I am in the market for a new full sized Lathe. My basic criteria is 2 Hp motor, variable speed and cast iron pieces and parts. For now my interest is in bowl turning with some furniture parts. So versatility is important. I have been considering the English made lathe Record Power Regent as it meets my criteria plus it is on sale through February. Does anyone have experience with this Lathe or other thoughts. Record has been in the Lathe business for a long while and is coming into the US market thus the sale price.
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Replies
I own a general Canadian made 260 lathe and find 1 hp to be plenty of power, if I had to go bigger I would go with Oneway, also made in Canada.
Yes Oneway makes great Lathes but over $5000 before shipping is out of the question for me. I am looking in the $2500 to $3000 range.
I understand but this lathe is half the weight of mine and I could use more weight, not hp, to tackle large odd shaped bowls.
You do point out one concern I have about the Record Lathe its weight. Jet makes a similar Lathe which is a hundred pounds heavier and just a little more cost. A bowl turner friend of mine bought a Nova Lathe which walked across the floor due to low weight. He solved the problem by putting the legs in 5 gallon plastic buckets and filling the buckets with concrete. No more walking Lathe and he is happy with his Lathe.
Is that $5,000 Canadian? With the exchange on our dollars it might put it in your range.
For the exchange rate as of 12-12-2023 multiple the Canadian cost of the machinery by .7375 to get the US dollar cost.
for instance 5,000 x .7353 = $3,676.50
General stopped making Lathes a few years ago. It is unfortunate since they made great equipment. They mostly sold to vocational schools which has dwindled unfortunately.
I have the Powermatic lathe and use it for segmented bowl turning and legs. I really like it.
Thanks out of my price range however. They make great machines and share lots with Jet. Both owned by the same company.
I cannot comment on the Regent, however, I bought a Record Herald (midi) for my #2 lathe about a year ago. My primary machine is a Oneway 1640. I find the Record is good value for the money and I would choose it again over the Taiwanese/ China made machines.
You will find the swiveling head a convenient feature as well.
I could easily recommend a dozen other machines over the Record if price is no object, but in your stated range I think you are on the right track.
Good luck. I bought mine from the Woodturning Store in NY and it shipped free.
Rob
Last summer I got a Laguna 18/36, 220V model. It's 2HP, with electronic speed control. Weighs in at around 400 lbs. The electronic speed control converts to 3-phase power as well. I'm very happy with it. I've done some largish bowls (12" diameter) from logs I cut off fallen trees and it handles that fine; the speed control helps you dial in exactly the right speeds to avoid vibration. It just keeps turning. Banjo and tool rest are decent. Haven't yet tried out the indexing system. It's cheaper than the Powermatic -- you can get it for just under three grand. Can't comment on durability, but so far, I'm quite pleased and it's a huge upgrade from the Jet 12/36 I used to have.
Since cast iron was one of your requirements, I should add that it's a combination of cast iron (motor housing, legs) and steel (the ways). I can't see a downside to that, but YMMV.
Thanks for the information.
I purchased a Harvey T-60 (24X48) last summer and am in love with it. Current retail is $5,000 but check it every day because they put all their stuff on sale constantly. If you sign up to receive their email alerts you will get 2-3 every day but that is where they announce what is on sale. I got mine for $4,000. I can't imagine any other being a great deal better. Weighs in right at 800#.
I am not a very experienced turner, so take this with a grain of salt. I bought a Grizzly G0462-16" x 46" lathe a few years ago and it generally works well. However the handle on the tailstock is plastic and strips out if you put any force behind turning it. Otherwise, it runs smoothly, and weight has not been a problem as I mounted a low shelf on it where I store a bunch of lead pigs I keep in the shop for weighing down things that require some serious weight. I have only used it for turning spindles, have not turned any bowls, so I can't comment on that. I only do a small amount of turning (spindles for chairs, tool handles, etc), so this works fine for me. If I was going to do a lot of turning, I would probably invest in a Oneway... or other premium tool.
I have to ask. Are they actually lead pigs or did you mean to type lead plugs? I really want there to be a world were people have a stash of lead shaped like pigs to weigh things down.
Pig lead and pig iron refers to ingots of unrefined metal, and are usually just simple bar shapes. They were the first stage before refining into more pure forms.
Though now I'm getting a big kick out of imagining whimsical pig shapes.
That's not as fun as I wanted it to be. Useful I'm sure, but not fun.
I like your way better
I have a set of lead ducks, actually look more like whales, with a bent nail in front, used for fairing curves. I don't know where the name came from, I think they were used in shipbuilding.
Good grief.
Considering your budget this might not be of use but I built a lathe from parts. I purchased parts and pieces of a Delta 1460 from Ebay. $75 for the head stock, $125 for the tailstock, $50 for new bearings, 2x6s and angle iron to make the base and stand. I had a motor lying around which burned up. Spent another $175 for a 1hp motor. Put together a banjo and rest by welding up various pieces. Frankenlathe.