lathes and the newbie.......

[poppajoe]

 :)hi, guys, new to woodturning so go easy on me started turning a few weeks ago and bought a myford ml8. old machine i know, but had heard good reports on them. my experience with the ml8 hasn't been good trouble with motor. i was doing more messing about with it than turning. so its up for sale as spares or repair if anyone is interested. all that said ive been out today and purchased an axminster trade AT1016VS midi Lathe chuck chisels everything i need to get me going. any views on these lathes. cheers.

[GBF]

What good would views on this lathe be now you have already bought it.
People should get advise before they spend money not after .As it is you have bought a good lathe so that was lucky

Regards George

[fuzzyturns]

Welcome to the forum, poppajoe!
The ML8 is a very solid machine, and I believe it would be well worth fixing it. If you can afford it, you might want to hang on to it, as you will always be able to sell it for a good price once it's fixed.
The Axminster lathes are all good quality, you just need to understand that the hobby lathes are not made for trade use, and the trade lathes are not made for professional use. I've never used the 1016VS (as far as I can recall), but I have used the bigger sister, the AT1416VS, and that is a very nice lathe, probably the best value for money in its market segment.

[poppajoe]

thanks for the replies guys, i did look into the axminster before buying i was just wondering what other people thought of them, i have thought about replacing the motor on the ml8 and i may well end up doing that. it runs but sometimes it just jams and emits a loud humming noise. if i give it an helping hand by manually spinning the chuck it will start. its a parkinson crompton induction motor, i changed the start capacitor but it still has the same problem. anyway look forward to getting to know you all and hopefully pick up some tips along the way. i'll be having a good day with the axminster tomorrow.i'll let you know how i get on. cheers guys. have a good day.

[poppajoe]

oh, and.....thanks for the welcome fuzzyturns and your views on both lathes. much appreciated.

[edbanger]

Hi poppajoe

Welcome to the world of woodturning and the forum.

The Aximinster trade lathes are a good solid piece of kit and should serve you well.

My advice for the next step is to book a lesson with a experience woodturner and join a woodturning club you will find a list for both on the AWGB site.

Enjoy your woodturning and stay safe.

All the best

Ed

[Paul Hannaby]

If the motor has a centrifugal switch, it's worth checking the contacts are clean and are making contact.

[poppajoe]

morning guys, thanks for the welcome edbanger and advice, hi paul thanks for the advice, although i did forget to mention that i had checked the centrifugal switch and cleaned the contacts and it did seem to run better for a short period until the dreaded loud humming and no movement came back again....!! ive looked at centrrfugal switches online but cant find one the same as mine. i probably will get round to fixing at some point but for now at least ive got my axminster to keep me occupied. thanks again guys and have a good day.

[julcle]

Hi Poppajoe and welcome to the forum, I was just going to echo the comments of the others. The beauty of the ML8 is that the motor hangs underneath the lathe on a swinging plate so just about any motor will fit and run with it so no don't get rid of it you will probably want to get a second machine at a later date and the ML8 may well fit the bill. Don't take this the wrong way but if you need to look up the workings of the motor on the web you probably don't know enough to fix it reliably, I am sure one of your club members will be able to help you. I think that most clubs have a electrician in their membership. Happy Turning  --  Julian

[poppajoe]

hi julian, thanks for your input much appreciated, and thanks for the welcome, i think you're right, ive gone as far as i think i can go with it, i have decided to hang on to it and probably will sort another motor out for it in the future. its doing no harm sitting in the corner of my workshop and listening and taking on board what other turners have said about it being a good and very solid machine as made my mind up to keep it. thanks again. have a good day.

[GEDWOOD]

 ;)Hi Poppa Joe. If your new to turning I hope you've got yourself booked on a course apart from being taught how to turn correctly your teacher should tell you all about the safety aspects which is highly important. Its not just the obvious dangers of spinning wood sharp tools etc. but the dangers you cant see ie wood dust some of the exotic woods out there are highly dangerous is dust foeso are some of the man made boards such as MDF.As a newby I would recommend a book called "A Foundation Course in Woodturning by Keith Rowley it covers all the basic techniques and general rules it also comes with it's own dvd which shows you all the basics another good DVD is from a Time served turner call Ray Jones  I think itscallled A basic course in spidle turning He also does one called a basic course in bowel turning both are excellent and Ray is a superb craftsman Enjoy your turning and if I can help at all don't hesitate to ask Yours sincerely Ged Meager. Ray Jones sells his DVDS direct. 

[poppajoe]

hi gedwood, thanks for the welcome, thanks for the advice i'll take it all onboard, i'll also look into the books and dvd's you mentioned.  thanks again. have a good day.

[Wood spinner]

Ho Poppajoe

Welcome to the forum , My advice would be sell the ML8 very old now , concentrate on your new lathe and get some practice in , As above if you have a local club go along and join in , You have just started a wonderful journey , This turning lark is addictive and absorbing

Have fun and ask any questions even if you think they are silly