Wood Lathe Buying Advice - a Chat with Woodturner Mike Waldt
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- What should you know before you buy a wood lathe? Scott Bennett and @MikeWaldt walk thought the various things to consider when you buy a lathe and the related wood turning tools.
Related Links:
- Chart for Lathe Dimensions and Relative Price - homeimprovementwoodworking.com...
- Mike Waldt’s RUclips Channel / @mikewaldt
- Lathe Dust Collection / @cleanlathe
- Dust Collection Fundamentals Video • Dust Collection for Wo...
- Wolverine Grinding Jig Video - • Sharpening Jigs for Wo...
- CBN Grinding Wheel Video - • CBN Grinding Wheel to ...
- AirShield Pro Respirator Video - coming soon, subscribe to get notified
The first thing to understand is the basic terminology of wood lathes. The key parts are:
- Lathe Bed - the foundation of the lathe that holds all the parts together
- Lathe Stand - the leg assembly that holds up the bed rails
- Head Stock - the motor, spindle, belt drive system, and motor controls make up the head stock
- Spindle - where the power used to turn the wood using various mounting attachments
- Tail Stock - the live center, quill, and hand wheel used to stabilize the opposite end from the head stock
- Banjo or Tool Rest Base - the movable part that holds the tool rest, locking into the lathe bed
- Tool Rest - the location where the turning chisels sit when cutting the wood
There are three key dimensions you need to understand before you buy a wood lathe:
- Swing - this is the maximum diameter of the turning over the bed, without the banjo/tool rest base attached. This is an important dimension for turning bowls as they’re typically the largest diameter work you will be turning.
- Swing over Tool Rest Base - In the event you will be working on large-diameter spindle turning, be aware, the banjo/tool rest base will decrease the swing capacity.
- Distance Between Centers - this is the maximum length of wood you can turn on the lathe. This is more important for spindle turning than it is for bowl turning.
Finding the details of lathe specifications takes some research, so we’ve compiled a chart to make it easier for you - homeimprovementwoodworking.com...
Before you decide which lathe to buy, you also need some additional tools. These are the bare essential items you should have. From a budgeting perspective, these will cost roughly $350.
- Basic Wood Turning Chisel Set
- Low Speed Grinder
- Grinding Jig
- NIOSH Approved Respirator
- Face Shield
Should you buy a New or Used Wood Lathe? The benefits of being the first owner of a lathe are obvious as you know exactly how the lathe was treated and you will have the manufacturer’s warranty. On the other hand, if you buy a used lathe, you can expect to spend 40-60% of the original retail price - that’s quite a discount. If you decide to buy used and you’re not familiar with machinery maintenance, bring a friend along with you to help you decide if the lathe is operating the way you would want it to.
I purchased my lathe used. I was able to buy it from someone in my own community, and I hit it off with the owner. We had a great discussion and he showed me his new lathe and explained to me why he was selling the one I was interested in. I tried it out and made sure all the parts were there before negating a price. I also had done my research by finding the manual for the lathe online and reading through it to familiarize myself with it. I’m still happy with my purchase and I bought it at 55% of the retail price.
There are some serious risks of using a lathe. This is not intended as a full list of safety advice, but it’s a list of some of the risks you need to be aware of when operating a lathe.
- Don’t Work With Dull Chisels - When the chisels are dull, the user tends to force the work which can cause breakage and injury. When spinning wood breaks on a lathe, it is very dangerous. Another reason to keep your chisels sharp is they work much better.
- Don’t Wear Jewelry - There have been cases where lathe operators have lost a finger because they were wearing a ring. The spinning force of the machine is very powerful.
- Don’t Wear Loose Clothing - Any loose clothing should be removed before using the lathe. Items such as loose long sleeves or hoodie strings could get caught into the spinning lathe and cause you injury, or death.
Our woodworking plans - woodenitbenice.ca/collections...
Our 1-on-1 woodworking advice sessions - woodenitbenice.ca/collections...
See the tools we use in our workshop and the tools we recommend: www.amazon.com/shop/homeimpro...
🇨🇦 Canadian link - www.amazon.ca/shop/homeimprov...
