Replies

1. 
   rob_ss | Jul 04, 2023 03:52am | #1

   Pretty much any lathe will be good for spindles, as long as the bed is long enough. Most full sized lathes can turn them fine. Some have bed extensions. Don't forget you will lose some length for the tailstock and the drive spur.
   You will need a steady rest to support the work (or a lot of skill and hands made of leather) and a long tool rest. You can make the latter with some bolts, wood and angle iron and the former with some old inline skate wheels.

   I turn spindles almost exclusively with a skew chisel because it's fast and leaves a good surface. A 1/2" spindle gouge is also nice to have for deeper coves as coves with a skew are not easy.

   You will also need a spur drive and a live centre (cup type is most useful for spindles, but I use a simple point because I'm cheap) A centre finder is also nice, and really easy to make.

   Lathes are very basic woodwork tools - most will do everything you need them to do, but like sanders, some will be nicer to use than others. The bargain basement options are usually a poor choice. Power is very rarely a consideration. Most lathes are 300-500W (0.4 to 0.75 HP) and though no-one ever wished for a less powerful lathe, more is rarely needed. If you are bogging it down you are either doing it wrong, or already know all the answers to this question and more!

   2MT tapered hole in both head and tailstock. I would not buy without this feature.

   Through hole in headstock. This allows easier removal of drives and use of vacuum chucks later if desired. I'd reject a lathe without this personally but it's not essential

   Make sure that whatever pitch the headstock is threaded you can get a nova insert to match it. This makes using chucks much easier and cheaper. M30 or 1 1/4 x 8 are the best to get as you can easily get accessories with these sizes. Mine is 1 x 12 which is a pain, but not enough of a pain to have a sleeve machined for it!

   Variable speed. It's a pain to change belts. I use a 1940s vintage Walker Turner with a reeves drive variable speed and that's fine. Digital drive lathes are better but a Reeves drive is fine too - you can't change speed unless it's running which can be terrifying if you forgot and you have a big chunk of wood on the lathe.

   lever lock banjo is lovely - my WT has been upgraded to use one and it's way better than using a spanner.

   Reverse is a nice feature. I do miss not having that, but it's far from essential.
   If you want to turn huge platters, you will need a rotating head and outboard tool rest.

   A stand is very nice to have. They can of course be shop made, but you want to turn, not make stands...

   Somewhere to put chisels. A bucket is generally favoured, but my preference is a magnet strip on the wall.

1. 
   user-234495 | Jul 04, 2023 04:39pm | #4

   Wow,thank you that input I should pay you for!
   I appreciate it.

2. 
   pantalones868 | Jul 04, 2023 04:13am | #2

   I would look for an old Delta or a Powermatic. On older used lathes parts can be difficult to obtain. Even for some of the newer machines that can be a problem. All the old companies have been sold and sold again and the new owners don't seem to be interested in supporting the machines manufactured from before their acquisition. That is true for Delta as well but a Delta would be my choice because they were a pretty good lathe ,particularly during the Rockwell era ,and were affordable at the time. Consequently there are alot of them and lots of aftermarket or good used parts are available. You can pick up a 11 " or 12" Delta lathe, solid cast iron and cast iron base and all for a couple hundred dollars on Craigslist or someplace like that. After you buy the lathe then of course there's the stuff --and there is endless stuff that can quickly mount up to more than even the cost of a expensive new lathe. Often when you purchase a used lathe it can come with accessories, chisels etc. Look for one with a steady rest, you'll want one for spindle turning. Lathes attract a lot of people that think they want to do it as a hobby and then don't do it much. The lathe gets pushed back into a corner and after a few decades they decide to get rid of it. As a result under the rusty pattena there is a very good almost unused machine.

1. 
   user-234495 | Jul 04, 2023 04:41pm | #5

   Thank you very much this info is very helpful.

3. 
   ysu65 | Jul 04, 2023 06:50am | #3

   I have the Walker-Turner, just use if for spindles. Belt drive but it has a simple change, reduce tension, move belt, increase tension, takes 10 seconds. Spot on using skews, learn how to use them on scrap wood, they leave a nice finish when doe right. Learn how to sharpen stuff. If you drift into bowls, whole different requirements.

1. 
   user-234495 | Jul 04, 2023 04:41pm | #6

   Thank you for your thoughts.