No ‘turner’ or ‘carver’ here.. I do have a very small wood lathe.. I Have worked many different size/grade metal lathes but they are far different from wood lathes.. I mostly worked with metal Mills and Grinders of many types.. And welding metals…
I have a question.. I’m old and will probably froget what I posted..
For a change in life, I was thinking of gettin’ into a wood lathe.. I was thinking about a http://www.grizzly.com/products/Wood-Lathe-With-Digital-Readout/G0462 from Grizzly…
I wonder about what ‘added’ items I REALLY need? 3 or 4 jaw chuck? Cast iron or animinun face plate? And then again I will need tools that cost more than than the wood lathe? I think cast iron could hold down virbrations?
Opinions?
Replies
IMHO, Digital RPM inticator is an expensive, unnecessary gimick. I turn quite a bit and sure don't need any speed indicator.
Face plate and 4 jaw scrolling chucks, yes to both if you plan on turning any bowls. Bowls can be done without the chuck, but it sure makes life easy, and some super purists HATE the look of the dovetail on the bottom of a bowl. All personal preference.
IMHO, Digital RPM inticator is an expensive, unnecessary gimick.
Maybe but I have used one all my working life (When they had them.. Before it was a strobe flash?)
I did not think of the digital speed readout at all. I liked the moveable head.
Speed
When turning, to me that is, it's all about "feel" and results. Naturally large OD pieces need to be run slower because of centrifugal force and the inches per second of material the is being cut, while to obtain the same inches per second,smaller pieces need to be run faster. But then again, on bowls, you don't want to be running a large bowl at warp speed. You have to slow down your feed rate as you near the smaller diameters to obtain the same quality of cut. Like I said it's all about feel.
Bruce and others..
I was not thinking on how to use the wood lathe... I was thinking more about what added items I would really need for it.
They have 3 and 4 jaw chucks... and iron and aluminum face plates.. I think iron is the best because of weight and acts more like a flywheel.. Etc...
Agree with added weight. I have both Cast and machined steel face plates.
And..
And the advantages of a three or four jaw chuck?
advantages
I have a four jawed chuck. It has the advantage of easily grasping square stock very securely or stock that has a multiple of four sides.
It might be helpful to view as many turning videos as you can before making a purchasing decision. You'll see what's involved in spindle and chuck turning, and what capabilities you might want. There are so many options in just 4 jaw chucks it can be difficult to predict in advance what may be valuable. If your local library doesn't have such videos, get a few that show both types of turning on a variety of projects, to get the most general picture.
You might also be able to get some exposure to some of the options by taking a couple turning classes, before making a major purchase.
A long time ago I bought the big Oneway Stronghold 4 jaw chuck and liked it a lot. It is massive. I see now that they are going for about $300. At one time they were state of the art chucks, I think, but I have not kept up withe latest in turning tools and equipment. But you kinda need to know what you will be turning. As for vibration, I built a heavy bench for my lathe with particle board for the core mass of the slabs faced with maple and tempered board, but the heart of the weight is the big hollow beam stretcher filled with sand. Once the lathe is bolted on you can't even lift one end of the table.
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