# Fun with a Clarke lathe, sort of



## JohnMessUK (24 May 2013)

Hi All, 

Looking for a bit of advice please.

I have a Clarke CWL1000 Lathe not a bad tool but first with the down sides. It does not take a tailstock chuck it has a threaded driveshaft so no moris taper and changing speeds on it is a pain.

Stil onto the good things, I have made some lovely peices on it its not to noisy and runs like a dream. 

Now my main problem with it is the lack of accessories so I thought I would buy a 4 jaw chuck, now the clarke people told me it only takes one kind of chuck there one ,which is an independant 4 jaw chuck and its a beast as in its very heavy.

Today I had the chuck running for the first time and I am having a problem getting it to centre I am sure it can be done but can anyone give me advice on how to centre an independant 4 jaw chuck please. (I have tried lining up with the rings on it but it still seems off)

Also has anyone ever had a threaded chuck come off whilst the machine was in motion? luckily for me I had just turned off the lathe when the chuck unwound, still spining it hit the lathe bed and shot off to the floor. I am thinking it was my own fault maybe I did not tighten it up properly or could this have happened because I was slightly off centre?

As an edit I just thought about another problem I had with a chisel digging into the peace is this due to having the chisel extended to far over the tool rest or is it a bad angle. I seem to have the problem the most with a bowl gouge.

I really like turning so will be ditching the Clarke lathe asap but as it is I maybe with it for months, so any advice or experiance anyone has had with one would be great. 

One last thing please I have started looking for a new lathe and I would like one that is variable speed and can be upgraded easily over time. What make would you guys recommend. 

Thanks for reading now I am away to have a cup of tea and sooth my nerves.


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## CHJ (24 May 2013)

An independent 4 jaw chuck is of very limited use for wood turning.
Used on a metal working lathe they are used to mount irregular shaped metal blanks or in conjunction with a dial gauge to align a cylinder to within fractions of a thousandth of an inch. See this pdf on proceedure, not practical on wood tasks.
The standard fitted stepped jaws are of very little use for gripping the majority of wood projects, dovetail or gripper jaws are needed to hold wood securely.
Wood turning 4 Jaw chucks are constructed with a self centring scroll mechanism the same as a metal lathe 3 jaw chuck. 

As for a chuck coming off, there is no way a chuck correctly fitted should unwind in normal use, only very abrupt stopping of the lathe spindle or starting the lathe up in reverse would unscrew the chuck.


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## JohnMessUK (24 May 2013)

Thanks CHJ, I was thinking the chuck coming off was my fault. As for it not being suitable knowing that now instead of me spending days trying has saved me a ton of grief. Will see if someone has a use for it and pass it on. 

I will have a look around and see if I can find a wood turning chuck that will fit the shaft as I can't see Clarke sending me to there competition. I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.


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## CHJ (24 May 2013)

JohnMessUK":37dperdu said:


> ..... I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.


99% of wood turners would endorse that action.


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## Random Orbital Bob (24 May 2013)

you need to discern what the tpi and bore of your spindle is to know which scroll chuck to buy. If you download the manual from the Clarke website it will be specified therein. You can then take that to any third party chuck manufacturer (examples would be Supernova 2 or G3, Axminster Evolution etc). The data I'm referring to will be specified as an example like this: 3/4" 16tpi meaning the spindle has a 3/4" diameter and 16 threads per inch.

The supernova chuck has the ability to take a variety of insert nuts which allow it to be used on multiple different spindle diameters and thread types...thus it's portable from lathe to lathe with just the purchase of the relevant insert needed. I couldn't live without mine.

However, to be brutally honest....you might find it preferable to take the Clarke into outer space and jettison it from geostationary orbit!


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## JohnMessUK (24 May 2013)

I like that Idea Bob. Is there a make of lathe that you guys would recomened, I understand its down to personal tatse and budget but a point in the right direction would be great.


