RECORD CL4-CAM ,OPINIONS

[paulkane1]

I am thinking of buying a new lathe,to turn large bowls and platters etc.I am at the £1000-1200 mark to spend,although based on good advise,if I was to go bigger money wise ,I would push the boat out ,and spend more ,on a highly recommended lathe.I here for its price the Record ,CL4,has decent Spec ,for the money,I would love to here from people on this forum who have bought this machine,and ,give me their views on it,before I buy.

Yours Kindly Paul

 

[darkness]

If it were me i would be put off by 3/4 16tpi spindle and 1 morse taper i would keep a eye out for something second hand. There was a jet 3520B on gumtree about 6 months ago for £1500

 

[marcros]

have you seen the union graduate for sale on the forum?

 

[Dalboy]

I have the CL3 and find it very good the CL4 does as you know have the advantage of Electronic speed control which is a bonus. Yes it does have the smaller spindle size and the 1MT fitments but I have not found that a problem. The only other thing that I would have like to have seen on it is a through hole in the headstock shaft so that you can use a vac chuck system.

 

[paulkane1]

If it were me i would be put off by 3/4 16tpi spindle and 1 morse taper i would keep a eye out for something second hand. There was a jet 3520B on gumtree about 6 months ago for £1500

.
Thanks for your advise,Could you enlighten me,as to what is the drawbacks with the 3/4 16TPI Spindle,and 1 Morse Taper?

Paul.

 

[paulm]

What do you have in mind Paul when you mention large bowls and platters ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[paulkane1]

have you seen the union graduate for sale on the forum?

I have not seen it yet,I believe they are rock solid built?What is the spec of this machine?

Paul

 

[paulkane1]

What do you have in mind Paul when you mention large bowls and platters ?

Cheers, Paul

Round flat bowls,about,14-18 inches Diameter,with some carving around the rim.I am still a novice,so if you could direct me to some good advise,as to the vest way to turn these items,I would be pleased.You/Tube videos etc,or a good DVD as a source? What Lathe do you use ? And for the money I want to spend ,£1200-£1500 ,what Lathe would you recommended?

Cheers Paul

 

[paulm]

The CL4 is a decent lathe Paul but has a max capacity over the bed of 12" I think after a quick google. That would mean you would be turning at an angle to the bed to cope with the extra diameter, which is possible but not ideal. It would also test the motor power too which is fine for most stuff but you might find it a bit tedious on workpieces that size and trying to take decent cuts.

I had the CL3 for many years, which is essentially the same but without the variable speed, and I found it very capable and enjoyable to use. As I started to do larger and heavier pieces I decided I wanted something with more physical mass, more powerful motor and greater capacity over the bed, and moved to a Wivamac DB1200 which does everything I need comfortably and efficiently and is a pleasure to use.

I'm not sure of what is around on the market currently but recall that some of the larger Jet and Record cast iron models had decent reviews, but I'm not sure what you could get new for your budget that would be suitable for the work, so well worth looking for decent larger secondhand kit such as the Graduate on the For Sale board for example which looks to be a real bargain.

Others who have been in the market for a new lathe more recently might have some other ideas on alternatives.

It's quite a task to turn that size of item as an experience turner let alone a novice turner, have you done any turning at all so far ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[marcros]

have you seen the union graduate for sale on the forum?

I have not seen it yet,I believe they are rock solid built?What is the spec of this machine?

Paul

union-graduate-variable-speed-shortbed-lathe-chucks-etc-t90971.html

you now know as much as I do!

 

[EnErY]

I have the cl3 with a vari -speed motor but recently I purchased the new Maxi one both from record and both give me excellent service the maxi being two mt with a large enough swing over the headstock aqnd the advantage of outboard turning allows larger items to be turned with ease the maxi being priced at £1800 gives good value for money inserts can be found for most chucks quite easily and its not much more within your budget .......
Regards
Bill

 

[chipmunk]

Could you enlighten me,as to what is the drawbacks with the 3/4 16TPI Spindle,and 1 Morse Taper?

In this case the main disadvantage IMHO is the small morse taper size, rather than the 3/4" x 16TPI spindle. On some cheap lathes a 3/4" spindle nose can indicate a very thin lathe spindle but I don't believe that this is the case with a Record CL3/4.

Getting back to the 1MT sockets, the problem is that 1MT accessories are not very rigid and can flex in use. FME, this is especially true of 1MT drill chuck arbors which are just about 10mm across at the narrowest where the arbor is wasted between the two tapers. Compare this to 2MT drill chuck arbors at close to 16mm and since stiffness is proportional to d^3, the 2MT arbor is roughly 4x the stiffness of a 1MT arbor.

The other thing not to be underestimated IMHO is the ease with which 2MT sockets can be kept clean. It's possible to get your finger inside a 2MT socket and so you can feel whether there are burrs or muck inside. You need small child-like fingers to be able to do the same with 1MT sockets.

I'm also pretty sure that the larger chuck registers provided by larger diameter spindle noses give more support to larger items held on the lathe but this is more difficult to get a handle on objectively.

I hope this helps
Jon