a few simple questions

[milkjam]

when a lathe is described as having a swing of 300 mm,am i right to assume this means the height from the bed to the centre of the chuck and therefore 600 mm is the maximum starting diameter of the workpiece?

robert sorby,hamlet,henry taylor and so on are these all reliable brands of a similar quality...likewise vicmarc,wivamac,jet,beaver etc...in other words would you say that any of these brands are ideal for a beginner.i have a feeling that it would be wise to avoid so called "no name" brands but i don`t need the rolls royce of woodturning either.

one or two people have told me that i need a lathe very early on in my learning path so that i can go home after a lesson and practice the techniques.i tend to not agree.i think that only after a short course will i have any idea of the kind of tools i need or the kind of pieces i want to make or indeed if i have any aptitude or desire to continue.what do you think?

i started out as a turner at an engineering firm more than 25 years ago.is this helpful or irrelevant?

lastly...a 12 hour,one to one course with a professional who has been turning for 7 years or a 50 hour course in a class of ten with a world renowned woodturner.which would you choose? bearing in mind that the difference in expense could be enough to buy a small no name lathe and a basic set of tools.
cheers.

 

[PowerTool]

Hmm,interesting questions... :-k

I believe "swing" is the largest diameter workpiece you can fit on.

Yes,they are all reliable brands,and use HSS steel.

I agree that a short course would be a good thing to do before spending money on tools.

Metal turning experience,although useful in itself,is probably not that relevant (with woodturning,the tools are hand-held,and timber doesn't behave in the same "regular" way as metal)

And I would probably go for the 12 hour course with one-to-one tuition.

Hope this helps,rather than confuses

Andrew

 

[NickWelford]

I bought a cheap old lathe second hand together with some tools in order to see if I enjoyed it or was any good, and was hooked. I then did a three day course - you might find at the end of a short one that you would like more..... After that I bought the best lathe I could afford at the time.
If you are sure you will pursue it, then buy a few good quality tools in the basic shapes - they will be used. You'll need a decent sharpening system also. Take them on the course with you and get some sharpening tuition.

 

[Mark Hancock]

when a lathe is described as having a swing of 300 mm,am i right to assume this means the height from the bed to the centre of the chuck and therefore 600 mm is the maximum starting diameter of the workpiece?

Yes that the definition most often used. Though Andrew is also right as a few lathe manufacturers also use 'swing' to mean the maximum diameter the lathe can turn over the bed. All very confusing :roll:

 

[lugo35]

would buy the best you can i think most people would get hooked but if not can always sell them and good tools will make good money so you should'nt loose much.