In the thread about Catalin knobs turned on a CNC lathe, Colin posted a link to a Lorch lathe, so thanks for that link Colin.
I was given my Lorch lathe in bits by a chum who moved away from Hull, and I shoved it under a bench where it languished for a couple of years. I had no idea what it was until Colin told me that it was a vintage German watchmakers' lathe from the early 1900s by Lorch Schmidt, and quite sought after, so with Colin's encouragement, I cleaned it up and got it working.
Prior to that I'd tried to turn plastic and brass bushes for various little projects on my woodturning lathe, but with limited success. You can turn wood on a metalworking lathe and vice versa, within limits, but it's far from ideal. My woodturning lathe is a Nova '16-24-44', so called as it will turn a 16" diameter bowl blank or a 24" long spindle, but the bed can be extended to 44" if desired. The headstock can be swivelled to enable much larger bowls to be turned with an outrigger, but I rarely turn anything larger than 10" and don't do any long spindle work.
I was fortunate that my Lorch lathe came with a set of collets in a box, which Colin kindly made a very nice brass nameplate for. Collets are much better for holding small drills in the tailstock than a Jacob's chuck. I don't hanker after a large metalworking lathe, and don't have either the need or space for one, nor the skills to use it. However, I've done lots of little radio related jobs on the Lorch, details of which I've posted on the forum, such as making a shaft extender in plastic to repair a Hameg Scope,and some brass multi-position supports for the handle on the same scope; making a handle for a telescopic radio mast prior to selling it; making a spindle coupler for the focus control on a Gould 300 'scope which I recently sold, and making a nylon bush for a B9A/Octal valve base adaptor to enable an EL84 valve to substitute for a much rarer EBL31 valve. I've posted pics in the past on the forum, but have added a few to this post.
If I hadn't had the Lorch, by now, I'd have probably bought a mini lathe, such as the Seig C1 sold by Arc Euro Trade.
The problem with woodturning lathes is that the chucks, with assorted jaws for various tasks, often end up costing more than the lathe, and of course, woodturning tools - even if bought unhandled, cost rather more than tools for metalworking, which in my case are ground from 12 mm square blanks.
Joe mentioned eccentric turning - sometimes known in the UK as 'offset turning', 'multi-centre' or multi-axis' turning. It's one of those gimmicky things often used to impress others as it looks complicated and difficult, which it generally isn't. I haven't done any myself, but I did turn a multi-axis elm flask, which I've attached a pic of. It serves no useful purpose other than as a practice piece, but is the sort of thing that sometimes causes people to say: 'Crikey, how did you turn that?' To which the only answer in my case is, 'with considerable difficulty'! I guess the hardest part nowadays would be finding the elm
Not wishing to denigrate the efforts of others, the link below shows what happens when people try to turn softwood, as I guess most beginners try to do because they often have some to hand. It doesn’t turn well, doesn’t sand well and the results will generally be discouraging, though stair spindles are of softwood, where a fine finish isn't called for. Had this 'canteen' been turned in something like sycamore or beech with the same level of skill, the end result would have been far better:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Multi-Ax...d-Canteen/
So, if anyone wants to have a go at woodturning, steer clear of softwood!
In terms of workshop facilities, I have a spare bedroom where I sometimes tinker about, which at one time was my amateur radio 'shack'. It's still set up to operate on all bands from 160M to 10M at the flick of a switch, but I haven't flicked the switch for at least 15 years and have no desire to do so as in my view, amateur radio has become little more than plug 'n play 'posh CB'. Hence, that room has steadily filled up with vintage radio stuff, components and test gear to a point at which, frankly, it's a bit of a disgrace, and I need to get to grips with it.
About 12 years ago I built a timber workshop which I clad internally with 5mm MDF and insulated the walls. I double glazed the windows, installed light and power, and a balanced flue gas heater, so it's nice and toasty in winter. It's 10ft x 8ft, and really, not large enough for two incompatible hobbies - woodturning and electronics. I've made a platform about 2ft square which fits onto the woodworking lathe bed for when I'd restoring a radio or construction electronic bits and bobs such as test gear. Then if I'm woodturning, I remove the platform.
We have a double garage, but have two cars, so there isn't much space for anything else. However, I've made a lightweight bench at the end of the garage onto which the Lorch lathe fits. Basically, although I like to think I turn out work of a good standard, I'm messy, disorganised, and have several things on the go at once instead of single-mindedly concentrating on seeing one thing through before I start another, so everything I do has a long gestation period.
Really, I'm beyond redemption, but even after 50 years of marriage, my long suffering wife still hasn't given up hope of correcting these abberations. A bit sad really!
