General Category > General Discussion
what's your dream lathe?
bodrighywood:
The argument is always that you can turn small things on a big lathe but not big things on a small lathe. Steve's dream Wadkin for example can be used to turn dolls house furniure but also pillars for a full sized house. There's one next door and it is not only big but also damned difficult to get parts. Had to have a chuck made for it for example. There will always be a better lathe than the one we have but in the meantime I'll carry on making the most of the ones I have.
Pete
Mark Hancock:
I have it and it fulfills all of Paul's requirement, a Magma Titan 315G ;D
The Bowler Hatted Turner:
Instead of wishing my life away by dreaming of things I will never be able to afford I adapt my turnings to what my lathe is capable of doing. I have a graduate, much better than many of the modern machines. It is nicely run in , everything slides easily and it is still accurate. It has variable speed with no loss of torque, at least none that you would notice. It is nice an quiet when running and I can still get spares should I need them. It is bolted down to 3 tons of concrete so very rarely is there any vibration. So no I would not change my lathe even if I had a choice, now the size of workshop is a completely different kettle of fish.
Wood spinner:
--- Quote from: Paul Hannaby on June 24, 2019, 05:52:26 PM ---When you consider a lathe is just there to spin a piece of wood while you poke sharp things at it there are many permutations available and I'm not sure there is one machine I would call a dream lathe. Some lathes have useful features which I think are useful and some have negative aspects I would rather avoid!
If I was buying a lathe this is what I would want it to have -
Large capacity in diameter and length
Adequate power from the motor
Minimum footprint to achieve the above
Electronic variable speed
Outboard turning capability
Precise and consistent headstock / tailstock alignment
Vibration damping or at least enough mass for it not to be a problem
Common spindle thread
Hollow spindle and quill
Zero play wear free bearings
Minimal maintenance
Durable finish
Easily adjustable height
Multiple indexing ranges
What I would avoid -
Bespoke / complex electronics which may not be supported in the future.
Useless gimmicks
Mechanical variable speed
Weak quill extension/retraction
As you can see I don't want much! ;D
--- End quote ---
Paul , Your requirements are a Magma Titan 400 ;D
Jaffa:
Hi am new to site looking for advice on which lathe to buy for a beginner thanks
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