First Lathe advice needed please..

[bosher]

Hi i am new to this so could really do with some honest advice.I have seen a Lathe Power Performance on Ebay and am thinking of buying it i have other tools from the same maker and they do the jobs well but not sure about this Lathe the price is £120 +£40 p&p.

Power Performance Lathe.
240 v - 50 hz

4 Speeds - 2150, 1750, 1240 and 720 RPM

Distance between centres 1000mm

Maximum turning Diameter 350mm, Height of centre 175mm.

Sorry if this item have been spoken of already i know record or coronet Lathes are better but as i live in London by London Bridge all the Lathes on Ebay are very far away and only this one offers posting for £40.
Is there anyone selling one nearer me i could pick up.??
I am not looking for a beginners Lathe but one i can advance on to bigger things .
I would much appreciate any advice from you guys .

cheers

newbie....

 

[gregmcateer]

Hi bosher and welcome to the forum.
Loads of helpful guys here and nearly all will certainly know more than me about lathes.
there are as many views as there are people using lathes, as far as I can tell.
That having been said, one thing I was definitely advised and found by reading the many posts on the subject here and elsewhere, (just search this forum for lathe info), is to buy the best and heaviest, (ie most solid) lathe you can.
I am sure I ended up with a better than lathe than I need for the forseeable future, but as is often said, you can turn a small thing on a big lathe, but not vice versa.
I don't know the Performance lathe, but I suspect it will be built to a bit of a budget. Do your research and be patient - just because one comes up on ebay at an OK price doesnt mean you should grab it - another one WILL appear almost immediately, honest!
I took the advice here to find a nearby-(ish) turning club and talk to the members - they are incredibly friendly and happy to show you the ropes and advise on trying before you buy. - Go to the Assoc of Woodturners of GB website (http://www.woodturners.co.uk/branches.php) and find one near to you and give them a shout - you won't regret it.
I hope that helps,
Greg

 

[gregmcateer]

bosher,
I just had a look on ebay and I think you are looking at this one;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Performan...ies_Carpentry_Woodwork_ET&hash=item2ec0351fa4

As I said, I am no expert, but that doesn't look a very hefty bit of kit - I reckon if you put anything large or out of balance on there, you'll get a nasty surprise and may end up doing the tango round the workshop with it.

If you really are on a budget, I'd type 'Axminster lathe' into ebay and you'll get a good list of several of their, admittedly smaller machines, but they seem well-regarded here and elsewhere. Otherwise, save a few pennies and just hit the 'watch' button on ebay for a few weeks to see how things sell.

Patience, patience, (You'll need it once you start turning!)

Greg

 

[misterfish]

If it is the lathe that Greg has pointed out then it is a B & Q own brand and only really a hobby machine. I only paid a bit more than that for a decent used Axminster machine on Ebay which is much more solid and substantial. As recommended keep an eye out for for a few weeks for stuff relatively local to you.

Misterfish