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## Random Orbital Bob (24 May 2013)

You just HAVE to have variable speed. I went for the Record Power CL4 CAM because it has good quality variable speed (inverter technology) and a swivel head as I need the capacity for larger platters (up to 30").

Axminster and Record Power have broad ranges to suit all budgets and capacities.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 May 2013)

CHJ":pys8mp1t said:


> JohnMessUK":pys8mp1t said:
> 
> 
> > ..... I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.
> ...


  And 99% of makes would be better?


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## Tinbasher (25 May 2013)

I don't think any of the commercially available chucks fit the Clarke. I had one (and the four jaw chuck) and never had any success in finding an alternative.


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## Random Orbital Bob (25 May 2013)

back to the outer space option then.....


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## finneyb (25 May 2013)

Generally speaking if Axminster sells it I have a warm feeling inside me - recently upgraded my lathe to a variable speed and got a good resale price on the old lathe, both Axminster. I looked at adding an electonic variable speed to the original lathe but its too risky for the price of the upgrade. Excellent customer service and technical advice from their HQ by phone. www.axminster.co.uk

As to what lathe to get - the advice I was given is the longest bed length that fits in your workshop. 
Longest bed length is not necessarily the most expensive, but longest bed length gives you the most scope for different woodturnings; of course if you know that you will only turn pens then get a lathe to suit. On my new lathe I turned a 40" long 9"dia off-centre garden ornament - while I could almost get the length on the old lathe I couldn't get the speed slow enough to turn such a big piece off-centre, safely. I am now looking at turning my first pen to show the variation a long bed length can give you.

[Note to Axminster please send credit note as payment to the Warrington store  ]


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## tekno.mage (25 May 2013)

JohnMessUK":9vum2k9w said:


> As an edit I just thought about another problem I had with a chisel digging into the peace is this due to having the chisel extended to far over the tool rest or is it a bad angle. I seem to have the problem the most with a bowl gouge.



It is recommended that you get the tool rest as close as possible to avoid excessive tool overhang when using a bowl gouge. However, as you say "a bad tool angle" can also cause a dig in. You may find it helpful to investigate if there is a wood turning club local to you - it's far easier for someone to show you how to use a bowl gouge to avoid dig ins than to try and explain it in writing!

Regarding your chuck unscrewing - I'd guess you'd not fitted it securely enough. Most wood turning chucks are screw fitting and they do not normally come off in use unless you happen to be running your lathe backwards - in which case a locking screw is recommended.


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## crossg7mwh (26 Sep 2020)

fascinated, by the replies on here, a lathe spins a piece of wood and a chisel carves it, apart from varying the speed what difference does the brand name make? why would you advise anyone to change make of lathe? everyone has a preferred manufacturer and lets be honest most of the machines they put out are just badged from China, save your money learn how to use the lathe you've got otherwise you are going to be one disappointed wood turner.


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## AndyT (26 Sep 2020)

It's not quite as simple as that. 

Manufacturers can work to different levels of quality, even Chinese manufacturers. The bearings in a lathe made down to a price point might be just good enough at first but wear out very quickly. A faceplate could be cast from flimsy alloy or turned from good steel. Adjuster knobs can be thin plastic or made to last a lifetime. The same base model of lathe can be sold under different names with different grades of components fitted or with desirable features included or left out.


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## Trainee neophyte (26 Sep 2020)

crossg7mwh said:


> fascinated, by the replies on here, a lathe spins a piece of wood and a chisel carves it, apart from varying the speed what difference does the brand name make? why would you advise anyone to change make of lathe? everyone has a preferred manufacturer and lets be honest most of the machines they put out are just badged from China, save your money learn how to use the lathe you've got otherwise you are going to be one disappointed wood turner.


