Introduction

[AWG]

Hi there I am new to this forum, so be gentle

I have always been keen to take up wood turning ever since trying it for the first time at school. Living in a flat has obviously posed the issue of space so never really considered it a viable option but we are due to move into our house in the next two weeks so am finally looking into getting my first lathe!

Having been a member of a few enthusiast forums in the past I have learnt to do a bit of research prior to 'bowling in' asking for advice. So the last couple of months have been spent reading through Woodturning magazine and popping to the Axminster store, trailing through Ebay etc and more recently using the search facility on this forum for the age old question 'Which lathe...?'

I notice a few names cropping up each time, Jet, Record, Axminster in the new category and the Myford ML8 & the Union Jubilee in the second hand category.

Budget...? Not massive I'm afraid, £500 (top end) for the lathe.

What would I like to turn...? I am really keen to try my hand at making some furniture. My main goals are an oak kitchen table and a cot (not yet though :wink: ) So more spindles than bowls although obviously would not rule bowl work out so one with a rotating head stock would be great.

After looking at the Axminster AWVSL 1000 in store I was quite impressed at first given the reduced price of £349 but was advised the motor may not be up to turning oak spindles. I hear variable speeds are better and see a lot that offer 500 - 2000 RPM, is this standard?

I would appreciate people's opinions on a suitable lathe, can be new or second hand?

Thanks for your time!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Welcome. Start at the beginning, buy Keith Rowley - A Foundation Course. You can get it used on Amazon or Waterstones Marketplace. Join a club if you possibly can. It will give you an opportunity to try different lathes, chucks and tools and you will have experienced turners around you to ask advice, get tuition from and watch in action. When you have a little experience your thoughts on what to buy may well change. You might even be lucky and pick up something worthwhile from another member. This advice is rather hackneyed, but several more people after me will repeat it.
Phil.

 

[timber]

Hi Andrew
My first lathe cost £60 and I had a new spindle made for it for another few quid. I also bought a Trend router lathe and when I built my house, the gallery and stairs needed spindles, I made about 200 of them. When I moved everything was sold and I started building my equipment up again.
I have three wood lathes two of which are for sale The latest two items that I have bought are another Router lathe and a Record CL4 lathe. Great fun on the router lathe, but a bit of a fiddle to set up.
If you can P.M me do so. I do know where another router lathe is for sale.
Regards
Timber

 

[Rhossydd]

Hi AWG,

It sounds like you've done a sensible amount of research.
If you're prepared to consider a secondhand lathe with £500 available, the world really is your oyster. Making recommendations is almost impossible for that, so much depends on what is offered and is viable to transport and site at home.
I'd add that if you're unsure of a lathe ask here and you'll get a quick evaluation.

I hear variable speeds are better and see a lot that offer 500 - 2000 RPM, is this standard?

It's not universal. Everyone that uses fully adjustable speed lathes say they wouldn't move back to a fixed set of speeds, but don't let that put you off an older lathe that's at a good price. A range of four fixed speeds is perfectly usable, especially for spindle work.

 

[AWG]

Thanks guys, really appreciate it.

Timber, router lathes are news to me! Shall investigate further.

Am I being realistic thinking its possible to turn an oak spindle on something of this budget, i.e. 29 inch table leg?

 

[Rhossydd]

Am I being realistic thinking its possible to turn an oak spindle on something of this budget, i.e. 29 inch table leg?

I would have thought so, but it will depend on just how big the blank is. A three foot long 6" square blank will need a fair bit of power to spin up, but once at speed it will have a good amount of momentum and shouldn't be a major problem if you keep your cuts lights. Smaller sizes will be progressively easier. This assumes the blank is centred and reasonably well balanced. Turning off centre big bits isn't really recommended for novices ;-)

I'd suggest a lot of practice on shorter pieces before wading into big expensive bits of oak though.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Spindle turning is the least demanding on lathe power - it takes much less effort to turn a six inch spindle than it does to turn a six inch bowl.

All lathes with a bed length capable of accepting a 29" blank will be easily capable of turning a 6" spindle with sharp tooling and acceptable technique.

If you have £500 to spend you are 'spoilt for choice', in fact I think there is a converted CL3 advertised on here that will more than suit your requirements.

Don't get hung up on power and size - it's really down to sharpening and technique :wink:

Regards Mick

 

[Robbo3]

In addition to the good advice already offered don't get electronic variable speed mixed up with those machines with 10 speeds which are often called variable speed. Nothing wrong with them but they are 10 set speeds - genuine variable speeds generally have a greater range.

