AWGB Woodturning Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: stocksy27 on February 02, 2021, 08:51:14 PM

Title: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 02, 2021, 08:51:14 PM
Off to collect a Wadkin RU lathe Friday, has any used or owned one of these before?
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Percy on February 02, 2021, 09:35:49 PM
Never used one, but would absolutely love one. Almost my dream lathe - not from any practical point of view, but just because it's a fantastic great big lump of a thing (given the choice I'd have an RUH, just because it's even more ridiculously huge). I'm suitably jealous - let us know how you get on with it!
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 02, 2021, 11:28:49 PM
I’ve just had a look. It’s an amazing looking piece of machinery. It would cost so much to make something like that these days you’d never sell any due to the cost. The ability to turn almost perfect cylinders quickly and easily is just one of the handy features I can see. Tapers too by offsetting the tailstock. I’m sure you’re going to really enjoy using it. Can you post a picture when it’s up and running?
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 04, 2021, 09:37:02 AM
Off to collect a Wadkin RU lathe Friday, has any used or owned one of these before?


that IS my dream lathe.... lucky bugger...

how are you going to get that in the boot of your car??? ;D ;D ;D

please let me know the precise weight if you can find it out as i never could get that bit of info...
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 04, 2021, 03:07:18 PM
Off to collect a Wadkin RU lathe Friday, has any used or owned one of these before?


that IS my dream lathe.... lucky bugger...

how are you going to get that in the boot of your car??? ;D ;D ;D

please let me know the precise weight if you can find it out as i never could get that bit of info...

Maybe you could ask them?

https://www.wadkin.com/

The “little” Wadkin RS weighs 774 Kg so not lightweight machines!
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 04, 2021, 09:48:56 PM
will post pictures on soon as it unloaded, taking 2 long wheelbase vans the only info i can find is off wadkin saying 6160lb about 2.8 ton. the owner thinks it weights 1.5 ton so not sure really
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: BrianH on February 05, 2021, 08:59:02 AM
that'll be going upstairs in the spare bedroom then.......... ;D
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 05, 2021, 07:28:17 PM
got it home and stood in place, took 6 off us to lift the bed into place, very happy with it atm not used it yet but once it all levelled and bolted down will pop some wood on it, need to get a thread adaptor made as the thread is larger than and of my chucks without a insert, have seen a Canadian lathe get this made too so just need to find a machinist.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 05, 2021, 07:28:44 PM
not sure on age yet need to do some more digging
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 05, 2021, 07:55:00 PM
Nice looking machine.  ;)
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 05, 2021, 09:17:59 PM
Off to collect a Wadkin RU lathe Friday, has any used or owned one of these before?


that IS my dream lathe.... lucky bugger...

how are you going to get that in the boot of your car??? ;D ;D ;D

please let me know the precise weight if you can find it out as i never could get that bit of info...

Maybe you could ask them?

https://www.wadkin.com/

The “little” Wadkin RS weighs 774 Kg so not lightweight machines!

Wadkin are completely useless for getting any info from and seem to just not care unless you have a machine built in the last 20-30 years. i've had more luck getting info about this machine by scouring the internet.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bryan Milham on February 05, 2021, 09:29:58 PM
That is just a little bit bigger than the lathe I can see behind it...

Try looking at YouTube, Woodturner 21, or Facebook, The Woodturners. Steve Jones has one of these, converted to variable speed. His videos will show you what you can do on one of these.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: bodrighywood on February 05, 2021, 11:19:46 PM
Richard Findlay has a wadkin I believe, not sure which one thoiugh. There's one in the workshop next door to me as well but I am not going to try and weigh it.

Pete
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: ken crittle on February 06, 2021, 09:50:56 AM
Wadkinrestoratoins have information
Look up machine date .the test no comes in 1951
I have the smaller rs8
Ken
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 06, 2021, 05:39:53 PM
i believe Steve Jones just has an RS lathe not an RU.

i remembered about some pictures i had from the internet on some of the specs and it gives the weight of the 12", 15" and 18" models but i don't understand what CWTS are.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: bodrighywood on February 06, 2021, 05:44:51 PM
i believe Steve Jones just has an RS lathe not an RU.

i remembered about some pictures i had from the internet on some of the specs and it gives the weight of the 12", 15" and 18" models but i don't understand what CWTS are.
CWT means hundred weight. and is just under 51 kilos. It is 112 lbs old money.

Pete
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 06, 2021, 08:38:41 PM
i believe Steve Jones just has an RS lathe not an RU.

i remembered about some pictures i had from the internet on some of the specs and it gives the weight of the 12", 15" and 18" models but i don't understand what CWTS are.
CWT means hundred weight. and is just under 51 kilos. It is 112 lbs old money.

Pete

great, just looked that up.