Weirdly, I was also playing with a Clarke lathe today, for the very first time. I have never done any turning, so it was a bit of a voyage of discovery. I discovered, for example, that if you tighten the work up too much the entire thing deforms disturbingly easily - the wood stayed level, the motor housing reared up in one direction and the tailstock did the same but in the oposite direction. It looked a bit like Tower Bridge. Somehow it even managed to spin, but I'm not convinced it is safe. 

I played around a bit, but it turns out I can't do aimless fiddling - I need a specific project to work on, otherwise I get bored. Still, I now have some smoothly curved bits of dowel that I have no idea what to do with - posh firewood, I think.

I was convinced I was going to be utterly hooked, but it was a bit "meh" in the end. Must try again, with sharper tools. The lathe itself seems a bit chinesium, to the extent that it may well be dangerous.


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## crossg7mwh (26 Sep 2020)

somewhere on one of the forums I read that Clarke lathes have a non-standard headstock thread, I was puzzled and went in search and there are loads in fact they seem quite standard, also the model CWL1000 has no speed control, mine is infinitely variable from 600 to 2200 rpm, the tail stock has a thread so can't be altered again mine don't, have they changed them? mine is the CF model but apart from the bit that bolts on to the back they look the same and before you say I was over charged 33% off on a return.


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## u38cg (26 Sep 2020)

JohnMessUK said:


> Also has anyone ever had a threaded chuck come off whilst the machine was in motion?



Bit concerned by this to be honest, as said in normal use it should be impossible for a chuck to fall off, so let's just be sure: 

- you *are* running the lathe in the right direction?
- the chuck thread definitely matches the spindle?
- you did screw it all the way on till it hit the shoulder of the spindle?


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## marcros (26 Sep 2020)

7 years have passed, I wouldn't expect a quick reply...


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## Phil Pascoe (26 Sep 2020)

Incidentally, my 28 - 40 will lauch a chuck and blank if stopped from a high speed - I always wind it down before switching off.


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## marcros (26 Sep 2020)

my jet mini has too on the odd occasion, particularly when pushing its limits. I dont have the option of slowing it first, but if it does happen it is usually fairly controlled just before it stops completely.


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## clogs (26 Sep 2020)

John Mess,
it's never easy to recomend a wood lathe, there's just to many options including you....
I'd say buy the biggest you think you'll need or slightly bigger, make sure if poss it's heavy and made of cast iron.....
the cast iron content has ruled a few out already.....
bench top models are OK, if the bench is sound, ridgid and heavy....but I prefer a free-standing jobby.....
Probably, not many will agree but the VB lathe at around £4,000 used could be said one of the best there is....
so there you go, second hand from a few hundred squids up to thousands....
I'd say for 500 -800 you would get something a bit better than the Machine Mart Chinese specials out there....
*AND there is nothing wrong with Chinese machines*, it's just the likes of sellers getting them made DOWN to a price....
the likes of Axminster etc must make a profit to offer their services, nothing wrong with that but they will be buying them it at around 1/2 the sale cost....so I must say used is the way to go...unless your flush......
most lathes at the few/several hundred pound mark will have never been used in production, so hardley worn out.....
and things like bearings and motor's are cheap and easy enough to fix.....provided the cost of the machine reflects the problems......
My Wadkin RS must be over 40 years old and will have certainly been a production machine,
was I bothered not in the least.....pretty much everything is fixable except badly broken castings and then thats not the end of the world.....
join your local turning club, even 2 of them if you can....
you will prob find your next lathe there and be able to try it out first....
Plus the hands on experience that comes with like minded lads...
and being a club member there will be help to move this heavy lump of Iron your going to buy......
take your time to look..... 
make it fun.....


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## Ron Tock (27 Sep 2020)

crossg7mwh said:


> fascinated, by the replies on here, a lathe spins a piece of wood and a chisel carves it, apart from varying the speed what difference does the brand name make? why would you advise anyone to change make of lathe? everyone has a preferred manufacturer and lets be honest most of the machines they put out are just badged from China, save your money learn how to use the lathe you've got otherwise you are going to be one disappointed wood turner.


