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  1. #31
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    Sep 2012
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    Coffs Harbour
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    G'day Lance. Just wanted to share my enthusiasm with you about now owning a VFD enabled woodfast lathe thanks to NArcher and Fletty from the forum. Talk about an awesome shed setup Fletty has and thanks for the help loading it into my ute!

    Still picking up parts so I can take it for a proper spin but regardless the VFD with speed control and reverse switches are a fantastic addition. Looking forward to being able to make my own tool handles and pens small bowls again

    Cheers
    Nathan

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  3. #32
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    Mar 2008
    Location
    Hobart, Tas
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    That's fantastic Nathan!

  4. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Millmerran,QLD
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    73
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    Lance

    I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license. It is remarkably similar. My son has one for (currently in my custody, but not utilised) for which I modified the stand and cabinets (I still have the old cabinets at the back of my shed). I sat the lathe on a length of heavy six inch channel (might have been 8"). Once I did that, new cabinets had to be made. It gave mass to the lathe and removed what was already a low level of vibration.

    lathe in action 001.jpglathe in action 002.jpg

    Having had a modicum of success with that build I went on at a later date to beef up my lathe, which is not much more than an entry level Carbatec model. The first problem is that my shed has a dirt floor, but it is only temporary,(the shed not the dirt, and at some point will revert to a car garage.) Consequently a slab had to be set into the ground so it does not interfere with vehicles.



    lathe 001.jpg

    Two legs were cast in concrete with a couple of metal brackets to receive the now ubiquitous steel channel. which was further refined by filling with concrete.

    lathe 002.jpglathe 003.jpg


    Lathe rebuild 004.jpgLathe rebuild 005.jpgLathe refurbishment.jpg

    Today the larea doesn't look quite like this as there is so much rubbish, umm materials, around it that it can hardly be seen.
    I mention all this in case you wish to have fun mixing concrete.

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  5. #34
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Mareeba Far Nth Qld
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    83
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    3,069

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bushmiller View Post
    Lance

    I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license. It is remarkably similar
    Charles Hagan, the founder of "Woodfast Machinery", made that claim to me, in 1987. I was demonstrating woodturning at the Cairns Show, using a Woodfast lathe.

    Jim
    Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...

  6. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Hobart, Tas
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    1,211

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    Thanks Paul. I find your concrete stand intriguing. Mine currently sits on a bench, which is not ideal as far as cleaning up goes, and have been tossing up various leg designs, as the more open style will hopefully allow easier cleanup.

    The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.

  7. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    27,756

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    Quote Originally Posted by LanceC View Post
    The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.
    A mate of mine has about 150kg of barbell weights thathe picked up during a kerbside rubbish collection sitting on a shelf under his lathe bench.
    He's had to move house several times and said this arrangement made it very easy to move.

    I only have a small lathe (~45kg) on a steel frame that weighs about the same but I have thought of putting my rarely used swage block (~85kg) on the frame shelf under the lathe but mostly I turn spindles so its not necessary.

  8. #37
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Millmerran,QLD
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    73
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    Quote Originally Posted by LanceC View Post

    The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.
    Lance

    A replacement motor could be a possibility?

    Alternatively could you do a deal with SWMBO? Perhaps something along the lines of if she could see her way to do the shoveling and mixing, you might be able to offer some lathe time. I have to acknowledge that similar suggestions to my other half have not been received the way I had hoped, but I have always put the lack of enthusiasm down to the heat and you may not have that issue in your neck of the woods.

    In the same way as with cars there is no substitute for cubes (not quite true any more with the advent of turbochargers and now electric motors) there is no substitute for mass. I can stand a coin on edge on my lathe with it running. In spite of this it has not improved my turning abilities.

    Effectively the lathe stand is in three pieces and can be broken down for moving if necessary, but I would not plan on doing that on a regular basis. I can move each of the three pieces by myself providing I have a hand trolley. Nowadays there is a shelf underneath the lathe to accommodate various bits and pieces.

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  9. #38
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Millmerran,QLD
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    73
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    How it looks today complete with shelf and clutter.

    Lathe 4.JPG

    The concrete is a little rough . A cheap sander on the outside of the formwork makes a good improvised vibrator, but I didn't do that. A couple of close ups:

    lathe 5.JPGlathe 6.JPG

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  10. #39
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Imbil
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    (I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license.)

    I believe it is the opposite woodfast bought out tough and their subsequent lathes used the old tough designs my tough has the much heavier bed design than the later woodfast's but the head and tailstock castings are identical. (Except for the logo.)
    Regards Rod.
    Rod Gilbert.

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