20 cwt in one ton according to wikipedia.

means that the 15" model is 1 1/2 tons in weight.

which model do you have Stocksy27???
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 06, 2021, 11:42:34 PM
its the 15” model so yes about 1.5t the info i found was 6160lb about 2.8 ton either way its a beast, just modeling a spindle adaptor in cad, will 3d print it check all good then get it machined to take my chucks, also wondering any one ever got a revolving faceplate to go on the tail stock?
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 07, 2021, 10:16:35 AM
never heard of a faceplate going on a tailstock before.

should it not be mounted on the other side of the headstock for outboard turning?
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 07, 2021, 11:18:52 AM
never heard of a faceplate going on a tailstock before.

should it not be mounted on the other side of the headstock for outboard turning?

How would you use a revolving faceplate on the headstock?
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: bodrighywood on February 07, 2021, 12:25:18 PM
The headstock on the wadkin is like the one on the graduate and jubilee with an outside option for turning larger pieces. The one next door can take an 8' diameter disc with a free standing rest. Usually done using a faceplate. Never seen a chuck being used on the outside.

Pete
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: BrianH on February 07, 2021, 03:12:04 PM
Hundredweights....... 2 old bags of spuds or cement. You have to be old enough to deserve a jab to remember such things ;D
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: bodrighywood on February 07, 2021, 03:39:53 PM
Hundredweights....... 2 old bags of spuds or cement. You have to be old enough to deserve a jab to remember such things ;D

Yep. Having mine on Tuesday LOL

Pete
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 07, 2021, 08:40:19 PM
never heard of a faceplate going on a tailstock before.

should it not be mounted on the other side of the headstock for outboard turning?

its for mounting some collums on the lathe with have faceplate on headstock but would prefer some better mounting to tailstock rather than just a live center as they will be 300mm x 3000mm solid elm
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on February 07, 2021, 09:13:04 PM
that thought did occur to me.

other than the heaviest duty live center you can find for the columns i can't think of another way.

they were built to take suckers like that so it should not be a problem weight wise.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 07, 2021, 11:13:12 PM
I think Axminster used to make a faceplate to fit one of their revolving centres. What size is the MT in the Wadkin Tailstock though? I’ve got the OneWay live centre and it’s very good. It’s also got a threaded nose so you could fit a faceplate to that. The thread is I think 3/4” UNC. They are available in 1, 2 and 3 MT. I got mine from the Toolpost so don’t know where you’d get one now though.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Roger Groom on February 09, 2021, 01:19:39 PM
Short for hundredweights. Or 112 pounds, or 8 stone etc etc. Dont you just love the old terms!!!!!!
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: BrianH on February 11, 2021, 09:52:06 AM
A salutary tale

In my 40's I dreamed of making big projects on a huge lathe
In my 50's I achieved my dream but slowly came to the realisation that hefting the weight of the logs surrounding those big projects wasn't  quite the fun I had envisaged.
In my 60's I began to notice that the big lathe's tailstock was putting on weight and had to stay in situ, even when it was in the way of me hollowing the, now reduced in size, projects.
Now. in my 70's, I make smaller, hopefully more elegant, pieces and dream of having a 'Normal' sized lathe.
Brian
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Bill21 on February 11, 2021, 11:46:41 AM
I downsized lathe wise some years ago as I didn’t have the space for a large lathe any longer. A couple of times though I found the bed on my new machine wasn't quite long enough so I’ve now bought a short extension for it. I think I’ve hit the sweet spot.
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: stocksy27 on February 12, 2021, 08:11:15 PM
well I've still not got it wired up yet, but do have a 7.5kw inverter to go with it now purely for safety reason, the original electronics are too old to add any sort of safety switches to, so will keep all the original in place and mount the VFD out of sight but does mean I can add e stops both ends and a e stop pull wire the entire length of the bed, will still use gearbox for speed selection, currently still using the union jubilee and the cl4 for now as I can't seem to sell either, also had a Wadkin RS8 arrive as I won the bid but forgot I was bidding on it so this will be a restoration project
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: Twisted Trees on February 16, 2021, 11:53:58 PM
Brian H, I had a suitable piece of timber to hurt my lathe recently, max swing over the extension is 32" and I had a 10" thick piece cut to 31"..... couldn't lift it! had to trim it sown to 27" and get help from my wife to wind the spindle into the face plate while I struggled.... Lathe tested, don't need to do that again! Can't go to fine work yet, waiting for new glasses! Would like a VB, but more likely to be heading down the proxon route as I get older :-)
 
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: BrianH on February 17, 2021, 09:26:26 AM
there is another option Pete. Start a harem and make sure one of the new wives is a crane driver...... ;D
Brian
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: deral on July 29, 2022, 12:16:06 PM
We have a Wadkin RU for sale

If anyone is interested please contact :

info@deral.co.uk
Title: Re: wadkin RU lathe
Post by: seventhdevil on July 29, 2022, 01:50:51 PM
We have a Wadkin RU for sale

If anyone is interested please contact :

info@deral.co.uk

might be worth adding a location for people to judge whether it's worth it for them or not.