Author Topic: Best Lathe Under £1000  (Read 7029 times)

Offline GeordieTurner

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Best Lathe Under £1000
« on: February 20, 2019, 04:37:32 PM »
Would welcome some opinions and advice on a new lathe for under £1000. Looking at Axminster AC355WL (£500), Record Power DML320 (£600) and possibly Record Power Herald Coronet (£1000). Which one is the best choice for reliability, features and secondhand value? Any alternatives? Thanks everyone

Offline Rutland

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Re: Best Lathe Under £1000
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2019, 10:58:18 AM »
I have sent you a private message

Offline Simon_M

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Re: Best Lathe Under £1000
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2019, 12:18:20 AM »
My vote goes to the Record Power Herald Coronet...

If you ask 20 woodturners they will each give you 20 different answers based upon their own needs. To know what is best for you, you have to say what you want it for - that's also difficult to answer if you are starting out? You could pick any of them and not be disappointed. Both Axminster and Record offer good products with good guarantees.

There is a video by Andrew Hall - who demos on a Coronet lathe - it's interesting to watch and it lasts about 50 minutes. He's a professional woodturner and has some good things to say. It's interesting that the video is not really a review (he says some good things about the lathe) but rather it's mostly about how you do the project and he could probably have made it on any of the three lathes.

The Coronet lathe is interesting (for me) because it's the only one of the three that has a head that swivels. When turning a bowl it can be an advantage to move the head 25-30 degrees away from the direction of the tailstock which makes for a more relaxed turning position. It can be used to make bigger stuff but I think the benefit is for being more relaxed and not being awkward.

The Coronet lathe is offered with free legs at the moment. Unless you only plan to use it on a good bench then also having good legs to stand it on is worthwhile. The point I was trying to make is the capacity of each isn't so very different and what you might spend within the first year overall might not vary as much as you think when only looking at the purchase price of the lathe.

The Coronet ticks the boxes for things like - if the belt needed changing can it be done without disassembling the machine (yes). Can the headstock be rotated for comfort - (yes). Is the swing big enough e.g. 12"-14" (yes it's 14"). Can I buy a bed extension at a later date (yes). Is there a stand available/included (yes).
« Last Edit: March 23, 2019, 08:20:17 PM by Simon_M »

Offline alex_heney

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Re: Best Lathe Under £1000
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2019, 12:43:00 AM »

FWIW I'm not biased, because I have two Axminster lathes but recommend the Record one. My second choice would be for the Axminster one and in fact I looked at one last week and it's difficult to fault it IMHO. I use my chuck all the time and the range and versatility of accessories e.g. C jaw etc. is very important - this investment continues even when you change the lathe. So matching what you might do and comparing the chuck as a system and not just one expense is something to consider. I would stick with Axminster for this because I think their range of options is more extensive, YMMV. The same chuck can be used on any of these lathes.

Hope that helps...

You can of course use any chuck with the right thread for your spindle (and you can get adaptors for most). So you don't really need to think of buying the Axminster because you like the Axminster chuck. And in fact that particular Axminster has the slightly less common M33 x 3.5 spindle.

I looked at both the Axminster AC355L and the RP DML320, but then actually bought the Axminster AC370WL. A bit bigger than the 355, and with a swivelling head, but cheaper because it has mechanical variable speed rather than electronic (but with 10 steps, that seems good enough to me at the moment). And though it came with legs, I am using it bench mounted. And it has the 1"x8tpi spindle that is more common, so easier to find chucks to fit.

Offline Simon_M

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Re: Best Lathe Under £1000
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2019, 01:24:23 AM »
Alex, I agree 100% The AC370WL is a really good lathe and it has the advantage that it can turn long spindles too. Capacity is 14" x 40". My first lathe was an earlier model of the same lathe.

Some purists would argue that having individual speeds e.g. a 5 speed lathe is somehow "better" however this ignores the simple fact that sometimes you want to start slow before turning up the speed (for safety) and also because a belt change won't be as simple.
 
The legs are also very good. They are made of pressed steel and make it first rate to use without taking up bench space. Cast iron is supposed to be better for legs but for included in a package they are perfect - you should try them?

The biggest problem with the AC370WL/AWVSL1000 is only that it's not on the list of three lathes mentioned for consideration. Otherwise it has lots going for it.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2019, 08:15:23 PM by Simon_M »

Offline Wood spinner

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Re: Best Lathe Under £1000
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2019, 05:46:29 PM »
I viewed the Andrew Hall video and could hear the lathe slowing during the cutting more so on the outer rim work , It does look rather lightweight for a £1k lathe

If you buy used you could buy a £2K lathe for £1K , be selective and bide your time a bargain will turn up  :)