lathe advice please ... do or don't type question

[nickson71]

hi all

I'm interested in gatting a lathe but due to home improvements I've not got a fortune to spend ...... so I had a look on ebay and spotted this

the reason I was interested as it's local to me but as I know very little about this side of woodworking I was wondering if anybody could have a look at the said item and let me know if it's worth bidding on?

thanks

Ian

 

[paulm]

Very basic cheap lathe Ian, the single bed bar is very frustrating to work with and to get the tailstock lined up with the headstock.

More likely to put you off turning rather than let you enjoy it.

There are some good secondhand lathes available from time to time at reasonable prices, but don't think thats one of them, sorry !

Cheers, Paul.

 

[nickson71]

thanks for letting me know ......... I'll keep looking

 

[Blister]

Hi , I have a friend that has a Hegner HDB200 for sale

But it may be out of your price range , as they are £1200 new

pm me if interested

:wink:

 

[greybeard]

I agree 100% with chisel - that one is a no-no.

Look for something with cast head and tail stocks, and what looks like a length of BR rail ('H' or 'I' beam I think they're called sometimes?) for a base, or possibly a twin bar base; any mention of cast iron is generally a good thing! - rigidity is everything!
Of course it's also worth keeping a close eye on what is being thrown in with the lathe - faceplate(s) and toolrest(s) would almost certainly have come with the original lathe purchase, but everything else has been obtained separately, and none of it's cheap!
Any chuck is good, a scroll chuck is a real find, and a handful of chisels will also help get you started. To buy cheap chisels will cost £25/£30 for a set, and the better ones will set you back £75 and upwards. Even buying the minimum practical number of chisels individually is likely to cost £45 or more if you have to buy them new.

Good luck!

 

[SVB]

Another No vote I'm afraid. Been there, done that. I had the clarke version of this beast and it was totally u/s!

Note sure of your budget but have a look at the Ax M900 I highlighted back a page on this forum. I had one of these and it is a really nice m/c.

Best of luck,
Simon

 

[joekid]

looks like the clarke single bar lathe / complete with bendy chisel set,i know them a mile off cheap tin collars eight to a pack,hes turned some decent stuff but has to bend them straignt on a metal block with an hammer,and you can bend them with your hands, honest,looks like hes got a cheapo kit from machine mart.

 

[Bodrighy]

I inherited a set of cheap chisels that were used on a Black & Decker attachment. Third time I used the roughing out gauge it went into a right angle and now pulls out of the handle easily. I intend to buy some tools one at a time and get the best I can afford.

No doubt the experts could use cheap tools and produce masterpieces but us novices catch and get digs that put a lot of strain on them and the idea of one of these things flying out at me even at 500 rpm is a bit too scary for me.

Pete

 

[joekid]

ive dodged one myself, its a funny feeling looking at a skew blade sticking through the shed roof

 

[Effigy]

Sorry for coming late to this one, but for near enough similar money you could get one of these:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Perf ... -21733.htm

They are a great little 'taster' lathe, plenty of scope for doing small to medium type turning (upto 10"), and comes with an extension to go up to 1m between centres.

It received a very good write up in the mags last year.
I used one for a couple of years to see if I could take to turning :roll: I turned most things from pens to bowls, platters, candle sticks etc. When I eventually upgraded, I sold it for 80% of its original cost