AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Tool tips & reviews => Topic started by: JWCT on June 03, 2020, 08:54:28 AM
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My new lathe has arrived , here's my first initial impressions.
The lathe was very well packaged and heavier than I thought or maybe it's just me getting older and not as strong as I used to be. Putting it together was a breeze but I needed help with lifting. The lathe is compact without being lightweight and all the castings are substantial.
The lathe is nicely finished and all parts machined to a very high standard, the headstock, tailstock and banjo slide and move very smoothly. The bedways are almost mirror smooth.
The motor is whisper quiet whith only being slightly louder at the highest speeds so the neighbours will have nothing to complain about late at night.
My only gripe so far is that the access door to the pulleys is opened and closed whith a caphead screw, a knurled thumb screw would be better and no need for an allen key. The bed extension will be delivered in due course and will be used for outboard turning.
When I have some time I will upload a few pictures
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When I looked at the range at the Exeter show I was impressed with the finish on these machines. If I may make a suggestion, get some machine wax if you don’t have some already and go over the entire machine with it. It will help to protect the paintwork making your investment look good for longer. Working over the exposed metal parts will also protect against rust. I did wonder with my Axminster lathe if waxing the bed and the underside of the banjo and tailstock may prevent them locking up properly but it didn’t. Enjoy your new lathe! :D
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Hope you enjoy your new lathe. I have the old-style Record power CL3 and the belt change cover also has an allen cap head screw luckily I had thrown out some old routers but before binning them I strip all the knobs off and replaced mine with one of them much easier now to open and change the speeds, you can buy them or even make your own.
Would like to hear your verdict on the lathe once you have used it for a while.
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I’ve got an Axminster AT 1416 VS and this too has a cap head socket screw for the belt cover. I’ve not changed speed since I bought it though. I selected medium or high speed and have just left it there. I could make a thumb screw on my MW lathe but some of the bolts on my machine seem to be UNC and I only have taps and dies for metric threads.
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I’ve got an Axminster AT 1416 VS and this too has a cap head socket screw for the belt cover. I’ve not changed speed since I bought it though. I selected medium or high speed and have just left it there. I could make a thumb screw on my MW lathe but some of the bolts on my machine seem to be UNC and I only have taps and dies for metric threads.
Can you screw thread on the MW lathe if so have you thought about having a go
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surely its easier to turn wooden knobs and then 2-pack them onto the capheads?
Brian
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I bought a nice blackened one of the bay less than £2. On my lathe it's a M6 x 12mm and works a treat and more importantly it looks like it is a part of the lathe.
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I’ve got an Axminster AT 1416 VS and this too has a cap head socket screw for the belt cover. I’ve not changed speed since I bought it though. I selected medium or high speed and have just left it there. I could make a thumb screw on my MW lathe but some of the bolts on my machine seem to be UNC and I only have taps and dies for metric threads.
Can you screw thread on the MW lathe if so have you thought about having a go
I have done single point threading of imperial threads on my lathe but it’s too much of a faff swapping change wheels etc just for one screw. I’d do it if I really needed to but not in this case.
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Much easier to stick up a magnet somewhere handy and keep a set of hex keys on it, if you fix this screw there will be 101 others turning up needing a hex key.
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I have magnets on the various bits of equipment with appropriate allen keys on them. Can't really see the problem with them.
Pete
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I have magnets on the various bits of equipment with appropriate allen keys on them. Can't really see the problem with them.
Pete
The only problem is when you get that one widget from the USA so one Allen key is imperial! almost exactly the same as the metric except guaranteed to round off stretch or break something if you mix them up! not quite as bad as the third cross head screw driver standard though! ???