For more woodworking knowledge or to contact us directly, visit our website WoodenItBeNice.ca
#woodturning #lathe 
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thanks for sharing, I'm about to retire and received a nice retirement bonus which I want to use to buy something that will enhance my retirement. I have a very small shop, with most of the woodworking tools I need, saws, sanders, jointer, power dust collector, etc. but no lathe. I do have my grand-dad's "Homecraft' lathe. I did use it - about 60 years ago as a boy in my Dad's workshop. It has been dormant for a few decades now. Debating the idea of restoring this 1940ish antique lathe, or buying a new one. Probably a midi. The Craftex like yours is on the short list, but so is a Rikon and a Laguna. Maybe even a King Industrial. (Noticed that was not on your chart). I am in Alberta, appreciate Canadian RUclipsrs when I find them. Just stumbled on your channel, will be checking out your other videos. Any opinion on the wisdom of restoring a 80 yr old lathe vs buying a new one. The old lathe looks like it is all there, it's about an 11-x 37 sized lathe. I have 'restored' a few of grand dads tools - but handtools, a nice old vice, long metal clamps, etc. Tried restoring a drill press but found a major crack in the cast iron, do no think it would be safe to use. I am worried about the safety of antique machines. Have an old Rockwood Radial Arm saw on the to-restore list too. ... but have table saws and mitre saws - so no rush.
How's the turning goin?
Hey great video. I've been watching Mike for years. I live in Canada too and it's really not an easy hobby to get into in this country. I've got a video on my channel to get into it as cheaply as possible through amazon. And I really like this type of video with a guest speaker. Again super great video!
Glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing that. Scott
Great video. Two knowledgeable gentlemen regarding Lathes. I am buying a used Jet 1236 and I have not touched a Lathe since high School, but always wanted one. The Jet has good reviews for the 1236 and I will cut my teeth on this Lathe. Now to figure out want tools to buy for the Lathe.
Sounds like you're starting a fun adventure. There's a good book by AAW called Getting Started in Wood Turning that you might find helpful amzn.to/40zDjpp
@@HomeImprovementWoodworking Thank you I will check it out. Since both my military service connected disability and my upgrade in woodworking equipment to larger machines. (Better and Safer) I have been somewhat intimidated or worried about injury. Adding a lathe with it's own inherent safety concerns means that I have to be more diligent when using the equipment and take into account my disability. I am hoping to make some very beautiful pieces of wood working. I looked at the Powermatic Lathe 3520C and the 4224B but the guy at the store told me to start with a good used one from Jet because woodturning is not for everyone and if I am not going to turn bowls and only spindles then the Powermatic's are overkill. I even looked at a Nova unit. Very impressive . So I am purchasing from a government auction a used Jet 1236 and If I don't like it I can always pass it onto another woodworker that will use it to make art with. Again thank you for the link and thank you for the video. I have subscribed and will tune in time to time to see how it is done.
Really enjoyed the video. Always wanted to purchase a wood lathe. One of the things which held me back is finding sources of wood to turn. Finding bowl blanks are extremely expensive and not something I would want to practice on. I live in Canada and most of the places that sell wood for turning don’t offer reasonable prices. You could spend $30-50 CAD for a small 8” blank.
Have you tried turning the blanks from green wood? If you're able to find wood from freshly fallen trees, that is the cheapest way to source wood... but there's also a long waiting process for the drying too. Thanks for watching and subscribing! Scott
You can face glue wood together for turning to get the size you plan on turning. I don't turn wet woods. I do glue different wood together for additional aesthetics, and segmented turning.
Very helpful and I really liked the interview format.
Thank you Michael. I appreciate you giving us your thoughts on the format. I was optimistic this new format would technically work, but I wasn't sure how viewers would react to it. Thanks. Scott
I really liked the interviews format with the exchange of information. Very good.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this style of video. Scott
Fantastic video. I learned from both of you. Thanks! 😃
Glad it was helpful! Cheers. Scott
I like the communicarion with other pros.
Thank you for the feedback! Scott
Very good format.
