Another beginner. Which of these lathes is my best option?

[BearTricks]

Hi,

I've been doing some woodworking recently and am heading more in the direction of turning because I want to make some bowls, candlesticks etc as well as turning some replacement legs for some furniture. Bowls will probably be about 12" max diameter. Wouldn't mind turning some deeper vase type things. Not so much spindle work, but when I do it'll probably only be between 6" and 8" stuff. I had about £300 to spend, but my girlfriend also wanted a new sewing machine at the same time. Lucky for me, her friend just decided to give one away, so I now have an extra £200 or so to spend on top of that. I have found a few guys willing to sell through my local woodturning club and through some woodworking friends.

I have an empty shed, approximately 5 x 7 feet, where I want to do most of my turning. Not huge, but it has served me well so far for small jobs.

So far I have registered my interest for a second hand Coronet Elf. Price isn't determined yet but it looks like he's wanting £200 at least but preferably a bit more. There's some slight rust on the outside of it, and I'm not sure how much I should be worried about that.

There's also a Record CL3 with a large amount of tools, chucks etc. This gentleman wants around £400 but I think he has a fair amount of interest so I might have to offer a bit more.

A Coronet No 3 that I don't know too much about aside that it's in good condition and he was planning on sticking it on ebay for around £200.

Finally there's one for sale that no one seems to be certain on who the manufacturer is. The label has been removed, all that's known about it is that it's a 5 speed. I've seen a photo, it looks like it's fairly old. Maybe 60s. It's an olive green in colour. The owner died and his family is selling some of his stuff. Not sure whether to risk this one.

Edit: The above lathe is 37"

Alternatively I could buy new, but I think my options are pretty good here.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[finneyb]

Olive green? Is that a Hegner lathe anyone? http://www.hegner.co.uk/products.html

Brian

 

[Dalboy]

CL3 looks a good deal for that price especially as it has tools and chuck But that does depend on make of them and type of chuck. I have a CL3 and am very pleased with it

 

[yorkshirepudding]

Another vote in favour of the CL3. Bomb proof. It can also be brought up to CL4 spec should you decide to continue turning.

 

[BearTricks]

Okay the Coronet No. 3 is gone.

The chuck on the CL3 is a piece of junk apparently. I don't mind paying a bit extra for a new one. That's the one I'm leaning towards.

As for the olive green model: it doesn't look like a Hegner. It looks like it could have been a darker shade of green in the past and the paint has faded over time.

 

[marcros]

Make sure that you leave some money for a sharpening system, whatever it may be.

You will turn items on a poor quality lathe with sharp tools. You can't on the best lathe with blunt tools.

 

[PingPongDave]

I'm a real novice and not really qualified to advise you but I've just bought a Myford ML8 for £50 and am really pleased with it, it was definitely built in an era when things were made to last it seems!

 

[petercharlesfagg]

The CL3 is a wonderful piece of equipment but like any other lathe you need to take time to learn the vagaries of using it!

A good chuck is an essential as is some means of sharpening your tools so like others have pointed out leave something in the coffers!

I wish I had bought a CL3 initially instead of mucking about with an inferior product but then my purse strings weren't long enough!

CL3 IDEAL starter and IDEAL lathe for the serious turner, my own has been serving my whims for over 20 years!

Peter.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I would yes and the CL3 with variable speed...oh that's the CL4 then

 

[fraggleexport]

Yup...agree with one of the posters above....dont throw all your money at a lathe and leave peanuts for the tools or the grinder. Its all very well saying you'll get around to the sharpening system but from experience you do a few pieces with blunt or inferior tooling and your mojo disappears...
I bought a SIP midi lathe b4 christmas that can handle 12" with variable speed and am happy with it for the while. What I also needed (wanted) then was the chuck/ face mask/ grinder/ grinder attachment/ tools/ dust extractor.......it aint a cheap game to get into. Im not saying you need it all, but the lathe is only part of the bigger picture.

Kevin

 

[BearTricks]

Yup...agree with one of the posters above....dont throw all your money at a lathe and leave peanuts for the tools or the grinder. Its all very well saying you'll get around to the sharpening system but from experience you do a few pieces with blunt or inferior tooling and your mojo disappears...
I bought a SIP midi lathe b4 christmas that can handle 12" with variable speed and am happy with it for the while. What I also needed (wanted) then was the chuck/ face mask/ grinder/ grinder attachment/ tools/ dust extractor.......it aint a cheap game to get into. Im not saying you need it all, but the lathe is only part of the bigger picture.

Kevin

I'm leaving money aside for the sharpening system and the dust extraction stuff. I'll be working mostly in my shed with decent ventilation over the summer, and I'll be doing some turning in the yard when the weather's nice but I'm thinking of splashing out on one of the battery powered face masks so I'm not cranking up the electricity bill by having another machine running constantly.

I have a bunch of chisels at the moment and I've been picking up good quality second hand ones on ebay for pennies but most of the lathes I'm looking at are being sold with some extras so I should be ok.

A bandsaw will be my next big expense. Until then I'll make do with handtools to cut my blanks.

 

[BearTricks]

Sorry for the double post, but I am now the proud owner of a Record CL3 Lathe. Collecting it at some point this week.

Quick question. Am I going to need to show up with someone else to help me move it? I'm not exactly the typical burly woodworker. Also, will it fit in the back of a 3 door car with the back seats down?

 

[Castanea]

Well done! The lathe will disassemble into manageable parts. The motor and headstock assembly is fairly chunky and awkward but not ridiculously heavy. Sounds like you've got a decent deal there - enjoy

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

The record lathes are easy to tear down and re-assemble. Stick a 13mm, 15mm and 17mm spanner (or a shifter) in your pocket and those should more than cover your needs.
Take a digital camera or mobile with camera, and snap a few foties before you take it apart. Those will help when you come to put humpty back together again.
It will easily fit in your 3-door hatch-back, but the bars may need to slide down into the passenger foot-well in order to fit in properly.
The headstock end you may feel is a 2 person lift. I believe the documentation advises it as such. Other than that, it is all fairly manageable for the average woodworker. The average woodworker in my experience being somewhere between Henry the mild mannered janitor and Frank Spencer.

Good luck with the lathe, and I hope you take to the Record brand. There are many proponents of the brand on here.