Thread: Centre height on the Hafco Mini?

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Does anyone know the height of the centre of the Hafco WL-14 mini lathe above the bench?

Thanks

Hi redbeard , I thought the centre of any lathe was the same as your bent elbow height when standing In front of the lathe !

I have this lathe and from the bottom of the feet to the centre of the spindle is 375mm or thereabouts.

here is my set up and probably 20-50mm too high, but I haven't had a crook back yet. There is no leaning over ie hunched. I used the method Smiife described above. I'm 6'2" and this is ideal for me probably a tad too high but it's a big job to cut the table legs down. The height to the top of the table is 900.

IMG_5554.jpg

Originally Posted by Fumbler

I have this lathe and from the bottom of the feet to the centre of the spindle is 375mm or thereabouts.

here is my set up and probably 20-50mm too high, but I haven't had a crook back yet. There is no leaning over ie hunched. I used the method Smiife described above. I'm 6'2" and this is ideal for me probably a tad too high but it's a big job to cut the table legs down. The height to the top of the table is 900.

IMG_5554.jpg

Thanks Fumbler. I took delivery of my lathe on the weekend and the bench build will start in earnest tomorrow. Mine won't be quite as flash as yours but it'll be a good base to start from. I'm aiming for about 1050mm high as that's what I'm used to with my current lathe. Have you bolted the lathe to the bench?

Cheers
Redbeard

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Thanks Fumbler. I took delivery of my lathe on the weekend and the bench build will start in earnest tomorrow. Mine won't be quite as flash as yours but it'll be a good base to start from. I'm aiming for about 1050mm high as that's what I'm used to with my current lathe. Have you bolted the lathe to the bench?

Cheers
Redbeard

Nice. No it's not caged and did one hell of a dance whilst turning this

IMG_5509.jpg

But it settled down once it got to this

IMG_5533.jpg IMG_5534.jpg

The block started out 220 diameter 150 high.

Originally Posted by Fumbler

Nice. No it's not caged and did one hell of a dance whilst turning this

IMG_5509.jpg

But it settled down once it got to this

IMG_5533.jpg IMG_5534.jpg

The block started out 220 diameter 150 high.

Nice work. I've got a few cranky pieces I'm itching to have a go at so I'm thinking mine might get attached. My bench will be open underneath so I'll be able to get some long bolts or some threaded rod into the holes for the feet. Must be how it gets mounted on the stand.

I went out to Hare & Forbes and asked if they had a floor plan for the bolts but they said no. So I think I will grind some bolts to a point screw em in and mark where I need to drill, then secure it for the next block of burl.

I figured a little work with tape measure and ruler plus some slightly oversized holes to account for dodgy measurements would suffice.

Hi there, just curious what you both think of this lathe?

Originally Posted by brainstrust

Hi there, just curious what you both think of this lathe?

It certainly works for me. I have mine bolted to a work bench so it's pretty solid. With the 350mm swing I've managed to reduce some pretty big lumps of wood down to much smaller pieces. It's only 3/4 hp so a you have to take your time with the bigger pieces.

I will be buying the bed extension eventually but for bowls and lidded boxes the length is just fine. I don't have to tool hanger mounted on the end so it's pretty easy to skip the tail stock off to give a bit more elbow room when following.

The build is pretty good with the important surfaces finished fairly well, they haven't wasted time making it pretty. There's a bit of play in the tail stock which needs to be addressed. The quill travel is nothing to write home about but it works.

The indexing works well but the actual toothed disk is plastic so you can't use it to lock the spindle while taking off a chuck without risking damage.

The speed control works well, with a nice clear speed readout. I do wish it had the bigger OFF switch, I find myself hitting the ON button when I'm not watching what I'm doing. Normally ok but in an emergency it could be a problem.

I bought mine in July so all the issues with abrupt stopping seem to have been resolved, certainly I've not had a problem either stopping or reversing the lathe.

It's a solid, quiet lathe, built to a price, but what you get is good for a relative newcomer. I replaced an old carbatec M900 lathe with the WL-14. Same power, bigger swing, electronic speed control, indexing and reverse for about $500 at tax time made sense to me.

Thanks Red. It's $572 these days (plus shipping) but still seems good value for money

Its exactly as Redbeard says, his description is basically on the money, and although I'd like the bed extension also I am somewhat restricted with space. its a very good lathe for the money especially as it has EVS.

Originally Posted by brainstrust

Thanks Red. It's $572 these days (plus shipping) but still seems good value for money

Brainstrust, why not sign up as a Machinery House Mate and you'll get $50 off (atleast covers the GST)

Any thoughts on how the 450 x 300 Sherwood electronic variable speed compares to it?

Originally Posted by brainstrust

Thanks Red. It's $572 these days (plus shipping) but still seems good value for money

Hence why i waited until the end of financial year sales. There are some benefits to having my birthday in the first few days of July.

And if you can pick it up, it's not *that* heavy, you can save again.