Fun with a Clarke lathe, sort of

[JohnMessUK]

Hi All,

Looking for a bit of advice please.

I have a Clarke CWL1000 Lathe not a bad tool but first with the down sides. It does not take a tailstock chuck it has a threaded driveshaft so no moris taper and changing speeds on it is a pain.

Stil onto the good things, I have made some lovely peices on it its not to noisy and runs like a dream.

Now my main problem with it is the lack of accessories so I thought I would buy a 4 jaw chuck, now the clarke people told me it only takes one kind of chuck there one ,which is an independant 4 jaw chuck and its a beast as in its very heavy.

Today I had the chuck running for the first time and I am having a problem getting it to centre I am sure it can be done but can anyone give me advice on how to centre an independant 4 jaw chuck please. (I have tried lining up with the rings on it but it still seems off)

Also has anyone ever had a threaded chuck come off whilst the machine was in motion? luckily for me I had just turned off the lathe when the chuck unwound, still spining it hit the lathe bed and shot off to the floor. I am thinking it was my own fault maybe I did not tighten it up properly or could this have happened because I was slightly off centre?

As an edit I just thought about another problem I had with a chisel digging into the peace is this due to having the chisel extended to far over the tool rest or is it a bad angle. I seem to have the problem the most with a bowl gouge.

I really like turning so will be ditching the Clarke lathe asap but as it is I maybe with it for months, so any advice or experiance anyone has had with one would be great.

One last thing please I have started looking for a new lathe and I would like one that is variable speed and can be upgraded easily over time. What make would you guys recommend.

Thanks for reading now I am away to have a cup of tea and sooth my nerves.

 

[CHJ]

An independent 4 jaw chuck is of very limited use for wood turning.
Used on a metal working lathe they are used to mount irregular shaped metal blanks or in conjunction with a dial gauge to align a cylinder to within fractions of a thousandth of an inch. See this pdf on proceedure, not practical on wood tasks.
The standard fitted stepped jaws are of very little use for gripping the majority of wood projects, dovetail or gripper jaws are needed to hold wood securely.
Wood turning 4 Jaw chucks are constructed with a self centring scroll mechanism the same as a metal lathe 3 jaw chuck.

As for a chuck coming off, there is no way a chuck correctly fitted should unwind in normal use, only very abrupt stopping of the lathe spindle or starting the lathe up in reverse would unscrew the chuck.

 

[JohnMessUK]

Thanks CHJ, I was thinking the chuck coming off was my fault. As for it not being suitable knowing that now instead of me spending days trying has saved me a ton of grief. Will see if someone has a use for it and pass it on.

I will have a look around and see if I can find a wood turning chuck that will fit the shaft as I can't see Clarke sending me to there competition. I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.

 

[CHJ]

..... I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.

99% of wood turners would endorse that action.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

you need to discern what the tpi and bore of your spindle is to know which scroll chuck to buy. If you download the manual from the Clarke website it will be specified therein. You can then take that to any third party chuck manufacturer (examples would be Supernova 2 or G3, Axminster Evolution etc). The data I'm referring to will be specified as an example like this: 3/4" 16tpi meaning the spindle has a 3/4" diameter and 16 threads per inch.

The supernova chuck has the ability to take a variety of insert nuts which allow it to be used on multiple different spindle diameters and thread types...thus it's portable from lathe to lathe with just the purchase of the relevant insert needed. I couldn't live without mine.

However, to be brutally honest....you might find it preferable to take the Clarke into outer space and jettison it from geostationary orbit!

 

[JohnMessUK]

I like that Idea Bob. Is there a make of lathe that you guys would recomened, I understand its down to personal tatse and budget but a point in the right direction would be great.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

You just HAVE to have variable speed. I went for the Record Power CL4 CAM because it has good quality variable speed (inverter technology) and a swivel head as I need the capacity for larger platters (up to 30").

Axminster and Record Power have broad ranges to suit all budgets and capacities.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

..... I think though for the long term I will ditch the Clarke lathe and find a better make.

99% of wood turners would endorse that action.

And 99% of makes would be better?

 

[Tinbasher]

I don't think any of the commercially available chucks fit the Clarke. I had one (and the four jaw chuck) and never had any success in finding an alternative.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

back to the outer space option then.....