It's not just a matter of preferred brands. I've never attempted to use a Clarke CWL1000 Lathe but, just looking at it, it strikes me as a rather flimsy and possibly unsafe piece of equipment. Yes it spins wood but a spinning log is a potential hazard as soon as you switch the thing on. The moment your tool makes contact, the potential hazard is multiplied. At the very least, you need a stable structure that will not flex and distort under pressure... and the Clarke CWL1000 clearly does not meet that criteria.
Additional properties such as variable speed, swivel drive head, chuck compatability and so on are a matter of preferance depending on the type of work indended (and, of course, budget). I noticed one reply here declaring that you HAVE to have variable speed. No you don't. It's certainly convenient but hardly a necessity. Variable or manual speed is a trade off between ease of use and cost of maintenance. If problems such as 'idling' or loss of torque occur with a manual speed control machine, it can be one of two causes: (a) the grub screw in one or both of the pulley sets has become loose (remedy: tighten it) or (b) the belt has become worn (remedy: replace it). Simple to diagnose and fix. Variable speed machines can also experience idling or loss of torque and may well be as simple as loose pulley sets or worn belt... or it could be a fault in the electronic circuitry. This latter issue is not uncommon and, unless you know your way around a circuit board, is not something that can be fixed by the user. When the electronics of a variable speed control go wrong, it_ may_ result in idling or stopping altogether, which is annoying but not dangerous. But it can also result in 'racing', which you definitely don't want to happen when you're turning a heavy out-of-balance log.


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## Bob Chapman (27 Sep 2020)

JohnMessUK said:


> luckily for me I had just turned off the lathe when the chuck unwound, still spining it hit the lathe bed and shot off to the floor. I am thinking it was my own fault maybe I did not tighten it up properly



The answer is in your post: _You had just turned off the lathe._ The spindle _stopped rotating_ but the weight of the chuck and whatever was in it caused it to _continue rotating_ and this is what unscrewed it. Possibly tightening it more onto the spindle may have helped but the real problem is that the lathe stopped too quickly. Overtightening the chuck onto the spindle can result in later problems removing it. As someone has already said, try to slow the speed before stopping. If you can't do that you have a serious problem.

Your problems with a bowl gouge are very likely caused by using it at the wrong angle. Beginners always want to hold a bowl gouge with the flute (the 'groove') pointing vertically upwards (12 o'clock). A bowl gouge is not (never?) used this way. Rotate the tool around it's axis until the flute is at about 1.30 - 2.00 o'clock, or 10.30 - 10.00 o'clock, pointing in the direction you are intending to move it. Cut with the lower edge of the tip. Keep the cuts small until you get the hang of it.

As far as getting another lathe, always think second-hand before new. Lathes are very simple machines and there is not a great deal that can go wrong provided it's not been dropped from a great height (well, _any_ height). Look on eBay. A spindle thread of 3/4 by 16 tpi or 1inch by 8tpi is pretty standard and you get things to fit these threads almost anywhere. 

My last bit of advice (you'll be glad to hear) is JOIN A CLUB. They are a wonderful source of information and expertise. Join the club _before_ buying another lathe and start asking around. Good luck


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## Democritus (29 Sep 2020)

I agree that the choice of lathe very much depends on what you want to do in turning, and, importantly, how much you have to spend. If you have a limited budget but want higher end specs, then the used market is the place to go.
I was a bit perturbed by the comments saying that chucks can fly off the lathe. I have three chucks, two Record power SC4’s, and an EasyWood chuck that my generous wife got me after seeing me drool over one at an exhibition.. All three have grub screws that need to be tightened once the chuck is wound fully on to the headstock spindle. This prevents the chuck coming loose. In any case, the thread direction on the spindle is opposite to the direction the spindle turns. If anything, I would expect sudden stopping of the spindle would result in a tightening of the chuck on it, rather than it becoming loose enough to fly off.
I’m sure we have all had the experience of struggling to unscrew a chuck, perhaps with the need to use a knocking bar as a lever in the jaws. Because of this jamming, I now routinely use a cork or plastic washer between the chuck and spindle.
D.


