Which lathe n chisils

[Phil Pascoe]

I suspect many people grind skews or buy one ground too shallow - we tend to look at the bevel as we would look at at the bevel on a bench chisel and think yes, that's about right ........... forgettting the bevel also exists on the other side. We then end up with a bevel of 15° - which so shallow it's near guaranteed to dig and catch.

 

[Richard F]

If your leaning towards bowl turning, a coronet herald is a good lathe.
Small enough for small shop, big enough to handle bowls easily.
I know it's above your budget, but your not likely to outgrow it either.

As they say, you can do small stuff on a big lathe, but you can't do big stuff on a small lathe.

I have a mini size lathe, and stepped up to a coronet within 6 months, as I too enjoy bowl turning.

I kept the midi to do small work, like pens and bottle stoppers, but do that on the coronet now too.
My midi collecting dust now, need to get it sold on here soon.

Thanks for the advice but that coronet herald is well above my price range. I will have to go down the route of start with a cheaper 1 to learn on then upgrade if needed

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

Suggestion.
Stop, think about where you want to go with your wood turning.
If after a week you are climbing the wall waiting, calling me names for making you think about it. Then go for it, whatever you can afford that will do what you want to do.
It’s no good having something sat there which you think
“I suppose I better go use it...”

 

[Richard F]

You can have cheap lathes or quallity lathes but not both. I would prioritise a lathe with a good chuck otherwise you are limited to spindle turning or using a faceplate. Variable speed is nice but not essential - I have used a Tyme Avon for 30 years and it does all I want.
Start with a bowl gauge, a spindle gauge , and a roughing gauge and build up a collection as you go along. You probably know The Carpentry store in Naas for Axminster stuff or try Roynanes in Thurles. Also try done deal although It's rare to get a bargain .

Thanks for that info. I've recently found the Carpentery store via the Axminster site. Would save me the shipping going there to pick up an aw305, don't mind cheaper tools to start especially till I've learnt to sharpen them properly. Do like the thought of a good quality lathe then at least I cant blame the lathe when things go wrong , which I sure they will. Those chucks look very helpful and expensive, The price of starting a new hobby is getting a bit higher than I anticipated which is no surprise!. Do you recone the aw305 is capable of making bowls on, I'm getting the impression that you need more power for bowls than spindles

 

[Diver Fred]

>>Snip<< I'm getting the impression that you need more power for bowls than spindles

You need slow speed for a bowl. You turn anything with a slow speed but large diameter object become both difficult and dangerous with fast turning speeds.

 

[Richard F]

Suggestion.
Stop, think about where you want to go with your wood turning.
If after a week you are climbing the wall waiting, calling me names for making you think about it. Then go for it, whatever you can afford that will do what you want to do.
It’s no good having something sat there which you think
“I suppose I better go use it...”

Yes, thank you, good advice, I won't be buying anything till I get home from my hols on 12th January so I have plenty of time to take on board the advice I've been given on UKW, it would be easy to get carried away and spend loads of money, I do enjoy buying nice tools, but for a just a hobby Imust stay within my budget, Thanks

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I have an Axminster aw305 and an even smaller Axminster from 1992
I do bowls on both.
The 305 I will be doing a 11 inch bowl (as soon I have cleared this chest infection) which is near the limit size wise for the 305
The older lathe is pulley system so limited speed options
The 305 has variable speed
Really think about protecting your self, dust mask, face/eye protection, ears

 

[Richard F]

You need slow speed for a bowl. You turn anything with a slow speed but large diameter object become both difficult and dangerous with fast turning speed

I have an Axminster aw305 and an even smaller Axminster from 1992
I do bowls on both.
The 305 I will be doing a 11 inch bowl (as soon I have cleared this chest infection) which is near the limit size wise for the 305
The older lathe is pulley system so limited speed options
The 305 has variable speed
Really think about protecting your self, dust mask, face/eye protection, ears

That's good to hear someone say 11inch bowls on a aw305. Does look like that's the lathe I'm likely to buy, My lungs are bad from years of Stone and concrete dust,l and I won't even mention the tinnitus from not wearing ear protection, so now I where all the PPE Hope your chest infection clears up soon.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A few points. Just because a lathe will cope with a certain size blank doesn't mean it's ideal or will do it all day long - it's common in advertising to say x" over bed, then lead you to believe it's capable (specially on cheap lathes) of doing it successfully. It's just like the advertising for bandsaws that have a certain depth under the guides - it doesn't necessarily mean you'll cut that thickness of timber.

