Looking for New Lathe

[Clajo92]

Hi everyone,
My name is Joey and I am a amateur Woodworking based in the hills of Perth WA.

I have been doing a bit of lathe work in my pops shed but i have found that my little gmc lathe is not doing much for me as it will not turn centres and will only turn smal bits of wood. I have been having many problems with it and i am now looking to buy a new lathe. As my birthday is coming up soon i have been fortunate enough to make a deal with my parents in what my budget is. which is somewhere round $1500. i want a lathe that has spinning head to allow me to turn big plates and bowls.... and i would like to be able to turn fairly decent bits of wood weight wise. I was just wondering if anyone knew of any reliable brands that fit my criteria. any help and suggestions from people with experience witrh lathe work will be greatly appreciated as i still have lots to learn.

Thanks

[Ashes]

Joey,
Welcome!!
I'm sure this will get moved to the woodturning section shortly...

I'm pretty new to turning and what I've found are a few key things to enjoyable turning

- a lathe that doesn't flex or vibrate (most cast bed lathes are OK in this regard)
- a system for keeping your tools sharp (grinder, sanding disk, stones etc. whatever works for you)
- reasonable quality and comfortable to use tools (eg. sufficiently long handles for control)
- good mounting options (eg. scroll chuck, bowl jaws etc)
- quality abrasives (eg cloth backed paper) and finishes

factor all these into your budget and you can't go too far wrong.

mostly though, meeting other turners and learning from them. Books and DVD's are good but spending a few hours with guys who know what they are doing is a real pleasure and I'm yet to meet a guy who hasn't been happy to pass on what they know. If you can hook up with a club you will also pick up a heap of ideas for projects and good advice as well.

as for lathes...

Timbecon put together a reasonable starter set at $822 which includes lathe, good legs, tools and chuck (you could probably get them down a little on price) or discount out stuff you don't need.

http://www.timbecon.com.au/products/woodlathes-375_0.aspx

For a little extra, the MC1100 at around $869 is reasonable value and better in the power stakes.

These are both good machines and plenty of guys use these with no problems.

Next up, and probably starting to gett out of your budget is probably a Nova

http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=1107144884&product_id=1107452285


For the best value though...keep an eye out for good 2nd hand deals. You will find that you should be able to get a very good quality 2nd hand lathe for around $1500 or less with probably a few extras with it and a few come up for sale on the forum as well. if you down the track decide turning isn't for you or just don't get the time, you'll probably be able to pass on a name brand 2nd hand lathe for about what you paid for it anyway

good luck with your hunting

[Big Shed]

Thread moved to Woodturning - General

[Rum Pig]

:welcomeani:Clajo92

I bought a Leady lathe for about $1500 they designed by an Australian and at the time I thought they were the best value for my money.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~kjeeves/leady/lathe/lathe.html
You should be able to find more info here.
Also do a search on lathes in this forum I'm sure you will find heaps of info.

Good luck and let us know what you get for your birthday.

[hughie]

Joey,

Welcome to the Forum, it is, IMHO one of the best on the net. :U :2tsup:

All good advise, one thing you need to keep in mind is the lathe is often the cheapest part of the addiction. The on going expense in support of the habit can far out way the cost of the lathe. :o :U

Having said, that I hope you already have a decent set of tools, if so, good.

This will allow to spend most if not all your budget on a good lathe. $1500 will get you a good lathe, of those mentioned the Leady is probably the best. He is in Sydney so there will be an extra cost of freight to WA.

If you have tools you wont need a starter kit, this will bring lathes like the MC1100 down to somewhere around $400....more tools, chucks and other goodies :U

Consider second hand, there many good lathes going for excellent prices second hand, often with allot of gear thrown in. ie chucks, gouges, extra tool rests etc.

Failing that keep an eye on your local paper, Ebay, Graysonline. Also look at joining a local club. Through them you gain a great deal of advise and help. Often members are up grading and will sell their lathe off at bargain prices to some one they know.

Also drop into Carbatec in Perth for alook over of what they have. Take your time in choosing, if you do, then you will find that it will be awhile before you have/need to up grade.

Will you up grade? :U Its a given, a 100% given, you will seriously think about it in a couple of years.


When you have a short list of lathes run it by the local club or the guys here on the forum. You will get good constructive comment and very good advise. Based want you need and their many years of experience.

Good luck and welcome aboard.

[Clajo92]

Thanks allot all i aprecciate any help given because as i said im a beginner and willing to learn any advice willing to be shared. i have been thinking of joining a club with my pops to hopefully learn lots.

i had a look at the lathes suggested by everyone and quite like the look of the nova which is still ok parents agreed nothing over $2000 i just said $1500 as a indication i do have a few tools that i brought recently and do have good means of sharpening and have read a book on lathes. a big section in book was taken up on "how to sharpen tools" as it is very important for good working.

