Thread: What can be wrong with a cheap lathe?

Hi Hangöbo, a very powerful car does not serve you're welcome if the pilot cannot drive, on the other hand a good pilot will extract more advantages to a car with less potency, it is preferable that to begin you do not buy to yourself a very sophisticated lathe, but the simpler one and that when you have the necessary skill you think about one with more services, THE PRACTICE DOES TEACHERS, good luck.

Hangobo
I am currently studying fly fishing and considering taking up the activity. And, I am undergoing the same puzzling situation with fly rods you are experiencing with the lathe.
With lathes there is a wide variety of styles and sizes. In U.S. dollars you can spend from about $200.00 up to $10,000.00, or more.
First you must decide what kind of turning you will want to do. If you will be doing only small objects like pens, then a mini or midi will suit you.
If you want to do large bowls, that is another world entirely.
To answer part of your question: a really cheap lathe, meaning poorly made, will not line up properly, might have cheap bearings that you can depend on to fail quickly and be underpowered. This must be avoided.
Many smaller lathes are not expensive but have nice features and are well made.
If you want to turn larger items, it is possible without great cost.
I started with a Grizzly (I know they are not available in Oz, too bad) that was full sized, had a rudimentary style speed control and less power than might have been ideal. But, I only paid $300.00 USD for it and it served me well for six years. Hopefully, you will be able to find a similar machine where you live.
Do shop around and maybe consider waiting a while until more funds are available.
I don't know anything about where you live but I do hope maybe some good used equipment will show up for you. Sometimes a days drive to get a good used bargain can be very worth while.
Good luck, let us know what you end up doing.

Hangöbo, First of all, welcome aboard.

Cheap lathes are just that, cheap. But as Rifleman suggested there is some small lathes at the lower end of the market that are ok.

Also consider that the lathe price will always be the smallest cost of wood turning. Tools etc will in time amount to more than the cost of the lathe. But you can do it over time so its not so hard to to do.

Search this forum as there numerous threads about making your own lathe, tools etc.Also there are number of turners from Finland as members of this forum.

As pointed out before your need to work out what you want to turn, for example if you are going to turn pens then a very small lathe will do. But say you wanted to turn bowls and platters then the size of the lathe grows along with the cost.

But for low cost lathes try and stick with a cast iron bed. There are many cheap Chinese lathes around the would do. Lathes with tubular beds round or square are not worth considering.

Have a think about what you need and then we can get down to talking about how best to get you started for a good price.

Have a look over this thread, its all about buy a lathe, this will get you started.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/adv...g-lathe-85843/

Nothing wrong with a cheap lathe, as long as it isn't too cheap. Like they said, a decent lathe can be had for about $200. For just getting your toes wet in spindle turning, even a drill press can be laid on its spine; the tricky part will be devising a tool rest and a dead center.

As you gain familiarity, the cheap lathe's deficiencies will become obvious; misalignment, low power, and vibration spring to mind, as well as limited size capacity. The hazard is your becoming frustrated, and ditching the whole idea of turning, for the wrong reasons.

The next best investment is a bench grinder, for sharpening your turning tools and flatwork chisels. Dull tools are both dangerous and tedious to use.

If possible, get together with some turners in your area, for hands-on mentoring.

And welcome aboard.

Cheers,
Joe

Cheap lathes,

Outright breakages: the adjustments, bearings, locks and moving parts will just outright break. Then you have to run around finding or making spares. I have replaced the tailstock locking cam bolt twice on my cheap lathe and then I made my own. The original locking cam bolt was too flimsy and the space provided for it did not allow for a larger size so I had some machining to do.

Adjustment: often the range of adjustment (eg tail stock drive) provided is less than ideal.

Wear: Inferior materials means greater wear often accompanied by insufficient range of adjustment.

Vibration: already been mentioned by others and related to wear and mass.

Mass: Too low.