Thread: Advice on purchasing lathe

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.

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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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.

Thanks again,

Jan.

Hi Jan,

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

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

good luck

Nice work Jan.

Good luck with the lathe inspection.

Heres one on Ebay

Cheers

Thats the same one that Robyn is trying to sell on the forum.

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

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.

Originally Posted by prozac

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

Nice work on the Banksia bowl, Busyhands!

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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

As 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

wow i had never seen this type of lathe by Vicmarc thanks for informing me about it

have fun

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.