Can anyone give me some wood turning lathe advice?

[humdrum_hostage]

I would like to get a wood lathe. Nothing too expensive but a don't want a cheap piece of junk. Can anyone give me any pointers or advice on good lathes? Budget is around £500 and would prefer it's on a stand.
I have looked on eBay over the last few weeks but nothing too local and I am worried I may buy something with parts missing.

Thanks in advance

Chris

 

[Kepis]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/machinery/lathes/woodturning-lathes

 

[slimshady]

I agree that Axminster would be better than Sealey / Clarke offerings from Machine-Mart, etc. Nearest Axminster is Sittingbourne, quite a trek.
Depending on knowledge / skills have a look at Joining UK Workshop who have a turning section , and will give honest advice to all.
They also have a sale page (unsure if allowed to add link)., but easily found.
Other than that , any local Turning clubs would also be a good starting point. I'm local to Toolpost(Didcot, Oxfordshire) and they have several open days.

Alex.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I bought my lathe about 20 years ago from a fellow who had done the "Country Show" circuit and was packing it all in - I met him at a few shows and made an offer for his lathe and a few tools to get me started. I can't remember how much I gave him, though it was something like £100 rather than the £500 you have available.

I think with a little patience and cunning you should get yourself a tidy turning set for that sort of money.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[5teep]

Can't advise on what to get but I'll third Axminster as a supplier.

 

[Snake]

I would advise this one from axminister http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-awvsl1000-woodturning-lathe-501268 I have had a similar model for years and it has never let me down.

When you look at this lathe it is more of less the same as the 3 machine mart sell, I found this when I bought mine, I would gess they are all made in the same factory, you are just paying for the name and colour you prefer, take a not of the dimensions and capacities and spend some time with google and you may find it cheaper still, just bare in mind that the lathe is only the starting point as for cost, you will still need tooling and work holding equipment, most lathes only come as standard with centres.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

As usual, thanks for the help and advice, guys.

 

[mr dazzler]

what are you planning on turning? if you want to do bowls, you will need plenty of depth of swing over the bed, and extra power, a decent chuck system and plenty of face plates. If you want to do long spindles you will need a long bed and a steady. If you are doing pens and miniatures you can use a mini lathe. I have owned an old record mini lathe for around 20 years (made in sheffield not china) It is great for doing fishing lures , although I have stretched it to the limit and managed to turn 12 inch bowls on it. It has a solid cast iron bed rather than 2 steel tubes or solid rods to rest the all cast iron headstock and tailstock on. The bearings are still good after all these years. I mounted mine on a bench that has 3 or 4 bags of gravel inside to reduce viberations.
You can get a good ebay deal on record power lathes. For lathe turning tools, its a fact that anything less than Robert sorby are not worth the time, the cheap chinese "lathe tools" are good for mixing paints thats about it. I do virtually all my turning now with just 3 main tools-3/4 inch roughing gouge, 3/4 inch skew and 1/2 inch bedan, with 2 bowl gouges for bowls when I do a few.

 

[Herbalist1]

I would advise this one from axminister http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-hobby-series-awvsl1000-woodturning-lathe-501268 I have had a similar model for years and it has never let me down.

When you look at this lathe it is more of less the same as the 3 machine mart sell, I found this when I bought mine, I would gess they are all made in the same factory, you are just paying for the name and colour you prefer, take a not of the dimensions and capacities and spend some time with google and you may find it cheaper still, just bare in mind that the lathe is only the starting point as for cost, you will still need tooling and work holding equipment, most lathes only come as standard with centres.

Thats the one I've got and it is a good, versatile machine - long enough for serious spindle work, enough depth for bowls and a swivel headstock for faceplate turning larger pieces. Bear in mind though that this does take up a fair bit of space (you might not need a lathe this size depending what you want to turn) and is very heavy (which is a good thing for stability but does make assembly a two person job) - but it is a lot of machine for the money.

Good luck getting sorted and happy turning.