myford ml8 - decent 1st lathe?

mickey · 1 Jul 2018

I am going to go and see this lathe at a nice older chaps place tomorrow. Comes with tools and I get to see it running. I just want something to start out on, do a few handles, doorknobs, maybe a lamp or two. Would this one be ok to get me going? It's 240v and just the standard one with belt speed changes.
any advice much appreciated
mickey

AJB Temple · 1 Jul 2018

Phil Pascoe · 1 Jul 2018

I just typed and posted a paragraph for nothing - it disappeared, yet again. Why does this happen? It's bloody infuriating.
Go for it as long as it's not silly money - you could look at past prices on ebay, but be wary of their whereabouts - obviously people price in carriage or transport. if it belonged to an elderly person the tools are probably carbon steel so not worth a fortune, though perfectly usable. Have a look at the wattage of the motor - I have seen third HP motors in them which is far too small.
They are much better lathes than modern ones of the same sort of capacity and if you get it for a decent price you'll be able to sell it on if or when you upgrade - which if you get on well, you will.

mickey · 2 Jul 2018

Thanks for your helpful replies.
The other option locally is a Sorby rs3 which has elec speed control. It's twice the money. I searched the forum and not much came up apart from one voice saying they were to be avoided - is this true,

peter-harrison · 28 Feb 2019

I had one for years and it drove me mad. Aluminium is not a good material for lathes. It vibrates too much. If you want to turn bowls you will have to be very careful and do a lot of sanding. I know you only want to do the odd doorknob, but if you enjoy turning, you will want to go further(and that often means larger!) Ali is also sticky, which makes the toolrests awkward to manouevre. Having said all that, getting the lathe that's right for you takes time and several changes of machine (I'm on my 5th), and it's very individual, and hard to tell from a few minutes trial of a machine whether you will like it longterm. Regarding what Phil says above about old V new, this may be true but I've never had a new lathe so I can't comment.
Anyway, whichever you choose, good luck and have fun!