Nigel Tracy
04-30-2009, 8:13 PM
Hi all :)
Well the tree trimmers were out today and left behind lots of green rounds ripe for turning. We had about a dozen trees felled from our “old growth” 50 acre sugar bush area, mostly maple, average of 30” dia with a couple pushing 40”; a nice 30” black cherry, and a few elm and hickory. And they're coming back tomorrow...
Sooo… I’ve been on the edge for a while and it’s time to upgrade the mini lathe :)
I’ve read all the reviews and feel well informed. Yes I would love the mustard but it is not readily available in my area (Ontario, Canada) and costs close to 4k CAD all in…
I have decided on the following lathe, the Craftex CT128 at Busy Bee tools (the "Canadian Grizzly").
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=CT128
It’s identical to the Laguna 18/47 except for the stickers, well and the color I guess. It has 18” swing, 2hp, electronic variable speed, and gets good reviews around here. Oh yeah, and it’s on sale for $1099 CAD (about $900 USD). Seems like a lot of lathe for that price. The Nova 1624/44 is the only other quality lathe at the same price and lacks variable speed and has a smaller swing (yeah I know its headstock swivels but the CT 128’s slides to the end like the PM).
The CT128 is identical to the Laguna except the its spindle was milled to 1” – 8tpi instead of 1.25” – 8tpi. There has been some concern about the undersized spindle with the MT2 ream not leaving much metal for rigidity. Is this a huge concern? I do have chainsaws and a good bandsaw and will be able to round my blanks; but, with the big chunks I’m hoping to turn, will the 1” spindle be a significant liability? Could it mean vibration issues?
The spindle itself is quite beefy throughout (again it’s the same as the Laguna) except for the threads. Since faceplates and chucks butt up against the shoulder of the spindle I figure the diameter at the threads shouldn’t matter *too* much…
So going once, going twice, either consensus here says “that spindle is too skinny” or I’ll pull the trigger--unless anyone strongly advises against it I’ve decided to give it a try. Can’t pass up that much lathe at that price.
Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions :)
Nigel
Continuing to slide down the slippery slope…
PS if anyone is near London, Ontario and is interested in some blanks, let me know. I truly have more than I could possibly turn for a long time and I'd be glad to meet another Creeker, perhaps in exchange for some tips for a relatively new big-bowl turner. Get it while it’s green!
Well the tree trimmers were out today and left behind lots of green rounds ripe for turning. We had about a dozen trees felled from our “old growth” 50 acre sugar bush area, mostly maple, average of 30” dia with a couple pushing 40”; a nice 30” black cherry, and a few elm and hickory. And they're coming back tomorrow...
Sooo… I’ve been on the edge for a while and it’s time to upgrade the mini lathe :)
I’ve read all the reviews and feel well informed. Yes I would love the mustard but it is not readily available in my area (Ontario, Canada) and costs close to 4k CAD all in…
I have decided on the following lathe, the Craftex CT128 at Busy Bee tools (the "Canadian Grizzly").
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=CT128
It’s identical to the Laguna 18/47 except for the stickers, well and the color I guess. It has 18” swing, 2hp, electronic variable speed, and gets good reviews around here. Oh yeah, and it’s on sale for $1099 CAD (about $900 USD). Seems like a lot of lathe for that price. The Nova 1624/44 is the only other quality lathe at the same price and lacks variable speed and has a smaller swing (yeah I know its headstock swivels but the CT 128’s slides to the end like the PM).
The CT128 is identical to the Laguna except the its spindle was milled to 1” – 8tpi instead of 1.25” – 8tpi. There has been some concern about the undersized spindle with the MT2 ream not leaving much metal for rigidity. Is this a huge concern? I do have chainsaws and a good bandsaw and will be able to round my blanks; but, with the big chunks I’m hoping to turn, will the 1” spindle be a significant liability? Could it mean vibration issues?
The spindle itself is quite beefy throughout (again it’s the same as the Laguna) except for the threads. Since faceplates and chucks butt up against the shoulder of the spindle I figure the diameter at the threads shouldn’t matter *too* much…
So going once, going twice, either consensus here says “that spindle is too skinny” or I’ll pull the trigger--unless anyone strongly advises against it I’ve decided to give it a try. Can’t pass up that much lathe at that price.
Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions :)
Nigel
Continuing to slide down the slippery slope…
PS if anyone is near London, Ontario and is interested in some blanks, let me know. I truly have more than I could possibly turn for a long time and I'd be glad to meet another Creeker, perhaps in exchange for some tips for a relatively new big-bowl turner. Get it while it’s green!