Good home workshop lathe

[mlaze]

Hi,

New to the site and am interested in buying a lathe for my workshop... I enjoy making pieces of furniture and thing that a lathe would be a good addition.

Has anyone got any advice on particular makes and models which are suited... quality is more important to me than price but it is only for home use so i don;t need one of industrial standard!

Are there any features of a lathe which i should consider? ie maximum diameter of piece i can work on?

Thanks for any help!

mlaze :ho2

 

[nev]

some useful advice here ...http://www.peterchild.co.uk/info1/startwt.htm

also use the search function of the forum , top right, It is a frequently asked question with 101 different answers
IMHO New sub £500 the main brands to look at would probably be Axminster, Record power, Jet, SIP.

Ive only ever used one lathe and i am happy with that one at the mo (RP CL2)
hth

 

[Wildman]

My coronet is still for sale advertised on here. It is a very versatile lathe well made in England. The only change worth making would be the addition of a variable speed motor. Apart from that it is a complete workshop, lathe, table saw, planer, morticer, sander, long hole drill, at £300 you can't go wrong.

 

[NikNak]

mlaze....

You sound like a man after my own heart.... i.e. quality before price

How big is your workshop..?
and what sort of things do you want to turn..?
(then dont forget its not just a lathe... allow for chisels, chuck, abrasive & finishes etc)



Nick

 

[henton49er]

You could do worse than look at the lathe I have for sale on this forum:-

for-sale-axminster-awvsl1000-lathe-t63169.html

It has served me very well and is only 2 years old.

 

[woodyturner]

I would steer clear of the New record lathes they are having a lot of trouble with the motors lasting only a few months and in some cases a few weeks even the replacement motors they will replace them very quickly but do you want to keep changing motors I know several people who have given up with there's and got there money back after trying several motors even the Nova lathes are having troubles since they took them over
On saying that the only one I know of that is trouble free is the record maxi 1 but they are made in Ox mine is completely trouble free a great work horse but they cost £2,000

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Sorry to hear that Record Power may no longer be as good as they were.

I have a CL3 which I converted to CL4 spec - no issues in the 10+ years I've owned it, therefore I would recommend a Record CL from personal experience.

For furniture making I would advise not going below 30" between centres - outboard turning as per the CL's 30" capability is also good for occaisional table tops etc.

Regards Mick

 

[woodyturner]

Hi

Sorry to hear that Record Power may no longer be as good as they were.

I have a CL3 which I converted to CL4 spec - no issues in the 10+ years I've owned it, therefore I would recommend a Record CL from personal experience.

For furniture making I would advise not going below 30" between centres - outboard turning as per the CL's 30" capability is also good for occaisional table tops etc.

Regards Mick

Hi Mike you are right about the old Record lathes I to had the CL4 for about 8 years and upgraded to the maxi 1 no problems but during the last 18 months the CL3 and the CL4 have had a lot of motor problems in fact one supplier has stopped selling them the problem seems to have started when they were having them made in India I think

 

[Russell]

Hi mlaze you could also try coming to the http://www.birstall-woodturning-club.co.uk/ they meet near Mirfield railway station you will get some good advice and a good look at quite a few different lathes. Oh andI am demonstrating there tomorrow evening (wednesday) Why not come along