woodfast, good deal or diddled

[underfoot]

I've been after a first lathe for some time,
this old schoolies woodfast has been offered to me ( locally) for $650
converted to 1 hp 240v, seller says it's straight and true
as is, a couple of bits included, face plate,etc ,and some chisels.
is this a good deal or a diddle?:rolleyes:
cheers underfoot

[Jim Carroll]

Looks ok are you able to give it a bit of a run to see what it is like.

Always room to haggle.

[SPIRIT]

you know what happened to frank

[Ed Reiss]

Seems like a good deal, but, definitely a test run or two!!!

Also make sure that the headstock and tailstock are aligned with each other.

Good luck!:U

[Cliff Rogers]

It is a good solid old lathe, maybe just a tad under powered & it needs spanners to make adjustments.

What sort of things do you want to do on it?

The Woodfast Midi is about $400 new with a 12" swing & a 1/2 HP motor.

[Frank&Earnest]

I'll buy one of your turned pens, Underfoot. :D

[orraloon]

Underfoot,
As others say see it in action. Check the centers line up and listen for any rough noise when it is running. If it runs ok it is probably a reasonable deal. Check out the chisels as you may have some tresure there.
Regards
John

[NeilS]

As the others have said, that's about the right price if in good condition. That configuration has been going for about that, sometimes a bit less, on eBay.

I have used a similar (older) Woodfast model for many years and it's been an excellent lathe and I expect it will be good for many decades to come. No surprise that they did so well in schools.

You can also add variable speed at a later stage, as I did, if you think it will be worth it for the extra cost.

Neil

[turnerted]

A mate in our club in Sydney has one of these for sale for $400 . Belonged to his brother who died recently . PM me if you are interested and I will put you in touch .

Ted

[China]

They are a good machine I've had one for 30 years nothing will ever go wrong with it, mine is still on it's original bearings

[hughie]

They are a good machine I've had one for 30 years nothing will ever go wrong with it, mine is still on it's original bearings
[/QUOTE]

Well thats about the best your gonna get as to a recommendation, go for it!

[Frank&Earnest]

On the other hand, it is a bit like Ford's old saying: "what you ain't got, does not beak down". A lathe is a very simple machine, it boils down to how many bells and whistles you want. I used one at the TAFE course I attended and it can do whatever you want, but now that I have variable speed and movable headstock I would not do without.

[rsser]

Looks like it's been resprayed recently.

You know how to check alignment?

[Manuka Jock]

Underfoot ,
from what the others have said , that seems like a good deal for a good lathe .
If you know any turners , ask one to come with you to look it over ,
or maybe someone from the local WoodTurners club will come with you .

After all ,what self respecting LatheAddict can pass up the opportunity :D

[wheelinround]

Then again a new H&F with swivel head stock etc same price at the moment

[NeilS]

Then again a new H&F with swivel head stock etc same price at the moment

Yep, Wheelinround, it's a trade off between the extra functions that the Chinese-made-to-a-price models provide and, in the case of this older Woodfast, good old solid Aust manufacture.

I guess it depends on how important that swivel head is to the buyer compared to the build quality. If you are going to do a lot of spindle turning then the old Woodfast is going to be a good buy (if in good condition). But, if it's 'face plate' turning that the buyer mainly wants to do then it does have its limitations with inboard turning. Larger outboard turning is an option with the old Woodfasts, but I couldn't see an outboard rig with this one.

However, it's a good move to have pointed out an alternative in the same price range.

Neil