Which lathe

[chicka]

Good evening Gentlemen and any ladies out there,

I am looking at buying a new lathe and have been leaning towards the latest Record Power CL3 Cam the one with variable speed control. It falls within my maximum spend limits when all the various accessories are purchased such as stand bowl turning attachment longer tool rests etc etc. I was wondering if anyone could give me their thoughts on the quality of this lathe. Should I hold off and save my pennies for a higher quality and more expensive lathe I have app 3k to spend. It will primarily be used for bowl turning.
Cheers
John

[Christos]

I cannot comment on the lathe you have mention as I have no experience with it. I am a bit surprised that your budget will be close to 3k with the lathe, the stand and the variable speed upgrade etc.

You have proven one thing for sure it adds up very quickly.

Can I ask what you current lathe is?

[pommyphil]

Yes, if you are upgrading we can maybe assume you have a sharpening setup, chucks, a few tools ? So you have 3k to spend on a lathe.

Personally I'd go for a second hand Vicmarc ! Maybe VL 175 Must have a solid castiron bed.

[artme]

A couple of points about the Record lathe:

AFIK these lathes only have #1 Morse taper. That is a bit of a drawback when buying drives and so forth. #2 MT is by far more common.

I am sure the thread is some outmoded thread, so again looking for faceplates, chucks etc is going to be tiresome. I know you can get adapters
but that just adds needless cost.

Cheers, artme.

[chicka]

At the moment I don't have a lathe but have a full tormek sharpening system and some robert sorby chisels. I am getting out of making tables and big things as they getting to heavy for me. I have just sold a slabmaster and intend to invest the funds in a new direction for my woodworking. I have played with a cheap and nasty lathe to see if I would like it and found it quite a bit of fun.

[chicka]

Thanks for that I just went back and checked and you are absolutely correct they use a #1 morse taper and the thread is 3/4 X 16 tpi. As live in Coffs Harbour it is going to be a pain buying anything to do with woodworking.
Cheers
Chicka

[Blarney]

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[Johngal]

I have had a Hare and Forbes generic variable speed, swivel head, lathe (similar to Jet) which I've had for 26 years. Did a lot of work during those years and only replaced bearings in that time. Still using it. Just bought a new one for my son's birthday for under $800.

[smiife]

Thanks for that I just went back and checked and you are absolutely correct they use a #1 morse taper and the thread is 3/4 X 16 tpi. As live in Coffs Harbour it is going to be a pain buying anything to do with woodworking.
Cheers
Chicka

Hi chicka,
Check out the advertisers on the forum , they will send you
anything you want in days, most are very good, I live in
Armidale and have no problems getting stuff I want, just
ask my missus!:o

[issatree]

Hi John,
Not that I own one, but I don't think you can go past a Vicmarc 150 EVS, or a bit bigger is the VL 240, that has all the bells & whistles you wood want.
To go down the price scale, there is the JET, head moves along the Bed to do big work, nice & heavy, 1M+ bed length around the $2000 mark +-.
Don't think you will ever have to change the Belt or the Bearings in your life time, on most Lathes these days.

[Paul39]

Chicka,

I do 90% or more bowls, blanks hacked out of timber with a chain saw.

That Record lathe has steel rods for a bed which will not be rigid enough for bowls. The spindle is too small for big bowls.

I have a 350 mm swing Hegner with two square tubes for a bed. When I am roughing a bowl, using the tail stock, the head stock, tail stock, and tool rest are all moving in different directions. When the blank is round there is much less movement, but there is still vibration which makes it hard to do a clean finish cut. The spindle is 33 mm X 2.5.

Later I bought a 1995 20 inch swing short bed Woodfast, all cast iron. I paid $850 for it. It is as steady as a rock. It was rusty and needed a little cleaning and oiling. It has a 1 1/4 inch X 8 threads per inch spindle.

It would be good for you to do some turning on big heavy cast iron bed lathes so you would have the feel of them. Then when you test drive an inadequate lathe you would know immediately to look further.

My Hegner has 4 speeds, I rough at 800 and finish at 1400. To change speeds, pull the motor forward, move belt over, push motor back.

The Woodfast has DC variable speed drive added by the dealer here in the US, and stepped pulley. The variable speed is nice, but I could do without it. To change speeds on the stepped pulley, lift lever and hang on notch, shift belt, lower lever.

I'm not sure the slight convenience is worth the money for variable speed.

