Buying Electric Lathe

[woodsi]

Howdy all!

I need some advice about buying a lathe for a friend. I know next to nothing about lathes and am drowing in generalised advice!

So, here's the specifics:

Budget: Less than £200
Use: Hobby- some bowls, candlesticks, maybe a chair
Experience: On friend's lathe, has made bowls, cups etc. Also has pole lathe.

Options:
A second hand Record power DML-24X on Preloved (£75)
The cheapest Axminster Hobby Series Lathe (£189)
A second-hand Record Power Drillmaster DML-24 £120 including assorted extras)
Anything else you recommend!

Questions:
1. Is it worth getting a second hand one? How do you know if they're any good?
2. Have you had any experience with the lathes above? Will they fit the intended use?
3. How much do all the extras cost? Does this make the £120 one a very good deal?
4. Bowls will be the main thing he makes... what are the options for securing? Is a chuck essential? (they seem expensive!)

Thank you for all your help!

 

[heimlaga]

I am not much of a turner but I can give my oppinions but plesae take them for what they are.

Knowing if a lathe is any good is difficult whether it is new or secondhand. A general rule is the more rigid the better. The more cast iron the better. The less plastic the better. An important feature is that that there are many enough speed settings. The lowest has to be low enough which it isn't on many cheap lathes. To produce a good result one has to learn to cut along the grain and that is very difficult at too high speed. Especially on bowls and other large diametre workpieces.

I have a too cheap Taiwaneese lathe which my parents bought new in the 1990-ies. It is not rigid enough and the lowest speed is too high for anything but small diametrte spindle work. The two higher speeds are of no use. I find that lathe very frustrating to use....... it has more or less scared me away from turning.
Buying secondhand means that you have to know what you can repair yourself or have repaired for a reasonable cost. Any reasonably handy person can shift ball bearings and V-belts and such but everyone has his own personal limit depending on skills and the skills of machinist aquintances. I always buy secondhand machinery theese days as I can get a professional quality machine for the cost of a hobby machine. I recently missed a big professional quality Wadkin lathe locally that was sold for 200 euros..... but somebody bought it before I got there......

I hope this helps!

 

[wizard]

look on ebay for a myford ml 8 and when you want to get rid of it brake it for spares and make a profit

 

[woodsi]

An important feature is that that there are many enough speed settings. The lowest has to be low enough which it isn't on many cheap lathes. To produce a good result one has to learn to cut along the grain and that is very difficult at too high speed. Especially on bowls and other large diametre workpieces.

Thanks for that.... the axminster goes down to 760... is that slow enough? It only has a 240mm turning capacity... is that big enough for hobby use?