Charnwood Midi Lathe

[JohnMessUK]

Hi Guys,

I did a search and did not find much on the Charnwood Midi Lathes. The one I am interested is this one http://www.charnwood.net/shop/product/m ... age-deal-1

I currently have a Clarke CWL 1000 which all users should aviod as its damm near impossible to add to, don't get me wrong I have made some nice peices on it but its not variable speed, does'nt have a morse taper or a live center. So for that reason I am looking for a replacment.

First off I went to Axminster but the one I liked and that was in my price range is no longer stocked. The Charnwood comes with variable speed, morse taper, live center and a scroll chuck (maybe not the best but it has one). ALso it seem to take a good bit of accessories which is one on my main complants about the Clarke lathe.

So to my question how do you guys feel about charnwood as a make? having never heard of them or used them I am in the dark.

Personally I like Axminster stuff but could not find what I was looking for (that could be my fault though lol), it was one of there range above hobby that had variable speed but the closest one now is £700 and is a big jump from £350. My original budget was max £500 and I would prefer to buy new.

 

[nicguthrie]

I looked into Charnwood quite a bit, as I was looking for a decent band saw and I liked the look of their W740.

There really does seem to be a bit of a lack of details and reviews of Charnwood stuff out there on the net, but from what I could find, they seem to be decent, though not top quality brand. I found a lot more positive reviews than negative, and any negatives were all about pretty minor things. Having said that, I have never looked up anything about their lathes.

As for Axminster - they have one of the hobby rating for £240 odds with variable speed http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-ah-1218vs-woodturning-lathe-prod890273/
and they used to do the Jet 1220 VS at about £500 which I suspect is the one you were after, it's no longer on their website, but you never know, have you tried contacting them? I know they have more stuff in their catalogue than on the site, and their customer service is exceptional.

I do know that the Jet 1220VS (variable speed version) is an excellent lathe, as it was the one that I intended to buy myself, so I looked into it in depth, however when I went to order it, they were getting rid of the old paint jobbed version of the now £700 1416vs for just a bit more than the 1220vs, so I took the opportunity and got the more expensive one for cheap. I just checked the Jet website, and it's still listed, and Axminster is listed as the only UK dealer, so maybe it's temporarily out of stock?

Sorry I can't be more help, as I'm new to turning myself, but you may want to post in the turning section here too - it's a very active part of the forum.

Nic.

 

[JohnMessUK]

Wow spot on with the lathe from Axminster cheers buddy. I will maybe just have to call them as I thought the price was really good. You have been a great help thanks very much.