[chicka]

Thanks for all the great feedback it would appear that I need to do a fair bit more research. It seems that weight and heft are critical factors in lathe selection along with a rigid construction. From what I can glean so far I am leaning towards putting off the purchase and saving some more pennies so as to be able to purchase a shinny new Vicmarc VL 200L. I like the EVS and the ability to be able to infinitely vary the speed at the turn of a dial. As I will primarily be turning bowls it seems that I will be working at the lower end of the speed scale (not sure if this a correct assumption). Also that I would be using different speeds for roughing and turning, I have a lot to learn. I have had a play on a small cheap ($100) generic lathe, the centres didn't line up and vibration was fairly bad so I am keen to try out a good quality sturdy lathe. Perhaps some lessons with the local TAFE teacher might prove useful I can pick his brain at the same time. I must admit that I have some Jet equipment
(bandsaw and drum sander) while their stuff is good quality the Vicmarc just appears solider and the motor is out of the way. Anyway thanks again gents and any further thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

John AKA Chicka

[Jim Carroll]

If you have the pennies forget all the other lathes and concentrate on the Vicmarc VL200 long or short bed lathe (http://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/category/-vicmarc-lathes) depending on how much room you have and as you indicate a long bed is not really a want anymore.

You buy the Vicmarc (http://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/category/-vicmarc-lathes) and you will be in heaven compared to anything else you may try.

You have a 3 step pulley which allows you to use the variable speed with a great range.

Low speed lots of torque right through to high speed for all your spindle work.

[greyhound]

If you have the pennies forget all the other lathes and concentrate on the Vicmarc VL200 long or short bed lathe (http://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/category/-vicmarc-lathes) depending on how much room you have and as you indicate a long bed is not really a want anymore.

You buy the Vicmarc (http://www.cwsonline.com.au/shop/category/-vicmarc-lathes) and you will be in heaven compared to anything else you may try.

You have a 3 step pulley which allows you to use the variable speed with a great range.

Low speed lots of torque right through to high speed for all your spindle work.

Totally agree with Jim buy quality piece of engineering and this will last you a lifetime

[chicka]

Again thank you for all the feedback. I think that a decision has been made. The Vicmarc VL200L is the lathe for me, now all I need to be is get the funds together.
Cheers
Chicka

[powderpost]

Before you make a decision, have a look at Woodfast machines too. I have three that work hard without complaints.

http://www.woodfast.com.au/index.php?p=1_5

Jim

[Mobyturns]

I'm not fussy, I have Nova, Vicmarc & Woodfast in my shed! Generally lathes are pretty good these days but there are some shockers and also some "Rolls Royce" machines out there too.

All of my lathes have done what I have expected of them, even the little Nova Mercury can handle a reasonable bowl out board if you are sensible. The VL100 & VL150 are definitely a step up in quality with the VL150 being a dream machine for the majority of my work. However my 1992 Woodfast MC908 repowered with the Woodfast M910 EVS is also a dream to use.

To be honest the turning world has moved on significantly from the designs like the Record CL3, they are dated, they develop harmonic vibrations with the twin rail bed design & they have other issues - eg the dated headstock bearing design. But at the price they appear attractive for an EVS lathe of that capacity. Frankly don't be tempted.

I have turned on a range of Woodfasts and Vicmarcs and the current offerings in both camps are pretty good. The Nova DVR's are also OK but they have some issues particularly with the banjo & lathe bed design which significantly affect bowl turners.

Pretty hard to go past a Vicmarc VL240 these days if you have the dollars. I would also be looking seriously at the Woodfast M910 but they have significantly increased in price in the last few years. Not much more & you have a VL300.

With your $3k budget I would be looking at a VL150 unless you really wish to turn larger bowls & platters. Plenty of turners are very happy with lathes like this W387 | WL-46A Electronic Variable Speed Wood Lathe | For Sale Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth | Buy Workshop Equipment & Machinery online at machineryhouse.com.au (http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W387)

[StevoWoodi]

Hi Chika,

Just to reinforce the previous comments I had a record CL3 and it was fine for sanding and finishing bowls, even quite large ones, but was not sturdy enough for roughing them out or the actual turning. The 2 40mm diameter steel rods that form the bed seem VERY solid but they start to wobble very easily when there is a good size out of balance blank on that small 3/4" headstock thread. I upgraded to a Leady short bed lathe and have just purchased a Durden Top Turn 400 which is an old lathe but very similar to the Vicmarc in quality and weight. You will not be disappointed with the Vicmarc.

Cheers,

Steve