 

[AWG]

Thanks Robbo, I noticed this on the Record CL4 upgrade that SPINDLE mentioned above. Assume you can fine tune the dial to gradually bring the speed up opposed to set speeds of 400,600,800 etc...?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, they are truly variable. An odd thing with an infinitely variable control is that you can put something on that is way out of balance at 400 rpm but in balance at 350rpm ... and 430rpm. Take a cut or two and it may be in balance at 475rpm ... or maybe 610rpm. (figures for example only, of course). You can tweak it slowly - and believe me if you have something on your lathe that is frightening the crepe out of you, it's great. You will never, ever go back to a fixed speed lathe.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Hi AWG and welcome to the forum. If you fancy a trip from Essex to a little village near Reading I have both a RECORD power CL4 and a Woodfast lathe which is the equivalent to what RP now market as the Maxi 1. You can try them both in the flesh. Might even make you a coffee if you supply the hob nobs!

Personally, I highly recommend variable speed. Were I to go back to fixed pulley lathes now I think I would have gouged my own eyes out within 30 minutes of turning. The advantages of tweak able speed changes without the faff of having to change pulley belts should not be underestimated

My personal recommendation would be the CL4. It's a great all rounder

 

[woodpig]

First things first, where is you new "toy" going to be located/used?

 

[Spindle]

Hi

With regard to a kitchen table leg - I would say the blank would be in the region of four inches. Oak is not a difficult wood to turn, it just involves more visits to the sharpener than when using the likes of ash or elm :wink:

Regards Mick

 

[graduate_owner]

If you have a £500 budget, don't forget to allow for the little extras. I paid £160 for an Axminster evolution chuck and £75 for a set of O,'Donnell jaws. They are even more expensive now, I think the chuck is £180. So things like these will soon eat into your budget. Then you will need turning tools and a means of sharpening them. Of course you don't have to invest in a chuck, especially for spindle turning but just be aware of the cost of such extras.
So the main point I want to make is - if you get the chance to buy a lathe with some kit included then don't dismiss out of hand the added value of the kit - chucks etc can soon mount up to more than the cost of the lathe. (As in, I paid £150 for a Union Graduate bowl lathe, and £235 for chuck and jaws).

Just something for you to think about.

K

 

[AWG]

Bob

Thanks for the kind offer, I'm just going through our biscuit cupboard and will be in touch!


Woodpig,

The lathe will likely be housed in the garage


Spindle,

Mick, thanks for putting my mind at rest on that question.


Graduate_owner

Indeed, I gather this can be an expensive hobby! Some of the second hand models I've seen for sale have a chuck or two and tools included. My problem (being so new to this skill) is understanding what ancillaries are credible and what are poor quality, as well as whether I need them at all.


Guys, thanks for your help on this. I can see I'm going to get a lot of worth while information on this forum.

 

[woodpig]

The Record power starter kit seems pretty good to me - parting tool, roughing gouge, spindle gouge and bowl gouge. I'd just add a round nose scraper and a radiused 3/4" skew.

Think about adding some insulation to that garage if you can. I've worked in two garages in the past and trying to stop stuff going rusty can be a trial!

Budget for a sharpening system, you don't have a choice, you have to have sharp tools!

 

[AWG]

Right, I may be considering the Record CL4. One thing I am learning about wood lathes is that they appear to hold their value quite well if looked after. I have been reading up on this model and the variable speed sounds appealing. Having read up on some of the cheaper models my thoughts were swayed a little when reading peoples reviews on bearings failing due to weight applied near the head stock. Not sure if this is a common issue or just one found on lathes with cheaper bearings.

woodpig, thanks for your contribution regarding the tool sharpening. Am I to assume a simple 6inch bench grinder would suffice?

 

[timber]

Right, I may be considering the Record CL4. One thing I am learning about wood lathes is that they appear to hold their value quite well if looked after. I have been reading up on this model and the variable speed sounds appealing. Having read up on some of the cheaper models my thoughts were swayed a little when reading peoples reviews on bearings failing due to weight applied near the head stock. Not sure if this is a common issue or just one found on lathes with cheaper bearings.

woodpig, thanks for your contribution regarding the tool sharpening. Am I to assume a simple 6inch bench grinder would suffice?

Sharpening
One of my lathes has a 6 inch disc made out of a bit of melamine faced chip board fastened to a left hand threaded cheap face plate. great for touching up the chisels saves starting the grinder up at present faced with 1200 wet and dry
Timber

 

[AWG]

Update, just booked some tuition with Chris Child this will hopefully give me the basics. Possibility the lathe may be coming inside the house now instead of the garage so will look at getting an extractor too.

Missed out on two CL4's this week, like hens teeth it would seem.

 

[Rhossydd]

just booked some tuition with Chris Child this will hopefully give me the basics.

I'm sure it will. My wife and I did a course with Chris very many years ago and learnt a huge amount in a short time.
I also remember a good lunch at the local preserved railway