Bought a Lathe but have no Tool rest or banjo :( - Advice appreciated!

[K9fish]

Hi all, I am an absolute newbie and so far have only gone as far as to check if my lathe works... I recently bought a Clarke CWL-20RV 900mm reversible head woodlathe https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/wood_lathes/CWL20RV_Wood_Lathe.pdf from a local chap on ebay who was selling it on behalf of his wife. He knows little about them but is clearing out his father-in-laws workshop. I paid £170 after he showed me that it powered up.

I took it home and then stupidly realised that it has no tool rest or the banjo/adjustable bracket that goes with it. The seller searched and found the tool rest but no way of attaching it. I have contacted clarke along with Axminster tools and some other places, so far only axminster relied but maybe I did not make it clear as they referred me to a spare TOOL REST LOCKING HANDLE..

Sorry for the long post but do you think I should
a) ask for a refund (I think he will be reasonable about it as he has already searched for it and been apologetic)
b) He offered a partial refund ..... but the problem is I cannot find a replacement mount apart from generic flat plate bases on aliexpress/amazon/ebay that all look the same and are £35 -£60 with so far 1-3 star reviews (assuming they are the correct size)

Is there a generic one I can use or a part from a modern lathe? I do not dare try and construct something. Is a freestanding one such a thing?

Sorry for the long reply and lack of knowledge

Cheers in advance

 

[Gordon Tarling]

Have you tried Googling for the part numbers that you need? That'd be my first port of call.

 

[Phill05]

Have a look here:

 

[Sideways]

As you've realised, your lathe is a generic Chinese made design.
You will find it for sale under the nu-tool brand and probably others in addition to the Clarke and Perform ( Axminster yellow) branding.
I would be inclined to ask for a refund / return. I'm not a fan of these machines with mechanical variable speed.

 

[K9fish]

Have you tried Googling for the part numbers that you need? That'd be my first port of call.

Hi Gordon thanks for replying, yes I have the manual and have found it online as above too - it has a parts list in it but It is a discontinued model. I am sure one of the new models has similar dimensions for the lathe so it should be interchangeable but am waiting for a reply from Clarke. It is a shame because the original tool rest set up looked more sophisticated/seemed to offer more angles and positions. Cheers. Jack

 

[K9fish]

As you've realised, your lathe is a generic Chinese made design.
You will find it for sale under the nu-tool brand and probably others in addition to the Clarke and Perform ( Axminster yellow) branding.
I would be inclined to ask for a refund / return. I'm not a fan of these machines with mechanical variable speed.

Ok thanks for the advice, I bought it just because I was over eager / keen to get going and experimenting. I moved to a house last year that finally has a workshop and space for all my endeavours. I suppose the fact it was local was a pull factor and I thought £170 a fair price. What should I look for around that price or up to £200 or do I need to prepare to pay more? Thanks for the message, Jack

 

[K9fish]

Have a look here:

View attachment 185584

Thanks yes I sent the part numbers to amxinster and also Clarke, Axminster replied with just a handle at £4.16 and clarke did not reply.

 

[cally60]

if you try the Axminster part and it doesn’t fit they will take it back. They were selling a similar version of this lathe until quite recently. There will be some out there still under warranty.
It will be worth asking about the turning tools, chuck(s) live centres etc etc, as you will soon discover that buying the lathe is just the beginning. It will help if you can pick up some of the items secondhand.
Then there’s sanding, finishing, and of course wood blanks to work on.

 

[K9fish]

if you try the Axminster part and it doesn’t fit they will take it back. They were selling a similar version of this lathe until quite recently. There will be some out there still under warranty.
It will be worth asking about the turning tools, chuck(s) live centres etc etc, as you will soon discover that buying the lathe is just the beginning. It will help if you can pick up some of the items secondhand.
Then there’s sanding, finishing, and of course wood blanks to work on.

