In another (radio related) thread, Robin mentioned lathes thus:
"I have promised to buy myself a lathe either a Warco or Clarke".
As to lathes, much depends on what task we have in mind. Lathes - like valve testers - seem to be something that many of us have a fascination for not because of what they do, but what they are - a desire to own one and the joy of ownership, then when we've finally got one and the novelty dies off, it spends most of its life gathering dust and cluttering the place up!
As Liberace famously said "the only difference between men and boys is the price they pay for their toys".
I guess that for most of us, to do little jobs, a mini-lathe is fine - it certainly is for me. The Warco mini lathes seem to enjoy a good reputation, but bought new, they're over £500 which is about five times what I'd pay for a lathe and does more than I'd personally want to do - screw cutting, variable speed etc, which - for my limited use - and I guess most who aren't model engineers is needless complexity. Second-hand lathes in various states of disrepair abound on e-bay - some are far too large for most of us to contemplate and invariable are 'collection only' so they're a bit out of the question.
http://www.warco.co.uk/metal-lathes-meta...lathe.html
My mini-lathe is quite small and only uses 1/4" tools but it will turn up to 2" or so stock and there are very few occasions when I've needed to do jobs beyond its capacity. I just take it steady and work within its limitations. When I made my hand and motor driven coil winders I needed to drill and tap couplers to join shafts together and this needed to be accurately or when joined together, the completed shaft wouldn't run true. I'd have had no chance of doing that by using a pillar drill and tapping by hand with the coupler held in a vice and however carefully I did that, the odds would be stacked against the threaded hole being perfectly central. But by putting the coupler in the chuck and a drill in the tail-stock I was able to drill accurately, then I put the tap in the tailstock and rotated the chuck by hand to tap the thread. The end result was that when assembled, the three section of the shaft - two plain 6mm diam end sections and a central threaded section joined together with two couplers rotated without any wobble.
Clarke Lathes and other 'Clarke' equipment is marketed by Machine Mart who often have VAT-free events, so if you were after one new, it would be worth finding out about such events and how you qualify. (I do, but I haven't bought anything from Machine Mart for years). I think all you have to do is to register your e-mail address and get yet more spam in your inbox. But no VAT to pay is quite a saving on something as costly as a lathe. (Yes, for the avoidance of doubt, I know there's no such thing as 'VAT free' on goods which carry VAT - the vendor pays the VAT - you don't).
Just a few ramblings.
(I hope I haven't started a thread that will have a longer run than 'The Mousetrap' but I suspect that I may have).
"I have promised to buy myself a lathe either a Warco or Clarke".
As to lathes, much depends on what task we have in mind. Lathes - like valve testers - seem to be something that many of us have a fascination for not because of what they do, but what they are - a desire to own one and the joy of ownership, then when we've finally got one and the novelty dies off, it spends most of its life gathering dust and cluttering the place up!
As Liberace famously said "the only difference between men and boys is the price they pay for their toys".
I guess that for most of us, to do little jobs, a mini-lathe is fine - it certainly is for me. The Warco mini lathes seem to enjoy a good reputation, but bought new, they're over £500 which is about five times what I'd pay for a lathe and does more than I'd personally want to do - screw cutting, variable speed etc, which - for my limited use - and I guess most who aren't model engineers is needless complexity. Second-hand lathes in various states of disrepair abound on e-bay - some are far too large for most of us to contemplate and invariable are 'collection only' so they're a bit out of the question.
http://www.warco.co.uk/metal-lathes-meta...lathe.html
My mini-lathe is quite small and only uses 1/4" tools but it will turn up to 2" or so stock and there are very few occasions when I've needed to do jobs beyond its capacity. I just take it steady and work within its limitations. When I made my hand and motor driven coil winders I needed to drill and tap couplers to join shafts together and this needed to be accurately or when joined together, the completed shaft wouldn't run true. I'd have had no chance of doing that by using a pillar drill and tapping by hand with the coupler held in a vice and however carefully I did that, the odds would be stacked against the threaded hole being perfectly central. But by putting the coupler in the chuck and a drill in the tail-stock I was able to drill accurately, then I put the tap in the tailstock and rotated the chuck by hand to tap the thread. The end result was that when assembled, the three section of the shaft - two plain 6mm diam end sections and a central threaded section joined together with two couplers rotated without any wobble.
Clarke Lathes and other 'Clarke' equipment is marketed by Machine Mart who often have VAT-free events, so if you were after one new, it would be worth finding out about such events and how you qualify. (I do, but I haven't bought anything from Machine Mart for years). I think all you have to do is to register your e-mail address and get yet more spam in your inbox. But no VAT to pay is quite a saving on something as costly as a lathe. (Yes, for the avoidance of doubt, I know there's no such thing as 'VAT free' on goods which carry VAT - the vendor pays the VAT - you don't).
Just a few ramblings.
(I hope I haven't started a thread that will have a longer run than 'The Mousetrap' but I suspect that I may have).
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
