newbie wants advice on what lathe

[breezey]

hi all,
im a builder but always enjoyed the carpentry side more than the rest, now looking for a lathe for the workshop, my main interest at the moment is bowls and platters, so want something suitable for these, considered a record cl1 or 3 but bought a bs300 bandsaw in dec' ok but quality not as it used to be from record and heard a few others complained, for £300 - £400 should i buy a 2nd hand myford L8, union graduate, teknatool nova3000 or similar or buy new. HELP im not doing any turning but still going round in ever decreasing circles.

 

[Losos]

Welcome to the forum Breezy

I do a bit of turning but I'm not experienced to give you a definitive answer. There's plenty on here that are & I'm sure they'll be along in a minute. There's also a specific 'Turning' forum on here.

Yhe AWGB (Association of woodturners of Great Britain) are very friendly and helpful also. If you have time look them up on Google.

 

[Argee]

Welcome along, breezey!

Lathes are a bit like cameras, there's a lot of very personal opinions on them, much of it related to very personal preferences and experiences.

I'd consider the following specification to be fairly "future-proof":

Variable-speed motor of at least 1HP
The variable speed is very useful for "tuning out" imbalance in a workpiece, as well as simply varying the rotational speed. I prefer the motor to drive the headstock via three pulleys - this tends to deliver more torque than a direct drive VS motor and has other advantages too.

Distance between headstock and tailstock of around 40"
This will allow you to cope with ballusters, etc. It's possible to get a shorter lathe that accepts bed extensions, so that you could literally "grow into" it if you felt that this was a bit on the large side to start with.

Swivelling headstock
This allows larger objects to be turned by moving the headstock perpendicular (or at the required angle) to the bed. You will otherwise be limited to the swing of the lathe (see below) for bowls, etc. Swivelling headstocks also allow for more comfortable turning, as you don't need to reach over the bed, but can have the piece facing you.

Swing (twice the distance of center of headstock to lathe bed) of at least 16"
This means that you can turn objects close to 16" diameter without swiveling the headstock, although a swiveling headstock is preferred (see above).

Lathe beds tend to be either cast or tubular - twin tubes are essential if that style is chosen. I could not recommend a single-tube lathe (from bitter experience!). If cast (my preference), ensure that the locking mechanism in both the headstock and tailstock are up to the job - vital for safe operation, but often where money is saved during construction.

There are many skillful and experienced turners on this Forum and they'll be along soon with their comments and recommendations.

I was fortunate enough to go straight from a really POS single-tube to a top-of-the-line variable speed Hegner, so I've no long-term, relevant experience of other makes. Still, I hope that somewhere in these ramblings, you can find something useful.

Ray.

 

[Russell]

Selecting a lathe is difficult if your new to turning I have a Nova DVR a fantastic lathe but not suitable for long spindles unless you extend it. Selection of the wrong lathe may limit what you want to do in the future. My advice is find your local woodturning club and talk to the members see what they have and maybe get to try some lathes. IMO variable speed is brilliant and would not be with out it and from what I know now if the lathe is less than £300 new I wouldn't bother aI would save and spend later. There are how ever some fantastic second hand lathes a good prices if you look around you can pick up a gem.

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Breezey.Welcome.
Can't really help as i'm a newbie,but would suggest to try and have a look at as many models (lathe models that is) as you can. :wink:
I bought the Perform lathe from Axminster.I had the DML 24 before but found it awkward to use.Although the Perform is a cheap lathe it is a lot better than the Record to use.
Depends how serious you're going to take it i suppose.
Paul.J.

 

[Mark Hancock]

hi all,
considered a record cl1 or 3 but bought a bs300 bandsaw in dec' ok but quality not as it used to be from record and heard a few others complained, for £300 - £400 should i buy a 2nd hand myford L8, union graduate, teknatool nova3000 or similar or buy new. quote]
Hi Breezey

If you can get a Union Graduate for £300 - £400 I'd go for that provided it's one with a bed and not the short bed version or dedicated bowl version as the footprint on these is a bit small particularly if you have an out of balance piece to turn. They are good solid floor standing lathes of cast construction. I believe spares are readily available (check out this site http://www.lathes.co.uk) and at a later date you should be able to convert it to variable speed. The only drawbacks are that you may find it a bit low as it was originally designed for use in schools (hence the name) but you can easily raise it and it's inboard and outboard turning rather than a swivelling headstock.

Don't know a lot about the ML8 except that it's a bench mounted lathe and had a good reputation in it's day. Maybe a bit dated now. Never used a Nova 3000 but have worked on the newer Nova DVR which I was pleasantly impressed by now that they're sorted out the electronics though the distance between centres is relatively small without the bed extension.

I'd have to agree re the Record CL3. The last time I used one I nearly cut my hand to shreds when changing the speed as the headstock casting was so bad on the inside. It's a shame really as I have the original Coronet No3 which is the same lathe but produced to a much better standard. It's the first lathe I bought and still going strong though I am considering selling it now to free up space in the workshop for another lathe.

 

[NickWelford]

Hi Breezy. It's always a good idea to put your location in your profile, as one of us local to you will possibly invite you round to try one of the many different lathes we seem to own between us.

I'd recommend going for a good make secondhand - they last for a good many years if looked after properly and you can get a bargain. Try Ebay, but don't go overboard - those here will give good advice.
Oh - and variable speed is a must for me.

 

[wood yew believe it !]

am relativly new to turning too, but i got hold of a record cl3 an old one , at least 12 yrs, and it has been fantastic, though variable speed would b nice i suppose, havnt got it so dont realy miss it, though if you do pick a lathe with a drive belt config that may have to b changed in the future look to see how easy this would b to do as some are easy-peasy, and some require things like taking out bearings etc, not so easy, as others have said, try and get "hands on" of a few to see what your preferance is at a local club, good luck and enjoy!!

 

[ike]

Likewise I bought a secondhand CL3 (48") and am really delighted with it. Turning is still very new to me and I haven't had much opportunity to practise so far, so I can't say how well this particular lathe compares with others. Speed change looks a PITA but otherwise solidly designed.

Ike

 

[Losos]

Hi Ray,
Thanks for those points, I am thinking of upgrading this year so will bear them in mind. I have a really POS type (Worked out that one all by myself :lol: )

It is a twin tube 'clone' - I would suggest Breezy gets something at least one rung up from these cheapies, 'tho I have done more than I originally planned with mine and learned a fair bit as well.