Thanks, I will try Axminster again as I discovered through this forum that they are helpful and good customer service. I think perhaps they just understood what I was referring to and thought I just meant one of the smaller lever parts of the banjo - probably my inexperience making it unclear.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

This is pretty much the same lathe but in different livery! https://charnwood.net/product/floorstanding-lathe-12-x-36/

Perhaps Charnwood could supply a spare toolrest.

 

[Blister]

He should offer a full refund as without the missing parts it is not fit for purpose or offer to buy the missing parts if you can find them.

 

[Niall Church]

Hi all, I am an absolute newbie and so far have only gone as far as to check if my lathe works... I recently bought a Clarke CWL-20RV 900mm reversible head woodlathe https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/wood_lathes/CWL20RV_Wood_Lathe.pdf from a local chap on ebay who was selling it on behalf of his wife. He knows little about them but is clearing out his father-in-laws workshop. I paid £170 after he showed me that it powered up.

I took it home and then stupidly realised that it has no tool rest or the banjo/adjustable bracket that goes with it. The seller searched and found the tool rest but no way of attaching it. I have contacted clarke along with Axminster tools and some other places, so far only axminster relied but maybe I did not make it clear as they referred me to a spare TOOL REST LOCKING HANDLE..

Sorry for the long post but do you think I should
a) ask for a refund (I think he will be reasonable about it as he has already searched for it and been apologetic)
b) He offered a partial refund ..... but the problem is I cannot find a replacement mount apart from generic flat plate bases on aliexpress/amazon/ebay that all look the same and are £35 -£60 with so far 1-3 star reviews (assuming they are the correct size)

Is there a generic one I can use or a part from a modern lathe? I do not dare try and construct something. Is a freestanding one such a thing?

Sorry for the long reply and lack of knowledge

Cheers in advance

I'm sure most decent musuc shops could help with a banjo

 

[Richard_C]

I don't recall anyone needing a new Banjo, so maybe there just isn't a market for spares. The most likely way to get one is to buy a whole 'broken' lathe that has failed for some other reason. Return it.

If you are starting out on a budget, chuck, tools, something to sharpen tools, can easily cost far more than a basic lathe. Look around for someone selling up a package deal, your local woodturning club could help.

 

[Trextr7monkey]

£175 is a lot for an incomplete machine. There’s Union Jubilees and even Graduates going for £200 but not necessarily in your immediate locality.
Go along to a wood turning club to get some advice and tips, they are often offered machines from dead people’s estates which might be more useful than impulse buys from small ads!

 

[K9fish]

This is pretty much the same lathe but in different livery! https://charnwood.net/product/floorstanding-lathe-12-x-36/

Perhaps Charnwood could supply a spare toolrest.

Thanks Paul, I have found a Nutool Mc900 with a box of chucks and some chisels for next to no money so I am just going to return it to him and go with that. I will pass all this on to him if it is any help in him selling it or getting a spare to make it saleable. Cheers

 

[K9fish]

He should offer a full refund as without the missing parts it is not fit for purpose or offer to buy the missing parts if you can find them.

Yeah I am gonna get a refund - I just got carried away cos it was local and I wanted to have a go!! Learnt from my mistake

 

[K9fish]

Yes I h

£175 is a lot for an incomplete machine. There’s Union Jubilees and even Graduates going for £200 but not necessarily in your immediate locality.
Go along to a wood turning club to get some advice and tips, they are often offered machines from dead people’s estates which might be more useful than impulse buys from small ads!

Yes I have seen some incredible deals but they have not been at all local or would need a van etc to transport. I have just agreed £50 on a Nutool Mc900 which looks the same, it is local and comes with a box of about 12 chucks and a set of chisels. Not much of a gamble that way. He thinks he has a spare drive belt too which may prove handy. I just got carried away with it being local and assumed it a better deal than a modern £180 brand new lathe without stand. Thanks for your input. I will just use this to scratch the itch and then keep my eyes open for an upgrade.

 

[K9fish]

Oh I forgot to say it has the tool rest and I think a smaller one too - Thanks all!