Glad you think so! Thank you for sharing that. Scott
More of these interviews I also liked the session with Thomas Johnson antique furniture restoration
Thanks Fatar. If you have any recommendations, feel free to send them along. Scott
Great video Scott. Its nice to see you do a video with the lathe that you purchased from me. I'm addicted to wood turning and just bought a new 18" craftex which can handle big segmented bowls. I'm still using the 3M mask that you gave me and thanks again. I've watch many videos from Mike as well. Keep the videos coming.
Hey Spencer! That's so cool that you're seeing your old lathe in our video! I'm making good use of it and have repaired a few pieces of furniture using it on our other RUclips channel called Fixing Furniture. I'm happy with the purchase and will post my tool reviews of the CBN grinding wheel and Wolverine grinding jig in the coming weeks. Let's keep in touch! Scott
Hi Spencer. I have a special project I'm working on and wondered if you're interested in chatting about a RUclips appearance. If so, we can chat about ideas. You can email me from my channel page ruclips.net/user/HomeImprovementWoodworkingabout
It was very interesting
Thank you Daniel. I appreciate you sharing your feedback. Scott
I do enjoy interview type format if it's informative. The interview on safety is always important. You did touch on the start up costs after a lathe purchase but not the extra cost in accessories available. You didn't really explain the differences between Mini/Midi/larger lathe or the rough costs between them. I've been looking at Shopsmith lathe for a while now. Last week just got a Rikon 70-220VSR lathe. Also just purchased $500 in chucks and accessories. next month I plan on ordering another $500 in accessories to give me more options in turning. My emphasis is on segmented turning. Will be looking forward to your future videos.
Thank you for the feedback Richard. That's helpful. Yes, the accessories can vary depending on what you're looking to turn. Rikon have a good reputation. How do you like it so far? Scott
@@HomeImprovementWoodworking I like the lathe a lot. It's all I expected and more. I got it because of the features: 1 hp, 3 1/2" ram travel (the only midi lathe with this amount of quill travel), reverse, 12 1/2" diameter capacity, indexing, 20" centers without a bed extension (extension would make 44" between centers) and 5yr warranty. It's the largest size of the eight midi lathes I've compared . Jet would have been the only other lathe close to it, but only a 2 1/4" ram, and Jet is $100 more expensive.
Great video, looking at Rikon 70-220 VSR from Lee Valey or CSA CX803 Craftex CX Series from Busy Bee Tools, any advice
Rikon is a better quality than Craftex. If it's a long-term purchase I would choose the Rikon. If you're trying out turning for the first time, you may want to go with a cheaper lathe to see if it's something you want to do long term. My 2 cents. I hope it's helpful. Scott
@@HomeImprovementWoodworking I ended up getting the Rikon 1 hp Midi Lathe (70-150VSR), so far I am very happy with it, just learning and playing with it now. Right now it is set up in the mid range 430-1450 RPM, the next level is 950 - 3200, for a beginner should I leave it as is....thanks
Yes every body. Talks about the lathe machine and everything else but no prices. They forget or they think is not important. And in this days I think is very important
The reason prices typically aren't discussed on RUclips is because viewers are from around the world. Prices are different in the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, etc. It isn't relevant when talking to a global audience. For new prices, check out your local tool stores. For used prices, look at paying 40-60% of the retail value. I hope that helps. Scott
You got Mike. Can’t go wrong. Lol
Yeah, he's a great guy! Very knowledgeable
No mention of Chucks! they are not included in the lathe package and are expensive for a good one!
That'll be because they're something you can mostly work around not having, they're not required for "getting started".
@@beardyface8492 Agree David, but still, if you are more interested in bowl turning an essential ,and expensive bit of kit. Surely worth a mention, no?
@@stevenmalby2502 Bowls can be turned using a faceplate, much cheaper, & usually supplied, somewhat less convenient but doable. Plenty of videos out there on how. Chucks are an expensive convenience, not an absolute essential.
@@beardyface8492 Ok David Thanks for that i'll check them out (videos that is)
One of the best and most versatile lathe if you can afford it go big and stay away from CHINA JUNK this includes POWERMATIC.