General Category > General Discussion
Does it exist?
Bill21:
--- Quote from: The Bowler Hatted Turner on July 26, 2021, 09:18:23 AM ---
Now a note to any manufacturers that me be lurking on these pages,WE DO NOT NEED GADGETS AND GIZMOS, WE NEED GOOD SOLID RELIABLE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT ARE SIMPLE TO USE AND ARE A PLEASURE TO HANDLE.not too much to ask is it?
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What are these gadgets and gizmos on modern lathes that you find so objectionable?
Twisted Trees:
--- Quote from: The Bowler Hatted Turner on July 26, 2021, 09:18:23 AM ---WE DO NOT NEED GADGETS AND GIZMOS, WE NEED GOOD SOLID RELIABLE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT THAT ARE SIMPLE TO USE AND ARE A PLEASURE TO HANDLE.not too much to ask is it?
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Personally I feel that variable speed is no longer a luxury but a safety feature that we should all have, not exactly new, been commonly available since at least the 1990's Mine is a simple 2 belt system with variable speed ranges of 50 - 1250 rpm and 150 - 3750 rpm if I want to turn a bowl at 500 - 600 rpm it is great that when first mounting it I can start it at 50rpm and bring the speed up gradually. Solid and reliable yes obviously, but some improvements over the 1930's designs are appreciated.
The Bowler Hatted Turner:
Bill some lathes control the speed by two plates that form a vee getting closer together or further apart. This is supposed to change the diameter of the "top pulley" therby altering the speed.I have many cases where this system has not performed as it should. I have also seen people experiencing problems lining up the head on a lathe after it has been rotated to make a bowl. There has also recently been evidence of broken tool rest and banjos because they have either been poorly made or poorly designed.
There is a well known manufacturer of lathes, whose name I will not mention here, but ask any professional turner who have used them to demonstrate on and they will tell you that they are a load of (enter some expletive of your choice here) the headstock never lines up with the tailstock correctly. The daft thing is all people want is a good reliable machine, I realise some of the designs are cost driven but just put in fixed pulleys and either install a decent locking system for rotating heads or don't bother with them at all.
I turn every single day of the week and do it all on a Union graduate lathe. I have raised it up by 4" to suit my height and I admit that I have variable speed but that is what my particular lathe came with, but I do still change speed by moving the belt.
The greatest thing aprospective woodturner can do to improve his skills is to spend time at the lathe jus making stuff over and over again.
Bill21:
--- Quote from: The Bowler Hatted Turner on July 26, 2021, 06:55:23 PM ---Bill some lathes control the speed by two plates that form a vee getting closer together or further apart. This is supposed to change the diameter of the "top pulley" therby altering the speed.I have many cases where this system has not performed as it should. I have also seen people experiencing problems lining up the head on a lathe after it has been rotated to make a bowl.
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What you describe is commonly called a Reeves Drive. Axminster and many other manufacturers have been selling these for many years. There are two main issues with them, both down to the operator. The moving parts inside the head (easily accessed) need regular cleaning and lubricating. The other issue is that you should never try to move the speed control without the lathe running.
Rotating heads are quite common on larger lathes. It’s a poor idea in my opinion but many buyers seem to want the feature. Lining up the head after moving it is not difficult with the right tool, once again a degree of operator error or lack of knowledge?
https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-lathe-alignment-centre-2mt-102427
I agree with TT about speed control. It is very handy to have, as is reverse.
Derek:
I am still running my green CL3 which has belt change, there has been the very odd occasion that an intermediate speed between the belt set speeds is needed but at the end of the day I have managed without any problems and after a while I found that changing the belts on the pulleys takes but a few seconds certainly less than a minute. I did dispense of the silly allan bolt to open the cover to reach these and replaced it with one that has a plastic knob and can be undone by hand rather than hunt for a key.
I have on order a larger workshop as well as some large pieces of machinery(Large for me) and did think about replacing my lathe for a bright modern lathe with Variable speed and the latest thread sizes but went against it as the present lathe does everything that I want.
I will be selling an Axminster mini lathe soon which has variable speed but as of this very moment have not thought about how much and when because of all the work that I am doing in the upgrade(This is also the reason I have not produced much lately)
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