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## Robbo3 (30 Sep 2020)

Democritus said:


> In any case, the thread direction on the spindle is opposite to the direction the spindle turns. If anything, I would expect sudden stopping of the spindle would result in a tightening of the chuck on it, rather than it becoming loose enough to fly off.
> I’m sure we have all had the experience of struggling to unscrew a chuck, perhaps with the need to use a knocking bar as a lever in the jaws. Because of this jamming, I now routinely use a cork or plastic washer between the chuck and spindle.
> D.


The wood is rotating downwards towards you. If the lathe stops abruptly the wood tries to keep going. If it succeeds then the chuck starts unscrewing.
Lathes are made to different tolerances. My old Draper WTL90 had to have the chuck tightened with a piece of batten across the jaws. A washer cut from a milk bottle helped. My AT1628VS only requires the last inch of travel to be fast to lock any chuck in place - no tools required.


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## Democritus (30 Sep 2020)

Thanks for that Robbo. I think I now understand the issue , although I have difficulty in imagining a situation where a lathe stopped dead producing sufficient torque for the chuck to unscrew completely, but I suppose it is possible. All the more reason to ensure that chuck grub screws are tightened down before switching the lathe on. I have the Axminster 1628VS and am always careful to tighten the chuck grub screws. When I first got the machine, on one or two occasions I forgot to unscrew them and remembered only when I’d struggled for a time to get the chuck off. Fortunately I did minimal damage to the spindle threads. After that, I wrote ‘ Tighten/unscrew grub screws!!!’ on the headstock. I’ve not done it since.
Best wishes
D.


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## crossg7mwh (30 Sep 2020)

Ron Tock said:


> It's not just a matter of preferred brands. I've never attempted to use a Clarke CWL1000 Lathe but, just looking at it, it strikes me as a rather flimsy and possibly unsafe piece of equipment. Yes it spins wood but a spinning log is a potential hazard as soon as you switch the thing on. The moment your tool makes contact, the potential hazard is multiplied. At the very least, you need a stable structure that will not flex and distort under pressure... and the Clarke CWL1000 clearly does not meet that criteria.
> Additional properties such as variable speed, swivel drive head, chuck compatability and so on are a matter of preferance depending on the type of work indended (and, of course, budget). I noticed one reply here declaring that you HAVE to have variable speed. No you don't. It's certainly convenient but hardly a necessity. Variable or manual speed is a trade off between ease of use and cost of maintenance. If problems such as 'idling' or loss of torque occur with a manual speed control machine, it can be one of two causes: (a) the grub screw in one or both of the pulley sets has become loose (remedy: tighten it) or (b) the belt has become worn (remedy: replace it). Simple to diagnose and fix. Variable speed machines can also experience idling or loss of torque and may well be as simple as loose pulley sets or worn belt... or it could be a fault in the electronic circuitry. This latter issue is not uncommon and, unless you know your way around a circuit board, is not something that can be fixed by the user. When the electronics of a variable speed control go wrong, it_ may_ result in idling or stopping altogether, which is annoying but not dangerous. But it can also result in 'racing', which you definitely don't want to happen when you're turning a heavy out-of-balance log.


The fact that you stated you have not used the Clarke machine is fair, but then you go on to state its flimsy, let me tell you it takes two blokes to lift that machine and its heavy enough not to move when being used, and where did the assumption come from that the moment the tools come in to play it will go wrong, that applies on any machine if one is inexperienced and does not know how to use the machine. I believe the same was said of the radial arm saw, how dangerous it was / is, but its no more dangerous than a table saw or a sizer / planer if in the wrong hands. sorry guys but I think a little more thought needs to go into some of these answers.


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