Colchester lathe - for woodturning?

[Austinisgreat]

Hi Chaps and chapesses,

My first post in the turning fraternity although I have lurked and admired here for a while.

Long story short. Father bought an early Colchester Student metalworking lathe when he retired and its been in his barn for the last ten or so years working perfectly well on his inverter (3 phase working on 240v a/c).

I see from a search of Users' lathes that no-one on here uses a Colchester for woodturning.

Now, parents are downsizing and moving. Therefore Colchester available. I and SWMBO also moving shortly. Yet to go on the market. Complicated but not needed here.

Question. Should I buy dad's lathe (and store it somewhere) or let it go and buy a dedicated woodworking lathe when I know what space Ive got in our new space?

Sorry if its a silly query. I want to be able to turn spindles, bowls, other decorative stuff,

Cheers

Andrew

 

[RogerP]

If the price is right buy it. It won't be much use for woodworking (except pens maybe).

Some while back I acquired a metal working lathe, almost by accident, and it's opened up a whole new and engrossing world for me. Must say though that wood turning has gone on the back burner for a while

 

[CHJ]

There is nothing wrong with using the Colchester as a wood lathe, other than the screams of 'sacrilege' from many an envious metal worker.

In effect you have got a high precision Pattern Makers Lathe.

You will need to make yourself a tool rest system to fit on the saddle in lieu of tool post or preferably a tool rest system to replace the saddle assembly for maximum flexibility.

Only major downside will be the need to pay a lot more attention to cleaning up the bedways and leadscrew assembly after use and really restrict any excess lubrication which will attract the wood dust.


If it's the right price go for it, if you are committed to paying the market value of the Colchester you would be better selling it on and getting a wood lathe. If you are not likely to see the benefit of having the luxury of pattern makers precision then selling it on regardless may be the way to go but you will be pushed to get the same level of engineering quality in a wood lathe for the money.

 

[bugbear]

It won't turn bowls - not enough swing, and no facility for "outboard" work.

BugBear

 

[jurriaan]

Is there a turners club in the area?

I just can imagine some member there willing to swap a medium wood lathe for this metal lathe - preferably someone who has upgraded to a big wood lathe and would like to make some parts themselves.

 

[Austinisgreat]

Thanks for the replies so far - brilliant.

I'm not sure what the bed length or clearance is on the colchester but your replies have almost conclusively decided me to sell the Colchester. Shame really as one house we are looking at has a 35 x 17 foot workshop. Room for metalworking and woodworking?

Worth keeping and get a record wood lathe?

Cheers

Andrew

 

[chipmunk]

It won't turn bowls - not enough swing, and no facility for "outboard" work.

I agree that the outboard work might be tricky but with a 12" swing over the bed I think it all depends how and where the toolrest is mounted.

If the OP's Dad's used the Colchester "in anger" it's very likely that a banjo could be knocked up in place of the cross-slide that would provide all or much of that 12" swing when turning bowls.

I'd give my hind teeth for the Colchester in exchange for my old Myford but I can see the logic that a metal lathe in the hand is worth two wood lathes in the bush ;-)

Jon

 

[RogerP]

Worth keeping and get a record wood lathe?
Andrew

YES

 

[chipmunk]

Worth keeping and get a record wood lathe?
Andrew

YES

If you're both thinking Record CLX then IMHO it's like him owning a Bentley (Colchester) and recommending he buy an Austin 7.

Jon

 

[Austinisgreat]

To Cihipmunk and RogerP

So you guys think its worth keeping the Colchester anyway, whether or not one gets another dedicated wood lathe afterwards?

The Colchester has powered saddle with screw-cutting etc etc despite its 40-50 year age tag.

Still amazed no-one on here who turns wood has a Colchester. There are Harrison, Myford etc, but no Colchester.

Any ideas chaps?

Cheers

Andrew

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't get shot of the Colchester. Come on, you know it makes sense! (hammer) (hammer)

 

[chipmunk]

Andrew,
It's perfectly possible to turn wood on the Colchester and if your Dad can give you some instruction why not come at it from a metalworking precision direction? He'd probably enjoy teaching you as well.

Forget about the powered saddle and cross-slide for woodturning though. You need a toolrest that could be clamped to the cross-slide or onto the lathe bed with a banjo. This is the sort of toolrest that goes onto a SIEG baby metalworking lathe...
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-sieg-c0-woodturning-tool-rest-600523

and this is what a banjo looks like... https://www.google.com/search?q=too...X&ved=0ahUKEwjc6om_6qjJAhUH3A4KHcncAuAQsAQIJg

I think that Chas' comments are very pertinent though, it depends whether you feel you need to pay the full value of the Colchester. A cheap Colchester will outperform very many cheap import wood lathes in terms of rigidity, tailstock alignment, power etc and you can always leave off buying a decent woodlathe until you've tried the hobby and liked it.

I recently bought an old metalworking lathe to supplement my woodturning and it's great for knocking up new tools and fixtures for the woodlathes I have.

HTH
Jon

 

[RogerP]

To Cihipmunk and RogerP

So you guys think its worth keeping the Colchester anyway, whether or not one gets another dedicated wood lathe afterwards?

