Newbie needs new lathe

[GarethW]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie to wood turning, living in rural Ireland and want to buy a new lathe on a limited budget. I had a Parkside Lathe for a few weeks, my wife bought it for my 71st birthday, but that gave up the ghost in a couple of weeks). I also have a set of carbide lathe tools and a chuck (1" x 6tpi with 3/4" x 16tpi adapter) and of course the obligatory face shield, so just need to replace the lathe.

My main interest is just a hobby, making small bowls, maybe pens etc so nothing too onerous.

I have narrowed it down to 3 options:
1. Axminster AC240WL for £330 (Axminster Craft AC240WL Woodturning Lathe - 230V)
2. Draper DR60989 for €383 inc shipping (Compact Digital Variable Speed Wood Lathe (550W) - J.L. Bradshaw)
3. Vevor Digital Readout Benchtop Wood Lathe 10in.x18in €309 (VEVOR Digital Readout Benchtop Wood Lathe 10in.x18in. 3"face Plate Live Center Mute | VEVOR EU)

Options 2 and 3 look pretty similar to me and just about everything is now made in China !!
I understand that the best way of doing this is to join a club - there aren't any near me, or to buy second hand, very limited market in Ireland. Being nearly 72, wandering around the country trying to find something is also not an option, so buying new, online is about the only choice. Shipping etc from UK is prohibitive, not to mention import duties etc.
Unfortunately €383 is the very top of my budget (SHMBO would go mental at any more than this so going for Record Power etc. at the Irish prices is not an option).

I would like to do this in the next few days whilst I still have approval !!

Any help would be appreciated.



Gareth

 

[Paul Hannaby]

The Axminster is lower power than the other two and lacks variable speed which the other two both have. That's a feature you will find very useful

I would want to know what the spindle thread on the Vevor lathe was before buying as it would make sense to keep to something that would fit the popular accessories (such as 1" x 8 tpi or 3/4 x 16 tpi). Looking at the woodturning chuck they sell, it appears to be 1"x 8 or M33 so if the lathe was either of those, it should be fine.

The Vevor is 10" swing whereas the Draper is 12". If you are planning on turning bowls, the larger of the two might be the better buy but Vevor also do a 12" lathe for less than the Draper.

The castings on all three look remarkably similar so they could all have come from the same factory!

 

[alex robinson]

I would vote for the biggest diameter possible. 12" rather than 10 makes a big difference for making bowls.

Power is less important - worst case it makes things slower and makes you pay a lot of attention to sharpening! I have made some pretty big bowls (~18") with a 375w machine. You just have to take it easy.

Agree with checking spindle threads. Non standard will be a pain.

 

[GarethW]

Thanks Paul. I've just had yet another look at both the Draper, which has a MT1, 3/4 x 16tpi, which my current chuck has an adapter for. How would the MT1 limit me rather than the MT2 on the Vevor. Unfortunately the Vevor EU site is out of stock of the 12".

Gareth

 

[John Hall]

Have you considered second hand?

 

[conrad]

Hi Gareth
Yeh the Irish peices are a bit stiff.
I have a Record Power DML 305 that I learned to turn on which I have been meaning to put on Ebay. I would be happy to pass on for EUR250.
Its a nice little machine, I used it for a year before I decided to move up to a bigger machine. You will have no problem turning bowls up to 12 inches, green or seasoned.
Unfortunately, I'm in Brittany so it would probably cost another EUR50 in shipping, but being in the EU there should be no porblems with import duties into Ireland.
If your interested let me know.

 

[GarethW]

Hi Gareth
Yeh the Irish peices are a bit stiff.
I have a Record Power DML 305 that I learned to turn on which I have been meaning to put on Ebay. I would be happy to pass on for EUR250.
Its a nice little machine, I used it for a year before I decided to move up to a bigger machine. You will have no problem turning bowls up to 12 inches, green or seasoned.
Unfortunately, I'm in Brittany so it would probably cost another EUR50 in shipping, but being in the EU there should be no porblems with import duties into Ireland.
If your interested let me know.

Thanks for the offer, however I have just ordered the Draper DR60989

 

[Paul Hannaby]

MT1 or MT2 won't really limit you in any significant way other than you would obviously have to buy the right accessories depending which you end up with. One place where it does make a difference is the diameter of the spindle and it's strength (3/4" vs 1" diameter).

 

[TomGW]

If the Draper doesn’t work out for any reason, I’m in Armagh and have a Record DML305 with a Record chuck that has had very little use.

 

[conrad]

Thanks for the offer, however I have just ordered the Draper DR60989

Good luck with that Gareth I hope it works out for you.
Happy turning.

 

[GarethW]

If the Draper doesn’t work out for any reason, I’m in Armagh and have a Record DML305 with a Record chuck that has had very little use.

Hi Tom,
I'm interested as the Draper didn't work out. They had run out of stock and no idea if they would ever get them back.
Can you PM me with the details, price etc.