Any wood turners out there?

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

Need info on small wood lathes.
I am looking to buy a small table top wood lathe to do small jobs, something I can put in a corner somewhere out of the way when not in use.
Anyone had one, used one, any recommendations?

Adrian

[michaellxv (Michael)]

No, but try here.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

'Small Jobs' ... what do you mean by that ? What do intend to make ?

I built my own wood lathe years ago and found it needed to be quite robust otherwise the vibrations and load of the chisel just chattered the wood into fibres and holes.
Bowls require a very solid drive head and plate, spindles a rigid bed and tail piece.
They are also incredibly messy. You would not beleive how much dust and shavings they can make in a very short time. Black & Decker used to put out a lathe kit that took one of their drills as the chuck end.
Long handled chisels make it easier to work wood, more leverage to control it.
Possibly you could pick one up second hand. I've seen quite good examples on the local trademe site over here for reasonable prices. People buy them and then find there is more to woodturning than they first thought.

[Paddy de Klerk]

Adrian, Check out Woodfast . They have a range of mini lathes.

[MrB (Simon)]

The JET mini and midi wood lathes seem to be pretty popular at the wood shows I've been to over the years. Definitely worth checking the woodwork forums link that Michael posted.

If you are anywhere near a Carbatec or Hare&Forbes (aka Machinery House), I believe they usually have demo machines you can try (The Carbatec in Perth does anyway.)

http://www.carbatec.com.au/lathes-accessories_c14570
http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Wood-Lathes

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

Thanks I will look into it a bit further
Jobs I want to do are only 2 to 3 inches in diameter max and around 12 inches long
Did see a lathe at mitre 10 but was a bit bigger than I need

Adrian

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

I have done wood turning in the past when I was employed by the gov.
I enjoyed it and would like to try again

Adrian

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Hi Adrian.
Not a woodturner as such, but have a done a bit in the last couple of years. Our Menshed has 2 in regular use, and we are fortunate that one of our members is a long time turner and teaches others. Yes, they are messy, and eye protection is a must. We have been fortunate that ours have been donated, and we have several more in storage, yep, people buy them and find there is more to it than sticking a bit of wood between centres. For a small one that would suit your requirements check out the Carbatec online catalogue. Other vendors will probably have the same facility on their websites. Have fun, you can make some nice stuff on them once you get the hang of it. Just remembered, there was one about the size you want in the Cootamundra Menshed when I lived there, one of the members used to make wooden Pen Casings on it. So they are out there.

[akjudge (Jim)]

Adrian,

Been turning for over 25 years, almost on a daily basis. Have tried many different lathes from mini's to full 4 foot steel bed lathes (my current one). Brent is absolutely right -- the bigger the lathe the easier it is to turn items, including small items. The bigger the lathe, the less vibration, chattering, flexing between centers, etc.

I turn items on a 2000 lb. 4 foot steel-bed lathe (Delta) that is computer speed controlled. I turn everything from chess pieces to pool cues on it without any problems. The mini-lathes may be good for pens, but you will struggle with 3 inch diameter by 12 inch long turnings on these small lathes.

Bottom line is buy the biggest lathe you can afford, space allowing...

Jim

[ZeroID (Brent)]

+1 to the above
Besides which you will find there are bigger things you will want to do when you run out of smaller things you've already done.
I even got a couple of commisoned jobs for mine in the end. Newel Post heads, witches spikes for roofs.
Nice set of long handled Sorby chisels is the way to go. keep them very sharp and learn to plane with them rather than scrape.