Which lathe to buy

[disperse]

Curruntly I have a old lathe, made by HJ Large and son from toowoomba. Just under 1.4 bc and 150mm swing.

after near 6 years without a workshop. I'm currently setting up my dream workshop. 6 x 6 colourbond, insulated and air conditioned. So a new lathe is in order.

Budget is up to $2500 but would like to keep it down to under $1500, leaving more money for chisels / tools.

That brings me to the next question .... chisel set + one good roughing tool.

My favorite turning is bowls. and I would also love electronic speed control. And of course 360 degree turning head.

Thanks all, any suggestions appreciated

Regards Troy

[PopeL]

Caught sight of your question regarding tooling and which lathe to get. Check out the Stubby 750, made right there in Oz by Omega tool Co. I have been using this machine 8 years now, it's been redesigned since I got mine in 2000, but it is really the best machine I have ever used for bowl work. Another good one is the Poolewood (Ithink it was UK mfg), No idea what the Stubby costs over there, got to be less than here in US due to freight and handling, I dunno?
As to cutting tools, you could do much worse than the Ellsworth Signature gouge available from Crown Tools, UK. Very helpful to use a grinding jig to maintain the extreme back sweep of this deep flute gouge.
By the by, Ellsworth has a new book out that is really worth the $$. Published by FoxChapel Publishing, and entitled Ellsworth on Woodturning.

Hope this helps.

[DJ’s Timber]

The Nova 1624-44 has all that you're looking for except for the electronic variable speed

[OGYT]

As far as lathes go, I'm partial to mayo. But tools? Bowl gouges especially. You can't beat the Doug Thompson bowl gouges... Kryo treated, and cheaper than most... come un-handled, and the best guarantee in the business. Google Doug Thompson Lathe Tools, and you can't go wrong.

[hughie]

Hi Troy,

Having a budget of $1500 and wanting a good lathe with VS might be a challenge to find one new. Below are a few links of whats ou there in your price range and by the look of it all are some sort of generic.

But sticking to your budget of $1500 is good becuase tooling will set you back eventually more thand the price of most lathes.

I would look around at the second hand market. Local turning clubs in your area, local papers, etc and Ebay to name a few, you could also put feelers out on this forum via the Swap and Sell section.





http://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturni...-vs-wood-lathe

http://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturni...le-speed-lathe

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Pro...stockCode=W388

not VS but can be for an additonal $800
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~kjeev...the/lathe.html

[orraloon]

Disperse,
Check this.http://members.ozemail.com.au/~kjeeves/leady/lathe/lathe.html
It is not elect. var speed dut will do all that you want inside the $1,500 budget.

Regards
John

[disperse]

So what makes a good lathe ..... besides things like a swivel head etc. Is it solid and sturdy with no play in the head bearings ?

Regards
Troy

[INVENTOR]

Troy, I think the advice so far is pretty good. Like most of us your budget limits you. If looking new then you couldn't go far wrong with a Nova. I don't own one but for their $'s they are certainly up there for true value for money. Whereas you 'might' be disapponted with some of the quality of the 'imported' units. Or look at a Leady.

Swivel heads are good but you can't go past ALSO having a good centre height. That way you can swing a reasonable piece, with the aid of tailstock support. That gives you the best of both worlds.
Electronic variable speed is great, keep in mind that any old second hand unit may have problems with the speed control. This can be $$$ to fix/replace. The electronic units don't last forever. Something that is perhaps 'lost' with woodturners. Electronic components ( capacitors etc) only last so long.

As for tools buy quality in small amounts. Buy a Thompson 1/2" bowl gouge ( the V shape in my opinion is best) and grind it with a 'nice' grind ( swept back sides etc) and then get to know it. Don't go looking for answers by buying more tools. Sure you will need more, but you will be amazed at how much you can do with a good quality well shaped and sharp bowl gouge. A larger 5/8 bowl gouge works real well for roughing and then can be used for other work.

If money allows buy a good quality chuck. Have a look at the VERMEC unit. It has a lot going for it. If you are going to buy once, look for versatility with the quality. The Vermec chuck is beautifly made,solid and accepts a huge range of jaws.

In a nut shell I would buy small amounts of good quality. It's smart buying, cause you will probably end up buying them anyway! So buy them first and enjoy them.



I hope this helps. I am not 'attached' to any of these companies, but I think it's worth mentioning them.

[regulated]

It is so hard to pick a lathe. So many options, all have benefits and drawbacks. A small lathe for $1500 will probably be very good quality but you can only turn small stuff. Get a big one for $1500, you can still turn small stuff if you want but the components may not be so good. I only have a secondhand small Record cheapy. I can deal with the low power, no cam locks for toolrest and the 1MT. Annoying things the tiny swing and the centres not lining up any good. Pretty annoying when trying to drill 16mm pen blanks with a 1/2" drill. Not a lot of room for error.

That is my thoughts as well about the EVS lathes. Some will be great till the warranty runs out and they fail. I am an electronics tech and have found many times that even good manufacturers get components from the lowest bidder (VM may be the exception here, haven't heard too many complaints about them). Companies don't make money unless you buy stuff so why make it to last for 20 years. They will go broke.

Tools. Two options you have. Buy a cheapie set and see what tools you are using a lot then buy a top of the range tool. Some suppliers even have the good ones unhandled so you can make your own.
Go straight out and buy the top of the range tools. If you don't use it guess what, oil it up, put in in storage and at some point in time you will need it for some style of turning.

Cheers

BJ

[robutacion]

Hi agree with INVENTOR and regulated, and with the total budget of about $2.500, you can get "anything" you need for turning. Now this "anything", means between the best available and some smart choices in what you buy as a priority.
A Nova 44-1624 (I have one) sets you back about $1,700, a Nova G3 chuck and a couple of optional jaws about $250, a set of HSS (TORQUATA type) x 6 most common gouges $120, another $100 for 3 other unhandled (good practise for you) gouges of different profile than those in the kit, a head clear visor, set of gloves, dust masks (safety gear)about another $50, an extra light (magnet or other type) $50, a reasonable bench grinder $150, a sharpening jig $80, and that's your $2,500 gone.

Now, can you do most turnings with this? yes you do, and do it very well...!
Is the manual belt changing, a pain in a @ss, compared with the electronic variable speed ones?, absolutely...! to void that pain in the @ss, you need about another $1,500 .
If you get your blanks already round, (from me possibly...!) ready for turning, you don't need a chainsaw or a band-saw, if not, a $150 electric 14" to 16" chainsaw, will get your logs (after you get them home) cut into any size or shape you need. If you can cut your own trees, an investment of about $300 on eBay, get you a "good" Chinese petrol chainsaw 62cc with a 22" bar.
There are obviously, many other small items (sandpapers, sealers, oils, drills, stones, clamps, etc., etc.,) that will cost a little more sometimes than what you would think but, generally by the time you get around the $3,000 invested properly, you should be pretty much set-up for some serious turning.

Does this sounds reasonable to you? is any of this of any help to you? I hope it is...!
On the other hand, I could very easily show you how to spend $10 to 15K's on turning gear, not inclueding the shed off-course!

Cheers
RBTCO