Thread: Tough Wood Lathe

Definitely got a soft spot for Tough lathes, they made drill presses too under that brand. Ran the workshop out of Belmont if I remember rightly.

I have my Dads old Tough branded brace. Cannot seem to get the hang of sharpening the bits though...

Thanks Vann, I've no experience with their lathes but I believe they were very well made. I've been told that Tough sent some of their staff to night school to learn the fine art of wood turning to better understand the capabilities of the lathe they were developing.
Tough also made braces, my particular interest in this company.
Cheers,
Geoff.

Originally Posted by Vann

...I can't recall seeing one of these shown before...

Now that I've posted this, I see in the "similar threads" box at the bottom, that there are other Tough lathe threads but, so far, none with pictures.

Thanks bueller, david.elliott & Boringgeoff - I knew the Westies here would enjoy this.

Cheers, Vann.

Vann

We refurbished a Tough lathe for my son a while back. did post some pictures on the Forum at the time but I don't remember where. I don't think it was on it's own thread but part of another. Here are some pix for you. It was painted and new cabinets made to replace the old cabinet stand.

Copy of lathe in action 002.jpglathe in action 001.jpglathe in action 002.jpgP1010037.jpgP1010038.jpgP1010039.jpg

My understanding it that the Tough lathe was a knock off for the Woodfast lathes but made in Australia. Whether that was official or not I can't say, but my guess would be it was all above board and under a license.

The bed of the lathe sits on a piece of heavy section channel and the two cabinets are bolted to the channel so it all breaks down to be more easily moved. When I saw where the pictures were taken I realised that this was around 2007 so very likely the pix are no longer on the Forum because of the hiccup a while back.

Regards
Paul

Apart from the tool tray, that's identical to the old gal I use at work! I reckon I could swap 'em and no-one would know the difference.

Except for the chuck; it's all spindle-turning at work. (I'd love a good chuck there, but the boss doesn't see an advantage and I'm not taking any of mine down there. )

I have a Tough Lathe (Old CI frame - My Father bought it 2nd hand in 1972) and am putting it back together after shipping over from Adelaide to Perth.

The drive belt perished and I have a new one to fit. Before I pull the head stock apart I just want to check that I will need to do this to fit a new belt (seems pretty obvious but thought I would reach out for some comments)

this is my first post - so will see what eventuates.
I cannot for some reason upload photos (despite following instructions - 'paper clip' missing?)

Stephen

The only option you have to replace the belt without dismantling the headstock is to use one of these belts. I'm not advocating that particular link as you would need to check the belt section before purchasing, but they are readily available from transmission suppliers.

Thanks for the information.

There were other threads mentioning Tough Lathes and the same suggestion -re segmented Link belt had been made. Checked a few places nearby but ordered on line (similar to your link). Should arrive early next week.

Mine is missing the rear headstock pully cover - but no effect on functionality.
A couple of snaps attached. Need to set up tooling and parts (have a reasonable collection)- that is this weeks job.

Will post in a week or so to let you know how it is going.


Tough Lathe 1.jpgTough Lathe headstock 1.jpg
Bought some 100 by 100 section Oregon (good condition, well cured) last week. Should be easy to turn.
Any comments / suggestions for possible projects with this?

Stephen

You might think Oregon is easy to turn because it's fairly soft but I find it's one of the worst. Turning it isn't too bad but when you go to sand it I tend to get bumps because of the difference in hardness of the growth rings. The more I sand the worse it gets.
I find harder woods easier to turn as they don't have soft spots.

I have exactly the same lathe as you and had to take the spindle out of the headstock to replace the belt. I took the opportunity to replace the bearings as well. It's a great little lathe and I see you have the outboard tool rest as well.

Edit mine is also missing the belt cover on the head stock as do many I see about the place

Oregon can look quite nice when turned as the contrast in colour between the growth rings is striking but I have had the same experience as Treecycle with finishing the job.
You need very sharp tools and a steady hand because you want to get the best finish possible off the tool and do an absolute minimum of sanding. The difference in hardness between the hard darker rings and the soft pale ones is dramatic and leads very quickly to an uneven surface when sanded.

Possibly use a hard block to support the sandpaper.
I turned up a 1200 dia bowl in laminated MDF a few decades back and had the hard soft problem whilst sanding due to the denser surface and glue joints, found backing the paper helped a lot.
H.

Since 5 December I have

• ordered and received a segmented belt,
• mounted the motor back on the lathe (second time - first time incorrectly mounted) and fitted belt,
• rewired the on /off switch (original and still functional),
• set up my tools
• Finished a bowl (teak). I would like to say I made it from scratch. Not quite correct. Bought at Balcatta Recycling Centre (well worn) very cheap , mounted it, sanded it and applied some beeswax mixture. (Ready to give to my wife for Christmas )

By the way, see photo of tool. Have not come across before (picked up second hand). I assume it is for marking lines on projects (ie decorative effect)??


Attached are some photos.Up and Running 5.jpgUp and Running 2.jpgUp and Running 1.jpgUp and Running 4.jpgUp and Running 3.jpg