Waffled and dribble Yorkie.
I was given my Lorch lathe in bits by a chum who moved away from Hull, and I shoved it under a bench where it languished for a couple of years. I had no idea what it was until Colin told me that it was a vintage German watchmakers' lathe from the early 1900s by Lorch Schmidt, and quite sought after, so with Colin's encouragement, I cleaned it up and got it working.
Prior to that I'd tried to turn plastic and brass bushes for various little projects on my woodturning lathe, but with limited success. You can turn wood on a metalworking lathe and vice versa, within limits, but it's far from ideal. My woodturning lathe is a Nova '16-24-44', so called as it will turn a 16" diameter bowl blank or a 24" long spindle, but the bed can be extended to 44" if desired. The headstock can be swivelled to enable much larger bowls to be turned with an outrigger, but I rarely turn anything larger than 10" and don't do any long spindle work.
I was fortunate that my Lorch lathe came with a set of collets in a box, which Colin kindly made a very nice brass nameplate for. Collets are much better for holding small drills in the tailstock than a Jacob's chuck. I don't hanker after a large metalworking lathe, and don't have either the need or space for one, nor the skills to use it. However, I've done lots of little radio related jobs on the Lorch, details of which I've posted on the forum, such as making a shaft extender in plastic to repair a Hameg Scope,and some brass multi-position supports for the handle on the same scope; making a handle for a telescopic radio mast prior to selling it; making a spindle coupler for the focus control on a Gould 300 'scope which I recently sold, and making a nylon bush for a B9A/Octal valve base adaptor to enable an EL84 valve to substitute for a much rarer EBL31 valve. I've posted pics in the past on the forum, but have added a few to this post.
If I hadn't had the Lorch, by now, I'd have probably bought a mini lathe, such as the Seig C1 sold by Arc Euro Trade.
The problem with woodturning lathes is that the chucks, with assorted jaws for various tasks, often end up costing more than the lathe, and of course, woodturning tools - even if bought unhandled, cost rather more than tools for metalworking, which in my case are ground from 12 mm square blanks.
Joe mentioned eccentric turning - sometimes known in the UK as 'offset turning', 'multi-centre' or multi-axis' turning. It's one of those gimmicky things often used to impress others as it looks complicated and difficult, which it generally isn't. I haven't done any myself, but I did turn a multi-axis elm flask, which I've attached a pic of. It serves no useful purpose other than as a practice piece, but is the sort of thing that sometimes causes people to say: 'Crikey, how did you turn that?' To which the only answer in my case is, 'with considerable difficulty'! I guess the hardest part nowadays would be finding the elm
Not wishing to denigrate the efforts of others, the link below shows what happens when people try to turn softwood, as I guess most beginners try to do because they often have some to hand. It doesn’t turn well, doesn’t sand well and the results will generally be discouraging, though stair spindles are of softwood, where a fine finish isn't called for. Had this 'canteen' been turned in something like sycamore or beech with the same level of skill, the end result would have been far better:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Multi-Ax...d-Canteen/
So, if anyone wants to have a go at woodturning, steer clear of softwood!
In terms of workshop facilities, I have a spare bedroom where I sometimes tinker about, which at one time was my amateur radio 'shack'. It's still set up to operate on all bands from 160M to 10M at the flick of a switch, but I haven't flicked the switch for at least 15 years and have no desire to do so as in my view, amateur radio has become little more than plug 'n play 'posh CB'. Hence, that room has steadily filled up with vintage radio stuff, components and test gear to a point at which, frankly, it's a bit of a disgrace, and I need to get to grips with it.
About 12 years ago I built a timber workshop which I clad internally with 5mm MDF and insulated the walls. I double glazed the windows, installed light and power, and a balanced flue gas heater, so it's nice and toasty in winter. It's 10ft x 8ft, and really, not large enough for two incompatible hobbies - woodturning and electronics. I've made a platform about 2ft square which fits onto the woodworking lathe bed for when I'd restoring a radio or construction electronic bits and bobs such as test gear. Then if I'm woodturning, I remove the platform.
We have a double garage, but have two cars, so there isn't much space for anything else. However, I've made a lightweight bench at the end of the garage onto which the Lorch lathe fits. Basically, although I like to think I turn out work of a good standard, I'm messy, disorganised, and have several things on the go at once instead of single-mindedly concentrating on seeing one thing through before I start another, so everything I do has a long gestation period.
Really, I'm beyond redemption, but even after 50 years of marriage, my long suffering wife still hasn't given up hope of correcting these abberations. A bit sad really!
Waffled and dribble Yorkie.
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'
