Thread: GMC Wood lathe

Another outfit to look at for lathes is TOTAL TOOLS. Even though I have the DVR (BRAG BRAG) I did at one time entertain the notion of purchasing the total tools unit.

do yourself a favour, if you have an outlet close by, check them out.

Kev

I think you'll find that the Carbatec, Timbecon, Total Tools, Hare and Forbes lathes are all one and the same. They are made in Taiwan and imported en masse to these distributors who rebadge and paint them in whatever colour they like. I have the Carbatec and I have yet to fault it.

Dan

Dan

They are actually made in China. The various importers specify the colour and also some specifications such as spindle diameter, thread and bearing size. There are subtle differences. They are not imported in bulk and rebadged in Australia. The Blue ones come in their own container, so do the orange ones and the host of inbetween colors, i'm not sure of.

Cya mate
Joe

Hi M-R, Sorry you received such a harsh reply to your post. To elaborate a little and hopefully help a bit, one of the first rules I was taught and have read everywhere I have read anything about turning techniques, and a rule which has been borne out by my meagre experience is that the tool should be resting on the toolrest at all times. (Please correct me if I'm wrong guys.) This prevents the tool being smashed into the toolrest when it comes into contact with the wood. I was lucky enough to have a teacher before I bought my WL18 lathe from Hare n Forbes for 300 odd dollars last year.

Smidsy

Phone the Perth Carbatec..........they have/had a deal together with a scroll chuck for about $399......not sure if its still on.


JRHunt

Yep you're absolutely right. The cause of most dig ins is not having the tool firm on the tool rest. Another very important point to remember is: When trueing up a blank into a cylinder, make sure that you do not move the tool horisontally along the rest to the end and let it fall off the rest. Stop before the end of the rest....then reposition the rest. If the tool drops off the rest it will gouge out a chunk from your work and is outright dangerous.

Cya around
Regards
Joe

I did feel a little short changed by the replies, but not enough to really worry about it.

First off, I dont take a tool off the tool rest. I can understand why you guys thought I might have, but no. Incidentally the tool rest itself wasn't damaged. The bit that was, was the tightening bit that connects the body to the arm that can swing out? (see the attachment for my vague explanation)

Anyway, I can't really explain how it happened, except the tool guy thinking there must have been a pre-existing stress fracture.

M-R

I have never had the time for formal lessons in woodturning either. Although lessons reinforce the basic skills and promote early situational awareness, plain old experience is also a good teacher. Mind you after five years of turning I still hope some day to have the time to do one-on-one with a good teacher.

In my case I learned on a Record lathe that was constructed in the Sheffield tradition and nothing has ever broken on it. Being of good quality any stuff-up had to be induced by the operator and not the machine. I did however learn not to underestimate the forces exhibited on the chisel tip by a grainy lump of wood revolving at 2000 RPM. Coupled with any out-of-balance tendencies at the drive shaft a sudden dig-in cannot be underestimated. The forces created by such a dig-in impose due stress at the fulcrum, or the tool rest; such forces are balanced at the other end of the tool by the turner. A heavy bowl gouge would therefore provide significant leverage. The tool rest through the banjo also provides leverage to the lathe bed and back to the headstock. Poor quality workmanship or materials in the construction of the lathe would no doubt lead to failure under such stresses. Such mishaps happen so quickly that it is very difficult to determine afterwards the chain events that produced the end result. Don’t take it to heart and I’m sure any critics mean well.

I wonder how much engineering goes into the cheaper lathes as many Chinese manufacturers seem to simply copy a concept without analysing the structural integrity. This is evident by the number of safety recalls in household electrical appliances.

A good quality lathe will not loose value therefore I feel that one should spend the dollars on the machine. There are many second hand machines available and although more expensive than the average GMC or Chinese imitation will provide trouble free service and parts availability for many years to come. It seems these days we are apt to spend more on a couple of good chisels than on a lathe and it is failure of the latter that will lead to serious injury.

Well guys, as much I couldn't afford it I scrounged up the money and just bought an MC900 - got the package deal with the carbatec chuck for $399.
I've got some bits of 90mm pine that I shall play with tommorrow once I get the beast together
Hats off to Brett at Carbatec in Perth for some great service.

Thanks to everyone here for all the advice as well.
Cheers
Smidsy

Smidsy

Congratulations on getting the new toy. I wish you many years of happy turning!


MR

The part that broke is known as the banjo or the slide. The toolrest is the vertical part with the round vertical post and the horizontal bar that the tool rests on. Not picking on you, just clarifying which part is which. There are many possibilities as to why the banjo broke....the most likely is a faulty casting.

Keep the speed down, the tools sharp, the block of timber down to a reasonable size AND have fun mate. Thats what its all about, don't let one bad experience put you off a real fine hobby.

Cya
Joe

smidsy, seems you and I are in the same boat.

I took my gmc lathe back with the 30 day satisfaction guarantee (one thing gmc does right)

Took $400 down to carbatec, and am now the proud owner of a MC900 and chuck. I know this is not the pinnacle of quality that is available, but seriously, compared to a gmc, this is king.

the worksman ship is alot higher quality, everything *feels* solid. thats whats important.

I didn't have time to do much with it so i threw a piece of camphor on to the faceplate and gave it a quick turn. all the little bumps and grinds that the gmc have just aren't there...it's like the difference between a model T and a ferrari. Where the gmc would have problems just roughing out a blank, in seconds this new lathe had taken all the corners off a reasonable size blank to the point where i have a shiny round camphor blank sitting in the machine ready to play with tomorrow.

I guess the moral of the story is never underestimate how much a cheap tool can effect your work. Makes me wonder how much my work would benefit from a new table saw. mmm.

M-R

Congratulations on getting the new toy. I wish you many years of happy turning!

Cya,
Joe

I'm convinced too. I'm going to order my MC900 tomorrow. The only problem I have is that I have a small single garage where my Prado has to share space with all my tools. One more tool and I might have to convert one of my bedrooms.

Hei Adrian,
As a proud owner of a 2 week old MC900 I can safely say that you can't go wrong.
I'm not sure what you will do on space though, as the beast weighs 80+ kg and moving it regularly is not really an option unless you mount it on some sort of trolley - you will also need help to put it together.
I got mine from Carbatec Perth and they were offering a scroll chuck for an extra $20 - they freely admit that it's a chinese copy of a Bonham chuck but it seems to work pretty well and is well worth the $20.
Cheers
Smidsy

I took delivery of my MC900 today and you are right Smidsy, it's a heavy sucker. It was a mongrel to lift onto the stand. I'm definitely going to have to dust off my gym equipment.
The current deal from Carbatec (MC900 and chuck for $399) seems excellent value. This is the first time I have ever been near a lathe but it seems like a very solid unit. The only problem I had was the speed control. I turned the lathe on but the lever wouldn't budge past the first 2 settings. I almost had to break it to move it but it finally loosened up.