woodturning lathes

[bob]

can i have some reccomendations for the best quality woodturning lathes,pro or semi,3/4 to 1hp bed width not an issue as only up to 12 inch needed,many thx

[Andy Dingley]

Just weigh them. Weight is a good indicator. Bed weight especially, because some after-purchase work with box section steel, big bolts / welding and a few bags of sand can massively (sorry) improve tinplate Chinese stands.

Also watch the chuck thread. 1" x 8tpi is as small as you want to go. A smaller lathe can be a good starter, but you don't want to spend money on 3/4" chucks and then find that you can't keep them if you upgrade.

Much depends on whether you're doing spindles or bowls. I only have a small lathe, but I've also got a welder and so I can turn huge 6' bedposts on a home-made extension tailstock. I still can't turn a decent sized bowl though, as I can't handle the vibration.

Best thing though is to hitch up with a local turning club. You can get your hands on some big iron to feel what it's really like and you also see S/H kit for sale.

[mark]

If you want some serious kit,it might cost.Some here and I would check Ebat for Wadkin.

[robgraham]

Best response you would get is to go to a forum which specialises in your question. I suggest ukworkshop.co.uk as starting point. There are wood turners here but this forum is too wide spread for you to get an in-depth answer.

You do need to be clear about what you are going to turn. You talk about bed width which could be bed length or the radial size of the piece you want to turn. A bed length of 12 inches would suggest you are interested in small pieces, but then you talk about relatively powerful motors which would suggest from a turner's point of view that you are considering turning larger bowls. What I am saying is that typically a 12" bed length lathe would have a 250w motor.

Have a look at the site I suggest but also see if you can find a local wood turning club as you will be able to speak to users about what your requirements are and clarify the type of machine you should go for.

Rob