Hughie you mentioned that lathe is cheapest part of the habit. i know that over time as i get more into doing special stuff i will need extra bits and pieces which will cost money but for now i am happy with a good lathe. another slight problem for me is wood to turn. i can always buy wood but that cost money. i do have a bush out back of house with plenty of dead trees and log but most are cracked/rotted am i able to still use these bits of wood to save money. any help and ideas there will be appreciated.

i have access to plenty of green trees but i dont want to wait 3 4 5 years for it to dry is there any way i can turn it to my shape then dry it without cracking. i heard a way to do it is to turn it a few cms bigger than what it will be when finished. then let it dry and return it once dry down to desired shape. which saves lots of drying time.

Thanks for all the help :)

[Rum Pig]

Hi again Clajo


i do have a bush out back of house with plenty of dead trees and log but most are cracked/rotted am i able to still use these bits of wood to save money.
You can still use this timber but you may need to cut out the cracks and any rotten parts out.sometimes when you cut further along the log the crack may not be as bad, but you will need to seal it straight away to stop it cracking anymore. I do not know if you are aware of spalting?


i have access to plenty of green trees but i don't want to wait 3 4 5 years for it to dry is there any way i can turn it to my shape then dry it without cracking. i heard a way to do it is to turn it a few cms bigger than what it will be when finished. then let it dry and return it once dry down to desired shape. which saves lots of drying time.

There are few techniques that you can use to dry green timber i.e. microwave do a search on this forum on green timber or try to find a book that talks about it. Also you maybe able to swap some of your green timber with someone how has plenty of pre dried timber
Hope this helps a bit

[hughie]

another slight problem for me is wood to turn. i can always buy wood but that cost money. i do have a bush out back of house with plenty of dead trees and log but most are cracked/rotted am i able to still use these bits of wood to save money. any help and ideas there will be appreciated.



:U wood to turn, your not alone.This question has been asked many times and no doubt will asked over and over again.

Well, of course you can buy it. :U but if your in a club there are many sources and they will help.
My favourite source is the local arborist or tree lopper, they are only to happy to have some one take away the timber. Also try building sites, for the plywood beams these can make interesting bowls etc. Some of the beams are a good size ie 50-75mm x 200-250mm and they glue up fine. A little tough to turn but they are free and its all good practice .

[Ed Reiss]

Hi Joey....and welcome!

Sounds like your in good hands based on the responses already received, so I'm not going to elaborate....but be assured that woodturning is addictive (in a good way), join a local club if there is one out your way, if not then just post a lot of questions here and for sure you'll get an answer....there are very many experienced turners here willing to share.:2tsup:

cheers,
Ed :D

[joe greiner]

Welcome, Joey, and in addition to what they all (including you) said:

Practise, practise, practise, with no particular objective except becoming familiar with tools' responses. For exercises with the skew chisel, cut a piece of 2x2 (40mmx40mm, more or less) into short pieces, and just turn round. Splits from logs (green or dry) are also good practise pieces for the roughing gouge.

Although the rotating head may be convenient, avoid any flimsy toolrest contraption (elbow type) that may come with the lathe - seems designed to shatter. Buy or build a more robust support. This may be a year or two along the odyssey.

The best wood is free wood. Roadside orphans are my favourites. Use care with the chainsaw - a secondary addiction, BTW.

Different species of green wood will behave differently with respect to warping and cracking. This is a concern more for cross-grain bowls than for spindle work. Rough turning to thick walls, and final turning a few months later, is the accepted wisdom. But you can also turn immediately to the "final" shape, and let the wood become oval (or worse) on its own - sometimes overnight.

As with any advice you get, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Joe

[Clajo92]

Hi

well thanks everyone you havw given me lots too think about. i forgot to mention before that i have been fortunate enough to do a thing called worklink (or instep more formally known) at Perth wood school so aswell as gaining advice from people here they have helped lots.

back to a suitable lathe for me to buy. i was told by PWS that vicmarc lathes are a very godod reliabe brand that will last a lifetime which is what i want something that wont break on me.i was also told that a spinning head isnt neccessary i you can turn on both side of motor. i havent been able to find some prices of vicmarc lathes so can someone please help me. under $2000 remember and also any other lathes not previously mention that you thin would suit me

Luckily for me PWS cant use little scraps of wood so they are mine for the taking. every week i empty their scrap bins :U. they dont mind which is great.

Thanks everyone please keep replying as im am already learning a great deal

[Ashes]

You can get lucky with a 2nd hand purchase of a Vicmarc for a very reasonable price. 1st hand experience of that:D

For a indication of prices have a look at Jims page

http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/shopfront/view_by_category?category_id=1107146804

This would be a guide only. Generally ordered specially. The cheaper prices around the $500 to $1500 etc do not come with motors, add your own.

These are a quality machine, hold their value pretty well and if you were to go for the bigger models it would probably be the last lathe you would ever buy.

[WOODY70]

Hello Joey,

I can help you with a Jet electronic variable speed lathe 1642. The lathe is Brand new it has been used once by one of my international demonsrtators at Turnfest.

New these lathes are now $2950-00. I will sell this one for $2200-00 with full warranty.

For more info contact David at S/E Qld Woodworking Supplies
07 3808 7005

[Clajo92]

Thanks WOODY70 it sounds great i was actually looking at the jet lathes myself i saw one being used at perth wood show. it is starting to get a little out of me price range unfortunately and as i am in perth i would have to get it over here which adds additional costs. do you know how much it will cost to get it to perth