teknatool?
DonN

[John Saxton]

Hi Donn,I was not intending to infer that Teknatool Lathes in general have problems.In fact Teknatool make a great product.

It is just with my lathe that I'm at the present encountering a small amount of run-out and very soon will need the bearings on the headstock replaced.This taken into account with the fact that the lathe is of a vintage before Teknatool changed their design and built a sturdier lathe,my model being a TL48 and is a little light to my thinking.I have turned 3foot platters on the outboard of the headstock and have needed sandbags as an additional weight on the base of the lathe.
I have now been looking around at various lathes of solid construction and am tending towards the Durden for its hefty presence.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif


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Johnno

[Rod]

Doorstop,

I was going to buy the Technatool outboard unit but at $300 it is fairly expensive. I like the idea of a floor stand. Did you build it from plans or improvise as you went?
I did the same as you with my lathe stand. Built a wooden one and filled it with sand. Works really well.

Cheers, Rod

[RFNK]

I turned a 3 foot tabletop on my TL1500 and was amazed at how well it handled it. The tabletop was turned out of a silky oak slab about 4 inches thick, down to just over one inch. For an outboard stand, I have a steel post set into a solid lump of concrete which I moulded from an old washing machine tub. The rest sits in a piece of steel rod with a one inch hole drilled through, which is welded to the top of the post. There's a bolt running into the side of the rod with the hole to fix the height of the rest. The whole thing works really well as long as I sit it so that it can't rock. My back isn't a big fan of this arrangement though!

[John Saxton]

That has put new light on the topic and certainly worthy of consideration.I thank you guys for that.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[Graeme]

Hi John
Have a look at the new Vicmarc VL175 Swivel Head Lathe it is by far the most heavily built swivel head on the market (the bed casting alone weighs more than a complete N300 with motor) it comes standard with electronic variable speed control and a super-heavy outboard turning attachment which puts all the down-thrust directly into the floor,priced at around $2500. Best of all it is aussie built.

Graeme.

[jamesy]

John
I did the price and feature thing about 12 months ago and found that the Vicmarc 200 and 300 are very very competitive. I began with bare lathes and then started adding the extra bits to get a good comparison. You can't beat those 'Timkin" bearings and the beefy 30x3.5 thread on the Vicmarc (when was the last time you changed the wheel bearings on your car).Woodfast was hot on the heals of the Vicmarcs.

[humidor]

Greetings turners,
re. mounting lathes:- I once mounted a heavy duty lathe for a friend with good results.
I made a stand from 4 x 4 clear grade, straight grained hardwood. A bit hard to describe without pix but here goes:-
top -4 piece square frame bolted together.
legs - bolted together & 4" x 4" crosspiece
at floor level- dyna bolted into concrete floor. All sides braced with 3/4" ply sheet, glued & screwed to legs from top to near ground level. Allow clearance off ground for your own feet/toes to fit under.
4 x 4 members run off top frame to wall & fixed solidly to a very solid wall.
Results were excellent.
Further note :- the small lathe I have for sale is I beleive best in it's price range - has had very little use & the only reason I'm selling it is I need a budget to market my work & in future I wish to contract out construction & finishing - leaving my time solely for inlay & marketing.
Merry Xmas all- bloody hell its that time again!! (Happy Home Brewing- Coopers Classic Old a fine drop-gives great head!!)