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busyhands
17th December 2008, 01:42 PM
Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a secondhand lathe - there is one locally that I am looking at - it is a Vicmarc (850 I think), comes complete with a nova chuck, 8 sorby chisels and a small assortment of timber blanks. It looks to be in pretty good condition - I've not tried it, but have seen it run. The asking price is $900 - does that seem reasonable? This will be my first lathe, but I want one that is likely to last a while, so any guidance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

rsser
17th December 2008, 02:03 PM
Hi BH,

I don't know this partic model and if you search this forum you'll find lots of tips on how to check a lathe.

Key points that I recall are these:

1. With a drive dog in the headstock end and centre in the tailstock, do the two points line up? (Rotate both just in case a pin is bent).
2. If they don't, pull the tailstock off and check that where it sits on the lathe bed there's no build up of crud. If so, clean it off and recheck.
3. Run the lathe through its various speeds and listen for noises from the headstock. If you get some, you may be up for bearing replacement. That's not a high cost matter usually.

As for the Sorby tools, are they high speed steel or carbon steel? The latter frankly are not much use on our hardwoods.

What's the chuck model?

What's the lowest lathe speed? ... If you want to turn bowls from out of round lumps then you need to start with a speed that's low, eg, 100-200 rpm. That said, a well mounted lathe and a high pulse should cope with starting gingerly at 400 - 500 rpm.

Hope this helps.

hughie
18th December 2008, 12:26 AM
Some things to look for


Cast iron headstock and tailstock.
Cast iron bed.
Pivoting or rotating headstock with solid mounting, positive clamping and convenient means of returning the headstock to the original position.ie pins etc
Solid bowl turning banjo which does not flex, this is to accomodate the swivel head stock. Only really available on quality lathes
Secure and convenient locking, clamping and repositioning of tool rest, tailstock and barrel.
Well shaped tool rests not light weight or shoddy made. Also toolrests that can be adjusted 1/2" above and below centre height.
At least four speeds ranging from 500 r.p.m. to around 2000 rpm or higher.But ideally speeds of around 2-300rpm would be better
Check vee belt for quality and condition
If you can, have a look at the pulley system for rough machining or casting and or sharp edges. This sort of thing will shred your belts in minutes
If second hand don’t be too concerned if the tailstock and headstock are not 100% aligned, not all lathes can do this from day one. But check the bearing in the headstock for sideways or vertical movement. It’s a good idea to give the chuck a pull to see if there’s any forward and back motion. This may indicate worn bearing housing which is fatal. Also don’t forget to check the quill on the tailstock for side movement
Mechanical or electronic variable speed system to save fiddling with pulleys and belts. Otherwise a belt and pulley arrangement that is easy to get at
Dust proof induction motor of 1/2" H.P. minimum for small mini lathes or 1hp for the rest. Try and avoid motors with brushes as it will add to the maintenance bill. Should have capacitor start and centrifugal switch for high starting torque.
Push button switch with "no-volt-release• ie safety switch sealed against dust. That is, if you remove the power from the lathe when its running and restore the power the lathe should not start
Heavy duty ball or roller bearings not solid or sleeved bearings [these are rare these day mainly applies to old lathes].
Widely spaced bearings which preferably support both ends of the spindle.
Morse taper in headstock spindle and in tailstock barrel plus convenient means of ejecting taper fitted accessories. Number 2 Morse taper is better than number 1.
Easy spindle locking (so you can unscrew the faceplate or chuck easily)
Standard headstock spindle thread to enable you to buy chucks from a wide choice of suppliers not just the lathe maker.
Register on the headstock spindle nose for true running of chucks, ie normally there’s a little step on the shaft that the chuck screws onto and it acts as alignment
Tailstock with hole right through enabling you to drill cable holes in lamps or any long drilling jobs for that matter
Long tailstock travel[atleast 50mm or 2"] for drilling and good sized hand wheel which is easy to turn. Preferably not plastic but cast iron or ali
Good reliable make. Well known makes have better resale value and have a reputation to up hold and there fore will have a better finish, design and QC
Good dealer backup and spares availability. This is important on the modern vari-speed lathes. As repairs are often beyond average turner.

Features to avoid or watch out for


Light sheet metal construction.
Spindle with a bearing at only one end.
Tailstock with threaded barrel which rotates in the housing when you tighten it.
Rough castings – sharp edges poor machining. These all indicate a lack of quality control and you will most likely have problems down the track
Weird or unknown brands
Weld repairs to the toolrest can indicate severe usage
Exposed belt drive
Poor electrics ie switches, frayed and damaged cabling
Flimsy motor mounts ie light weight pressed steel
Check where the motor is situated. Some have the motor high up in line with the chuck and can interfere with your turning capacity
Can you access the belts easily for speed changing
Small foot print for the bed mounts onto the stand. All good well designed lathes will have strong wide mounting feet
Basic ergonomics ie handles and locks are easy to access and use
Hows the height for you?

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busyhands
18th December 2008, 09:51 AM
Thanks Ern, thanks Hughie,
That is wonderful advice. I will be going back to have another look at the lathe some time over the next few days so I will take your notes with me. I have really enjoyed the little bit of turning I have done so far (see attached photos) and look forward to having a lathe in the shed to do some more! Ah, the smell of sawdust in the morning!

