Hello - First Post and an age old question - which Lathe

[Joelondon]

Good evening all,

I have been a member for a good while, but been a lurker for my duration so far.

I have been turning for a relatively short period on a little mini lathe producing mostly pens and whistles to date (no chucks etc just a mandrel).

So on to my question, which "big" lathe should i get to start out moving onto bowls/vases etc.

now I do archery as my other hobby and work with beginners and know many of the arguements regarding equipment with the two camps -

best you can afford v's the starter option and upgrade later.

so here is my budget and my initial thoughts, then if you guys and girls could advise me of your thoughts, I would really appreciate it.

so I have about £500 for a lathe

would prefer new ( I am not of an engineering mind, and really value the back up of a warranty a store to help me in the event of issues)

I have been looking at the axminster M950 as a choice, but have also thought about the Record CL-3 ( with the option of later upgrading to variable speed with the kit (to turn it effectively into a CL4 as I get Better/if needed).

Are there any others at this price point worth a look into?

the Charnwood W813 looks like a lot of spec, but trawling through the old threads seems to show some concerns.

on the Variable speed function - I have this on my Pen Lathe, but is it really a super bonus, or will the above lathes allow plenty of scope for me to learn, develop and improve.

Thank you once again for any thoughts/comments you add, and look forward to being involved in the forum into the future, I certainly have learnt alot already from reading, I hope one day I can help others too.

all the best

Joe

 

[frugal]

so I have about £500 for a lathe

I have been looking at the axminster M950 as a choice, but have also thought about the Record CL-3 ( with the option of later upgrading to variable speed with the kit (to turn it effectively into a CL4 as I get Better/if needed).

I have recently been making the same choice. The CL4 is discounted for Spring to £699, however if you get to see Record at a show they attend they will usually have an even lower price. The CL4 was only £600 at Yandles recently. More than your £500 price limit I know, but a lot cheaper than spending £350 on the CL3 and then another £400 on the upgrade.

 

[wizer]

Welcome Joe. I think you need to think about this. If you buy a brand new lathe for £500 now, you're not going to get an awful lot for your money. This means that in 2-3yrs you'll be wanting to upgrade again. You already know that you like turning. So why upgrade twice? My opinion is to save for a bit and go for something that you'll be content with for longer.

Oh and you don't have to be an engineer to own a proper old lathe. That's the point.

 

[big soft moose]

My opinion is to save for a bit and go for something that you'll be content with for longer.
.

classic case of do as i say not as i do - how many lathes have you had in the lasdt couple of years tom ,? :tool: :lol:

that said joe , i think tom is right , buy something that you can grow with - and that means either saving up another few hundred notes or going second hand or both

and btw joe you have a pm, re a bargain i spotted on ebay

 

[wizer]

I've had two lathes and both have been of the variety that you would keep until you're heading off to the workshop in the sky and they'd still be going strong. The only reason I upgraded from the WoodFast is that I wanted the swivel head.

Tho I must admit I'm tempted by a VB

 

[gasmansteve]

Hi Joe
Welcome to the forum. Not an instant solution but is there any chance of popping along to a nearby club and checking out the members and what lathes they use?. I had a fair bit of help when starting out from my local club :lol:
Cheers
Steve

 

[cornucopia]

hello and welcome Joe

 

[devonwoody]

I have a second lathe unused by me, a Perform CCL, its the equivilent of my AxminsterM950, ( has a belt changing lever system) It would cost you £50 to buy from me and imo would see you through for a couple of years and then get your money back. PM me if interested.

 

[Blister]

Hi Joe

Welcome to the forum :wink:

My advice is always buy a used lathe , 9 out of 10 times they come with extras , like a chuck maybe some jaws , drive center , revolving center , face plates , maybe if someone is selling up you can also get tools wood sanding sealer

A job lot , you will save £100s

make sure your choice is better quality , not Draper or anything with tin and pressed steel casings , reason for this is , if you decide to sell up or upgrade you will always get your money back :lol:

I see you are just up the road from me as well 8)

do you go to any local turning Clubs ?

Allen

 

[Joelondon]

Wow, great response over night, you guys not sleep well?

Lots to Digest.

some replies to the thoughts so far.