The power and speed needed is determined by the diameter of the work - low torque, high speed is great for a pen blank, but not for a 30kg bowl blank. As said before, you can turn small stuff on a large lathe but not the converse - if you have the space, go large.

The cost of the lathe is less that the ultimate cost of the ancillaries - I have more than a thousand quid's worth of chucks, jaws and centres, several hundred quid's worth of grinders and jigs and a couple of hundred quid's worth of abrasives and accessories. I haven't even started on tools, and if I actually priced the stuff if would be more than this conservative estimate. Most of this isn't necessary to start with, but don't think you won't end up spending a lot.

If you can find a club, do so - besides gaining knowledge you might pick up a decent lathe a tools for a fair price - people trade up and down. Buy the Rowley book.

 

[William2020]

Thanks that is all very interesting and helpfull, so are you saying that if I want to turn bowls I need a more powerfull lathe, and the aw 305 is more suitable for that. At the mo I'm more interested in bowl turning. The idea of handles is very useful to me due to the lack of bench space I have, shame it doesn't come with a stand.

The motor on the AW305 is similarly powered (500w) as the Lumberjack, though the 305 advertises a wider range of speeds. Both will turn bowls but you’re limited to the height over the bed, which for both these two lathes is 12 inches. Bear in mind, this is a maximum - I found up to about 9.5-10 inches was manageable on mine.
Of course, I eventually found myself wanting to turn bigger things so ended up getting a bigger second hand (Axminster) lathe. As others have said, you can turn big or small on a big lathe, but not the other way around. Appreciate there are budget constraints, especially if you’re buying tools/chucks/etc.
Secondhand lathes can offer some good value here. There are lots of views on this. I ended up getting the bigger Perform version (CCL) version before getting an equivalent Axminster branded floor standing version which happened to come with lots of extras.
SIP seem to have the same lathe for sale new for around £600. I’ve not kept up with all the Axminster variations - I think the M900 became the AVSL1000, but you’ll also see Charnwood 813, Draper WTL95, Clarke Woodworker, to name but few.
I’d love an old Myford, but that’ll have to wait until I have a bigger workshop…
Best of luck with it!

 

[Richard F]

A few points. Just because a lathe will cope with a certain size blank doesn't mean it's ideal or will do it all day long - it's common in advertising to say x" over bed, then lead you to believe it's capable (specially on cheap lathes) of doing it successfully. It's just like the advertising for bandsaws that have a certain depth under the guides - it doesn't necessarily mean you'll cut that thickness of timber.

The power and speed needed is determined by the diameter of the work - low torque, high speed is great for a pen blank, but not for a 30kg bowl blank. As said before, you can turn small stuff on a large lathe but not the converse - if you have the space, go large.

The cost of the lathe is less that the ultimate cost of the ancillaries - I have more than a thousand quid's worth of chucks, jaws and centres, several hundred quid's worth of grinders and jigs and a couple of hundred quid's worth of abrasives and accessories. I haven't even started on tools, and if I actually priced the stuff if would be more than this conservative estimate. Most of this isn't necessary to start with, but don't think you won't end up spending a lot.

If you can find a club, do so - besides gaining knowledge you might pick up a decent lathe a tools for a fair price - people trade up and down. Buy the Rowley book.

Thanks for that info, And I intend to buy that book

 

[Robbo3]

You need slow speed for a bowl. You turn anything with a slow speed but large diameter object become both difficult and dangerous with fast turning speeds.

Nope. Speed is your friend. You turn at the fastest safe speed you feel comfortable with.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

If the lathe is bouncing, the speed is to high.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

or the lathe needs bolting/weighting down.