Thread: Ledacraft lathes

Hi Matto,

I presume this is one of the Taiwanese/Chinese jobs - 1m between centres, 1hp motor, swivelling/sliding headstock etc.

A lot of beginners use them and they're good value.

The Woodfast is locally made and your budget probably wouldn't get you into this league.

The real question is what do you want to do mainly? Bowl turning? If so, how big? The stands on cheap lathes may not cope too well with large unbalanced lumps of wood. You can build your own replacement, but there goes your budget.

Have you considered second hand?

Cheers,

Ern

Guess we all can't be satisfied with the tools we have......

Noone seems to be too distressed by the quality of the turned work I'm getting out of a GMC lathe, but then, what would I know?

I haven't seen the Ledacraft Matto, but I have got one of the $400 odd Chinese lathes.

I've had it around 6 weeks, and so far so good. I've turned out probably 30 bowls of various sizes out of various timbers. I've turned everything from pine to camphor laurel to some wonderful gidgee.

I'm not totally happy with the fit & finish generally, or the odd noise, or the speed adjustment, or the motor power - but I didn't expect to be for the $439 I paid. It's just not possible to build a high quality lathe for that money.

I've managed to stop the motor more than once doing something a lathe that size should be able to deal with - but it's not a huge problem. The general quality, fit & finish means a little more work & occasional frustration with the tool rest for instance. The motor gets hotter than I would prefer.

I turned several large fruit bowls over the weekend out of Jacaranda - heavier than pine, but not a heavy wood. The pieces were mostly 80mm thick and I turned a couple at 300mm dia with bark on 2 sides - very unbalanced. With the right lathe speed, vibration was not a huge problem, even though the stand sucks. I'm planning on building something better over Xmas.

Overall, considering they are cheap, it's good value for money. Given what I've spent on chucks, tools & accessories (easily 4x the lathe price), it was the right choice for me right now.

I bought the Total Tools version, but there are at least 2 other versions around. If I had my choice over again I'd probably buy the Carbatec version - it has a better motor, everything else is identical. Don't forget to budget for a decent chuck as well.

Anything in this range is light years ahead of the GMC Good luck with it.

The old adage of buying what you can afford is obviously very relavent in this day and age but when buying irrespective of your pocketbook budget there must be certain factors that allow you to arrive at your decision.
Within your budget you would also looking for safety features,the placement of the tool within your work-space,as well as the possibility of upgrading further down the track when your experience/budget allows for it and the justification to you and 'ER Indoors.
I my self have considered that upgrading is a necessary evil with some folk as they gain experience in their craft and strive for some modicum of perfection ...at least in their eye's!
In saying that there are folk that are happy to stay with the tools that they have ..preferring to improve their skills with what they have on hand.
As has been said before a well equipped workshop does not a master make ...it does however make life easier and the applications to improve the skills whether innate or worked at.
This is what I would consider as being the norm in todays social environment whereas our forefathers usually had quality tools at the outset that carried them thru the years and only necessitating spending when replacement was absolutely necessary.
Personally I have upgraded most of my tools much to the chagrin of 'ER Indoors and a smoulderin' credit card ...but when the product comes out of the shop the aforementioned is very much assuaged and some justification becomes apparent.
Just a couple 'o cents worth.
Cheers

------------------
Johnno

Thanks for the replies. I bought the aforementioned Ledacraft lathe and am happy with the first trial run (it beats the GMC hans down - no flexing bed or jumping around the work shop!). I wacked on a green piece of Tassie Myrtle I picked up at the Working With Wood show recently and it handled it like a charm (it weighed a ton). I already had a Vicmarc chuck and some decent tools so hopefully now I can start turning out some nice stuff, until I get the itch for the next upgrade that is. Why is it that the tools you have are never quite as good as the tools you could have?

sounds cool.. i dont know if its the same but the lasrger relative of the generic chiese good lathes the MC90 is the MC 1100 model at aorund 500..bigger stronger and has a nice centre the swivel hea din the middle of the lathe feature..
looks like great value to me...

http://svc010.bne011i.server-web.com....html?cache=no

I had the same dilemma, wanted a great lathe, but would need to sell my car to get one. So I settled on a MC1100 from the local supplier, but soon found the vibration was effecting the work badly, even though the lathe was bolted to the floor, due to some play in the stand.
So I screwed ply to the frame, and filled with a 6x4 of fine crushed blue metal! Now it is solid as a rock.
Still not the greatest lathe, but will suit me while I am still learning.

Click on link!

Originally Posted by Gumnut_Farmer

Still not the greatest lathe, but will suit me while I am still learning.

Click on link!

Must be the colour causing it Gummy!

Have a good one

now thats does look solid...mate !
nice idea..