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Thread: GMC Wood lathe
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18th June 2004, 09:03 PM #3121 with 26 years experience
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Sunshine Coast Queensland
- Age
- 53
- Posts
- 1,402
Hei Adrian,
Congrats on the new toy - the chuck does make an excellent and handy addition and for $20 you can't go wrong.
I've already used the chuck to make a bowl which I will post in the pics section tommorrow - a bit rough but it's a first attempt.
One thing I would suggest you do is find yourself a wood turning group - I thought about doing a tafe course, but on the advice of one of the Carbatec guys ended up going to a local woodturning group.
Even though most of my play will be done at home, I plan on joining the group because it's great just to see what others are doing,watch and swap ideas , and you get the best of both worlds - you've got the old hands who know it all and the fellow newbies you can swap info with.
Cheers
Smidsy
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18th June 2004 09:03 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
- Join Date
- Always
- Location
- Advertising world
- Age
- 2010
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22nd July 2004, 02:02 PM #32New Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2004
- Location
- gold coast
- Posts
- 2
Hi,
I would stay clear of the GMC lathe, I was given one & as previously mentioned its hard to change speeds, it has far to much flex & no grunt. I ended up bolting a 2m long 12mm thick steel plate to the bottom & that still didn't work. The only good thing about my GMC lathe is that it got me turning. Save your money & get a better lathe that will last longer & allow you to do better quality work.
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22nd July 2004, 10:00 PM #33
I have had my MC900 for 2 weeks tomorrow and it is a little ripper. I am hunting wood now and i am looking for a chuck as mine deal through Gasweld didn't come with a chuck. These are great beginners lathes and i look forward to going further up the tree toward the Nova one day.
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23rd July 2004, 02:29 PM #34
My lathe history.
1st
A pressed metal unit like the GMC.
Added wood beams to the bottom but it still flexed just about every where.
4 jaw independent chuck tended to bite like mad as the jaws protruded beyond the frame. Did some work but it was bl...y dangerous.
Suppose they are a place to start from but you need to be careful about the flexing as it can be dangerous.
2nd
A Woodfast 280s. Nice lathe with a sliding head and standard threads.
Added a vicmark 100 chuck. Things went well for a time.
One nice part was that you could take the head/motor off the bed and transport it around. (meetings)
Lathe lacked size and horse power. Max swing 160mm
Still got it as my pen and small item lathe although I tend to use the following lathe.
3rd.
A Vickmark VL300 Electronic variable speed. Now I have a Lathe.
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28th September 2008, 12:58 PM #35New Member
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- Port Lincoln S.A.
- Posts
- 7
New lathe purchase
Take it from a woodturner of 50+ years....
Regards Joe
The above statement made me realise that there is a wealth of information out there in 'Woodturner's Land' held mostly by those people who have made all the mistakes and learned from them.
I am a 'Newby' to this site and would be most obliged if you will give me some direction, (including the reasons for your advice) regarding the purchase of a new woodturning lathe.
I have been considering three (3) lathes:
WOODFAST M 910
TEKNATOOL DVR 3000 XP
VICMARC VL 300 LONG BED
I will be most obliged if you could provide me some guidance about the above.
It would also be appreciated if you directed me to some other machine which has not at this stage been considered.
With thanks in anticipation,
Unwise (especially in this matter)
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28th September 2008, 01:57 PM #36You've got to risk it to get the biscuit
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Location
- Canberra
- Age
- 32
- Posts
- 4,195
well, the Vicmarc Vl300 is an awesome lathe ...its the one i would choose out of your listed ones. the only one you havent considered is a Stubby lathe (a quick search will get you a description).
but, it all depends on your price range and also you NEEDS...what are you planning on turning??? also, dont forget you need to buy tools, chucks, timber, finishes etc.
cheersS T I R L O
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28th September 2008, 02:10 PM #37
The VL300 will let you turn a pencil or a post and is a commercial quality lathe. I bought mine second hand for about half price, it also came with some expensive extras that made it a very good deal for me. If you have no plans to move house the VL300 is one sweet machine.
The other two lathes are also very good but I have no experience with them. I agree with what Stirlo said, tell us what it is you wish to turn, as that will determine the advice you get.
The cost of accessories can add up to the price of the lathe or more, so a second hand deal can say you a lot more than just the price of the lathe.