Clubs - no have never made it along to any clubs, to be fair I looked and couldn't work out how the club set up works (none of the clubs websites really outline what happens) do they have loads of lathes setup and then you go through stuff, or do they demo? are they happy with complete beginners with very little tools (only a micro set for pen making).

Wizer - I love turning the pens and creating stuff out of wood, it is truly a stunning material, but I am unsure how I will progress with the other forms, so still think I may be in that beginner loop, with the hope that I stick with it for the rest of my life.

Devon - Thanks for the kind offer, I will have a think about it, but hey shows how great this forum is.

Blister - yep just a couple miles across in Purfleet here.

well I hope there are more comments and I will think carefully, I am not in an impulsive rush on this (first time in my life - I think I must be growing up finally) I have the money put aside and it can sit for a good few months, as I have lots of DIY etc taking up the time at the moment, so maybe the pot can grow a little, but I do think knowledge is power, so to be pre-armed with info for if a deal comes up is great.

all the very best


Joe

 

[wizer]

Fairlop Woodturners has a hands on night twice a month, I think. Plus demos occasionally from pro's. It is run in a school which is funded by Alan Sugar. They have many lathe and lots of facilities. Beginners are very much welcomed (That's how I started). So I'd urge you to go along. It's very cheap to join (free technically).

On the lathe front, I stand by my previous comments. Invest in a good 2nd hand lathe or save for much longer and get a well thought after new lathe

 

[dannykaye]

Welcome

I just did the same exercise and ended up with the big Fox F46-719 with a patriot chuck for about £440. I am really pleased with it and happy with my choice.

However, it came from Poolewood and Terry said they expected a price hike, I looked today and could not find it on their site...

 

[Paul.J]

Hello and welcome Joe
I would definately go for cast,as heavy as possible.
Try to use as many lathes as you can till you find one that suits you best.
A variable speed is nice and a slow speed for those out of balnce pieces you might do one day.

 

[Bodrighy]

Most clubs welcome newbies as far as I know and have lathes available to try. Som, like ours have training nights through the week as well. I'd certainly get into one of you can and / or get alongside someone else who is happy to show you their lathe etc. The more contact you can have with other turners the better IMHO. When I started the only contact I had was the people on this forum and though they were really great it was limited in some ways.

pete

 

[Blister]

Fairlop Woodterners have a meeting ( Hands on ) this Wednesday

5 pm to 9 pm :lol:

 

[big soft moose]

I have a second lathe unused by me, a Perform CCL, its the equivilent of my AxminsterM950, ( has a belt changing lever system) It would cost you £50 to buy from me and imo would see you through for a couple of years and then get your money back. PM me if interested.

i'm not knocking your offer devon but techincally the CCL is the equivalent of the M900 not the M950.

still a decent lathe tho, and you could get more than 50 notes for it on ebay so well done for offering it cheap.

 

[devonwoody]

OK, I've got the M950 axminster and apart from the colour I cannot see any difference in the specification, but I will accept perhaps the CCL is the same as the M900 and my M950 was originally known as M900 (My Axminster is around 13 years old)

 

[big soft moose]

as far as i'm aware the difference is that on the M950 the headstock can be slid along the bed, wheras on the m900 it cant - but the 900 comes with a small outboard turning bedlet

this means that for the adventurous the 950 can be used for bigger dioameter turning (with the headstock rotated) tho really with a 0.5hp motor you shouldnt be doing things that big anway as you can stall the motor (DAMHIKT)

The perform CCL was a clone of the 900 , so presumably its headstock also doesnt slide along the bed.

 

[devonwoody]

BSM your statement doesnt meet the criteria on these two lathes.
My M950 slides along bed Also my M950 turns 180 degrees on the bed .

The CCL I have turns 180 degrees on the bed also has an bed extension on the front end, but the headstock does not slide along the bed, only the tailstock.

 

[big soft moose]

this is a CCL

if you look carefully at the left hand end you can see that the bed stops short of the headstock, meaning that the headstock cannot slide along the bed.

better picture here

this is identical to the m900 which i owned for ten years before i sold it to olly.

The m950 does not have this gap so the headstock can slide along the bed.

all three CCL, M900, and M950 have a rotating headstock

Of course its possible that axminster used to make a perform variant of the m950 , but if they did it isnt a CCL