 

[finneyb]

Generally speaking if Axminster sells it I have a warm feeling inside me - recently upgraded my lathe to a variable speed and got a good resale price on the old lathe, both Axminster. I looked at adding an electonic variable speed to the original lathe but its too risky for the price of the upgrade. Excellent customer service and technical advice from their HQ by phone. www.axminster.co.uk

As to what lathe to get - the advice I was given is the longest bed length that fits in your workshop.
Longest bed length is not necessarily the most expensive, but longest bed length gives you the most scope for different woodturnings; of course if you know that you will only turn pens then get a lathe to suit. On my new lathe I turned a 40" long 9"dia off-centre garden ornament - while I could almost get the length on the old lathe I couldn't get the speed slow enough to turn such a big piece off-centre, safely. I am now looking at turning my first pen to show the variation a long bed length can give you.

[Note to Axminster please send credit note as payment to the Warrington store ]

 

[tekno.mage]

As an edit I just thought about another problem I had with a chisel digging into the peace is this due to having the chisel extended to far over the tool rest or is it a bad angle. I seem to have the problem the most with a bowl gouge.

It is recommended that you get the tool rest as close as possible to avoid excessive tool overhang when using a bowl gouge. However, as you say "a bad tool angle" can also cause a dig in. You may find it helpful to investigate if there is a wood turning club local to you - it's far easier for someone to show you how to use a bowl gouge to avoid dig ins than to try and explain it in writing!

Regarding your chuck unscrewing - I'd guess you'd not fitted it securely enough. Most wood turning chucks are screw fitting and they do not normally come off in use unless you happen to be running your lathe backwards - in which case a locking screw is recommended.

 

[crossg7mwh]

fascinated, by the replies on here, a lathe spins a piece of wood and a chisel carves it, apart from varying the speed what difference does the brand name make? why would you advise anyone to change make of lathe? everyone has a preferred manufacturer and lets be honest most of the machines they put out are just badged from China, save your money learn how to use the lathe you've got otherwise you are going to be one disappointed wood turner.

 

[AndyT]

It's not quite as simple as that.

Manufacturers can work to different levels of quality, even Chinese manufacturers. The bearings in a lathe made down to a price point might be just good enough at first but wear out very quickly. A faceplate could be cast from flimsy alloy or turned from good steel. Adjuster knobs can be thin plastic or made to last a lifetime. The same base model of lathe can be sold under different names with different grades of components fitted or with desirable features included or left out.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

fascinated, by the replies on here, a lathe spins a piece of wood and a chisel carves it, apart from varying the speed what difference does the brand name make? why would you advise anyone to change make of lathe? everyone has a preferred manufacturer and lets be honest most of the machines they put out are just badged from China, save your money learn how to use the lathe you've got otherwise you are going to be one disappointed wood turner.

Weirdly, I was also playing with a Clarke lathe today, for the very first time. I have never done any turning, so it was a bit of a voyage of discovery. I discovered, for example, that if you tighten the work up too much the entire thing deforms disturbingly easily - the wood stayed level, the motor housing reared up in one direction and the tailstock did the same but in the oposite direction. It looked a bit like Tower Bridge. Somehow it even managed to spin, but I'm not convinced it is safe.

I played around a bit, but it turns out I can't do aimless fiddling - I need a specific project to work on, otherwise I get bored. Still, I now have some smoothly curved bits of dowel that I have no idea what to do with - posh firewood, I think.

I was convinced I was going to be utterly hooked, but it was a bit "meh" in the end. Must try again, with sharper tools. The lathe itself seems a bit chinesium, to the extent that it may well be dangerous.

 

[crossg7mwh]

somewhere on one of the forums I read that Clarke lathes have a non-standard headstock thread, I was puzzled and went in search and there are loads in fact they seem quite standard, also the model CWL1000 has no speed control, mine is infinitely variable from 600 to 2200 rpm, the tail stock has a thread so can't be altered again mine don't, have they changed them? mine is the CF model but apart from the bit that bolts on to the back they look the same and before you say I was over charged 33% off on a return.

 

[u38cg]

Also has anyone ever had a threaded chuck come off whilst the machine was in motion?

Bit concerned by this to be honest, as said in normal use it should be impossible for a chuck to fall off, so let's just be sure:

- you *are* running the lathe in the right direction?
- the chuck thread definitely matches the spindle?
- you did screw it all the way on till it hit the shoulder of the spindle?

 

[marcros]

7 years have passed, I wouldn't expect a quick reply...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Incidentally, my 28 - 40 will lauch a chuck and blank if stopped from a high speed - I always wind it down before switching off.

 

[marcros]

my jet mini has too on the odd occasion, particularly when pushing its limits. I dont have the option of slowing it first, but if it does happen it is usually fairly controlled just before it stops completely.