The Colchester has powered saddle with screw-cutting etc etc despite its 40-50 year age tag.

Still amazed no-one on here who turns wood has a Colchester. There are Harrison, Myford etc, but no Colchester.

Any ideas chaps?

Cheers

Andrew

In your position I would keep the Colchester and buy another lathe for wood turning.

The Harrisons and Myfords mentioned on here are often probably their wood turning models, Harrison Graduate, Myford ML8 etc.

 

[chipmunk]

The Harrisons and Myfords mentioned on here are often probably their wood turning models, Harrison Graduate, Myford ML8 etc.

+1 - almost certain.
Jon

 

[CHJ]

Give me the chance to have a Colchester in similar circumstances and I'd take it in place of my current lathes.

The ease with which you could turn out 80% of my simple segmented work alone has great attractions and that is without revelling in the machines prime capabilities.

Equipment of that standard is like family land, should never be squandered once acquired if at all financially possible, future replacement is invariably impossible.

 

[Austinisgreat]

Give me the chance to have a Colchester in similar circumstances and I'd take it in place of my current lathes.

The ease with which you could turn out 80% of my simple segmented work alone has great attractions and that is without revelling in the machines prime capabilities.

Equipment of that standard is like family land, should never be squandered once acquired if at all financially possible, future replacement is invariably impossible.

WoW!

Great response thanks guys! Dad did his engineering apprenticeship at Alfred Herberts in Coventry - he is a freeman of the city- . Now they were (still are) great machine tools, but despite us having several colchester lathes in the factory tool-room up until the eighties my Dad still thinks of them as cheap and cheerful.

You chaps saying its worthwhile keeping a Colchester student alive and well? Even if I have to store it outdoors under a tarp for six months?

Cheers again

Andrew

 

[MusicMan]

+1 to keep it, especially with that size workshop. You can let Dad come and play too!

Note that custom woodwind instruments from hard woods (cocobolo, grenadilla) are usually made on metal lathes, power drive cross slides and all, even cnc for the big shops. Use a "forming tool" which looks like a small cup with sharp edges.

You could probably even fit a device on the back of rhe headstock to hold a faceplate for turning large bowls if you wanted. The spindle will be hollow so could take a drawbar to hold a supplementary spindle which was threaded for the faceplate. All made and threaded on the Colchester of course! With a floor mounted tool rest you could do bowls up to about six foot diameter!

Keith

 

[Wildman]

I have a colchestert bantam and also a chipmaster, would love a student. The biggest problem you would find is speed, a metal turning speeds are much below that of wood. As for capacity well the bantam could turn 11.25" I suspect the student is a little larger though might be the same. The bedways on a metal turning lathe would soon be ruined when turning wood. why not use it to make your own wood lathe.

 

[J-G]

Great response thanks guys! Dad did his engineering apprenticeship at Alfred Herberts in Coventry - he is a freeman of the city- . Now they were (still are) great machine tools, but despite us having several colchester lathes in the factory tool-room up until the eighties my Dad still thinks of them as cheap and cheerful.

You chaps saying its worthwhile keeping a Colchester student alive and well? Even if I have to store it outdoors under a tarp for six months?

Cheers again

Andrew

I've had a busy morning so only just seen this thread or I would have responded earlier. Whatever else you do KEEP THE COLCHESTER !

I served my time at Coventry Gauge and Tool (Matrix) - a major competitor to Alfred Herbert - though I also later worked at AH.

I use a Myford Super 7 for all my wood-turning taking advantage of the sturdiness and precision whilst also using a banjo type tool-rest and a simple long bar in the top-slide as and when appropriate. I'm limited to 7" dia over the bed and 10" dia in the gap so I don't do 'bowls' as such - well only shallow ones in the gap - but as CHJ has noted, for small segmented work it is very serviceable. The Colchester has greater capacity and more power so will certainly 'do the job'.

Speed can certainly be an issue but I haven't been really compromised with the Myford at about 2000 rpm max even though I do get down to less than 3mm dia on occasion - in hard woods - (much less than that in metal).

I'm currently working on a segmented cylindrical clock which will be 6" dia x about 10" tall in Walnut and Ash and using metal-turning boring bars in the standard top-slide is much easier than hand-held side-scrapers.

 

[katellwood]

I don't own a Colchester any more (used to have a mascot which finally gave up the ghost) however I have acquired another large engineering lathe which I use in conjunction with my wood lathe.

The possibilities of using a metal lathe on wood are endless. here are some examples which would be extremely difficult on a wood lathe alone

Screwcutting large threads with a vertical slide and a purpose built router mount



Deep accurate boring











trouble free fluting





and ended up with something like this





And you can make things like this (impossible on a wood lathe)





Made for another forum member who had a damaged Calvert Stevens

Fluted these as well



If you do keep it bear in mind that a three jaw metal chuck is not really suitable for gripping timber and could be dangerous

In addition if you intend to traditional spindle turn (between centres) then the saddle will get in the way as the tailstock will need to bridge it to support the end of the wood. you may well need to reposition the tailstock, headstock side of the saddle.