Beginners wood lathe - need a chuck?

[Alexfn]

im 33 and have been woodturning since i was 14, i learned at school when a teacher noticed i had a keen interest and encouraged me to use the lathe as much as i wanted, shortly afterwards my uncle loaned me a lathe, as it happens it was the one in the second link the nutool.. , all i can say is it set my turning back by about a year, instead of learning to turn i learned to make up for the deficiencies of what is a terrible machine, i would not pay tuppence for it

that record lathe is a nice machine to learn on, and no you do not need a chuck at all you could easily spend a year or more turning and getting the basics right before you move on to use a chuck, its more important to learn how to sharpen your chisels correctly and spend some money on a whetstone grinder to do that,

start off with small bits of wood and turn between centres before you move onto doing bowls and the like, and again start small and learn to get the balance of the wood right.. finally always make sure to start the machine in its lowest speed and stand to the side of it when you do....and wear eye or preferably full face protection


cheers

 

[technium]

Thanks Alex for the advice. Never thought about the tool sharpening side. Ive been watching a few videos and Ive got my book on the way. I think for now I will skip the Record Lathe and buy one closer to the time unless I find a real bargain online.

 

[Rhossydd]

spend some money on a whetstone grinder to do that

Not a widely given piece of advice in woodturning circles.
Sharpening is certainly vitally important, but whetstone grinders are slow and expensive. Most of us start with an ordinary dry grinder with a decent wheel on (white or ruby), possible making or buying some jigs to make things easier.
Beyond that CBN wheels are liked, as is the Sorby Pro Edge linisher, but only a few bother with the whetstone systems like the Tormek/Jet/Record.

Ask in the woodturning forum here and you'll get plenty of good advice.

 

[Distinterior]

When your Keith Rowley book arrives and you start reading it, you will see a chapter on sharpening the tools quite early in the book.
He shows how to make a simple wooden jig/rest for sharpening your chisels with a bench grinder. I made one and still use it today.

Read the book cover to cover, you will then have a much better idea of how to proceed and the type of lathe that is going to suit your requirements.

There are a lot of really experienced, talented wood turners on this forum who are always willing to offer advice and knowledge, they will be glad to help you out when the time comes. ( I'm not one of them by the way.......!!!!)

 

[Alexfn]

I know its not widely given advise just mine. I used a grinder for years but if you can afford it then its worth going straight to the whetstone. If you can afford a chuck then you can afford a whetstone.

It also doesnt have to be a tormek with all the jigs. I dont even rate the tormek/ record jigs for sharpening turning tools.

I have a tormek and a cheap standard whetstone grinder, the type that goes for 40 quid often. Have the tru grind system set up to run on the cheap one..

Remember a standard grinder will not give you the same edge and it will take the temper from it.


(i bought the tru grind about 15 years ago not sure its sold any more but sure there must be others)

Cheers

 

[Rhossydd]

I know its not widely given advise just mine. I used a grinder for years but if you can afford it then its worth going straight to the whetstone.

I tried that and found the results so painfully slow I gave up. It sits on a shelf unused.

it will take the temper from it.

Not really an issue for modern HSS turning tools.
Whether the finer edge produced is worth the long wait is debatable. Th Sorby can give even finer grinds if you use the right belt, but I've rarely found it much of an improvement in most day to day use.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You can often get by with a piece of abrasive paper stuck to a faceplate or a wooden disc on a faceplate. A whet stone would be OK for skews - but for little else, I'd have thought. And yes, I have one. I use a disc of MDF hot melt glued to a faceplate - when you tear the paper off, skim it flat, sand it and glue another paper. Lasts for ages. Good for the plane irons and the faces of chisels as well. Costs pence.

 

[technium]

Thanks guys for your responses. As I dont even have a workshop built yet then I am a little ahead of the game but as I thought the lathe was local and I may have picked it up cheapish then asked about buying it ahead of time. Honestly im not trying to rush things so will leave the lathe unless I spot a bargain but will do some research aswell.

thanks again.

 

[BearTricks]

I have the Record CL3. I bought it second hand for £400 with a chuck, a set of tools and a few more accessories like the attachment that holds a drill bit (drawing a blank on the name) and a few good quality face plates.

I bought the Record SC4 chuck later new. I don't really use it enough to justify the price. In fact I don't really like using a chuck but then I do find pretty much every method of chucking a bowl to be a pain in the buttocks.

In retrospect, I could have got the lot for a bit cheaper if I had been a bit more patient. You can get some serious bargains on ebay.

 

[technium]

Well guys I never got to bid on the Record Lathe as we had an emergency and had to drive from Weymouth to Cardiff Hospital. Luckily the seller who I had asked some questions, contacted me to say it hadnt sold and is re listed but they also have a Clarke 37" Woodworker Lathe with no tools for abit more. Any thoughts on the Clarke over the Record Lathe?

thanks

Colin

 

[CHJ]

Don't, Think Travant versus Ford.

 

[BearTricks]

I got a Clarke chuck thrown in with the lathe I bought. The chap included it because he just wanted rid of it but stressed that it wasn't worth using. Against his advice, I actually tried to use it and I really can't exaggerate how badly made the thing is. I struggle to understand how it passed any health and safety standards at all. I would sell it on but I'm worried I might become inadvertently responsible for injuring someone.

Based on that one product alone, I'd probably never buy anything by Clarke again.

 

[Distinterior]

A good few years ago when I first started Turning, I needed to turn something as a favour to someone and it needed to be done straight away. The favour meant I needed a 6" faceplate, and the only place i would be able to get one that late on a Saturday afternoon was Machine Mart (Clarke).

I drove down and picked it up, took it home and fitted it on the lathe to find that the runout of the face nearest the edge was a good 4mm.......totally useless!!!!

I've never bought another Clarke item since.

 

[technium]

Great some good reviews there (well bad) but that helps.

cheers

Colin

 

[technium]

ok guys ive managed to purchase the Record lathe that was local, the seller never sold it again on ebay so I contacted him and got it for what I think is a good price and will be collecting on Sunday. As mentioned earlier it comes with some tools but not sure if theyre good enough to start with, will post a make when I get them Sunday. Also what sort of brand / make should I look out for with tools that would keep me going for awhile?

One final question, with the Record DML 24 can I buy chucks for it and extras or not? If so what should I start looking out for. It doesnt matter now but just wondered as it seems quite a popular brand.

Now I just need to find some wood to work on......

thanks

Colin

 

[technium]

OK managed to pick up the DML24X today and seems a good and damn heavy machine. Ive already had abit of a play with it which was good.

Again does anyone know about chucks for the Record? but I have managed to get a copy of the manual from a member on here.

The tools it came with seem ok to practice with, how can I sharpen them, especially the Gauge?

When I visited the guy he also had a Dewalt Bandsaw BS1030 for sale and I knocked off £25 from his price and purchased that but no manual so does anyone have a copy of the manual for that bandsaw?

thanks again

 

[technium]

Have I upset everyone here?

 

[scosteve]

No need to worry someone will be along at some point, I'm sure
Only here myself as on hols

Could try a search for manual on here as likely already be here, or a link. Also try for elu band saw info.

As for lathe (hard to answer) you may already have everything you'll ever need it for, no point in buying stuff for it that would never use.
According to my digital offspring books are dead but I recommend you pick some up or download even
Obviously have to be able to sharping your lathe tools, of which there are too many.

G luck

 

[technium]

Our local facebook had a Axminster Lathe going for £40 so I picked that up so my next question is, are all lathes both metal and wood compatible and if not then can I convert one to a metal one? thanks Colin