BTW, the lathe is a five speed VL850 (the Vicmarc with the round pipe section that the tailstock runs on). The Sorby chisels are HSS with handmade handles. I'll check out all the other details when I have a look next time. :roll:

Thanks again,

Jan.

hughie
18th December 2008, 12:45 PM
Hi Jan,

I see as well as being a turner your a dab hand at the blade as well :2tsup: well done

If you get a chance get a pic of the lathe.

good luck

rsser
18th December 2008, 01:02 PM
Nice work Jan.

Good luck with the lathe inspection.

Calm
19th December 2008, 06:49 PM
Heres (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Vicmarc-VL850-Woodlathe_W0QQitemZ180314940593QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Woodcrafts?hash=item180314940593&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318) one on Ebay

Cheers

Jim Carroll
19th December 2008, 06:59 PM
Thats the same one that Robyn is trying to sell on the forum.

busyhands
20th December 2008, 10:40 AM
Yep, that's the same one that I am looking at - seems like the price is good given it has pretty much the same accessories as the one Robyn is selling. I'll post some pictures next week when it is installed in my shed!
Jan

prozac
20th December 2008, 10:57 AM
Good luck with your purchase Jan. Only bit of advice I can offer is be careful who you buy from.
http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=85195
There are some real sharks out there.

Calm
20th December 2008, 11:24 AM
Good luck with your purchase Jan. Only bit of advice I can offer is be careful who you buy from. http://woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=85195
There are some real sharks out there.

Although your expression may be a bit harsh i agree that the user name (unwise) is a good indication of any recomendation whether to "deal/nodeal" .

The prices seems to vary a lot on this model lathe so what is a good price - make your own decision. - one thing i will say the manufactuirer has an excellent reputation for producing the "best/second best" lathe made in oz

cheers

Ed Reiss
20th December 2008, 12:54 PM
Nice work on the Banksia bowl, Busyhands!:2tsup:

hughie
20th December 2008, 05:30 PM
]
Although your expression may be a bit harsh i agree that the user name (unwise) is a good indication of any recomendation whether to "deal/nodeal" .
The prices seems to vary a lot on this model lathe so what is a good price - make your own decision. - one thing i will say the manufactuirer has an excellent reputation for producing the "best/second best" lathe made in ozAs always "Caveat Emptor".

But in many instances allot of sellers dont bother to make an effort to sell thier item. They just dump it on the market demand a price. They either dont know or dont care to know that all buying is done on emotion we like it first then we buy it. Prozacs link is an exceptionaly good example

So be nice to your prospective buyers or they wont give you a look in :U

new_guy90
20th December 2008, 05:38 PM
wow i had never seen this type of lathe by Vicmarc thanks for informing me about it

have fun :2tsup:

busyhands
21st December 2008, 08:55 AM
I agree - some sellers are a little confronting in their attitude. I'm lucky that the gentleman I am dealing with is quite the opposite. I live in a rural area and he is in a neighbouring town. We have friends in common (always a good backup to avoid any likelihood of 'misunderstandings' on either side). He has arthritis in his arms and is finding it difficult to turn these days - hence the sale. I feel very comfortable about the whole transaction, and thank all of you for your advice.:)

And thanks for your nice comments on the Banksia Platter - I had a lot of fun making it and look forward to exploring the concept a bit more.

busyhands
6th January 2009, 10:05 AM
Hello all,

Just thought I should post these pics of the new lathe - proudly installed in my shed! It is great - seems to be very stable and even. Easy to change speeds - all seems well. Thanks again for all the advice.

Jan

new_guy90
6th January 2009, 11:29 AM
wow it seems everyone manufacturer has made a bar bed lathe before and that one is just superb :2tsup: what a great buy you got! post some pic's of what you make latter :2tsup:

Patrick

Ed Reiss
6th January 2009, 01:03 PM
Seems to be a pretty sturdy lathe...should get many years of use from it:2tsup:

old pete
6th January 2009, 04:44 PM
Well there's about $550 worth of tooling there if you bought it new. If the headstock and tailstock are fitted with points that are straight and that come together within 0.5mm lateral displacement and the tail stock works OK without slop go for it. A set of new headstock bearings for that lathe is quite low as they are automotive wheel bearings so even if you have to replace them its a minor expense. That's a lathe quite good enough for semi professional work if its in good order.

Old Pete:B

hughie
6th January 2009, 05:17 PM
Hmm, down the track you may want to add a bit of ballast to the legs. They look a tad narrow, seeing they are stell it ownt be a drama to do so.

good buy, better than my first buy. :U

artme
6th January 2009, 07:24 PM
Hi Jan. Good buy!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup: Lots of fun to be had now.

Love the work you have shown us.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Is that Jan as in Jan or Jan as in Yarn?

busyhands
7th January 2009, 09:50 AM
Thanks guys - it is very exciting. The lathe looks to be narrow at the base, but can be bolted to the floor (which I plan on doing once I'm sure I have it in the right place!). The accessories are all in really good order and the tailstock and headpiece do line up nicely. There is a bit of noise in the bearings, so it's good to know that this will not be an expensive fix when I need to do it.

And my name is Jan (female) - the photo I use is me at four years old fixing the hill trolley! Now that was a few centuries ago, but my love of fixing things and working with wood has stayed with me all that time. This is just another expression of that interest. the rest of my shed is filled with a bench saw, thicknesser/planer, bandsaw, linisher, drop saw, router table, work benches and innumerable hand tools ... now I am lucky enough to add a lathe to the setup.