Dilema..Old Lathe Limitations

[Mike Turner]

Hi Guys and Gals,
I have an old craftsman lathe....the kind with the tubular bed...I got it to use turning flutes that I make. At first I had some runout but then I had a rod and some different size mandrels made for the different bore sizes of the flutes I make..This eliminated the run out and works really well for what I use it for...

Now I want to do more. I want to turn some bowls ..not giant stuff..just sort of get started in this direction.. I know one that does some faceplate turnings on these type lathes...He made wedding ring holder with his from wild cherry burls he found ( really pretty)....My lathe only has a 1/2hp motor .It has 4 step pulleys and the lowest speed is 875 rpm...The speed needs to be lower I know....I thought about using smaller pulley on the lower end or a larger one on the upper end at Andys suggestion (thanks a bunch Andy) but then I wonder is this worth it ??? I thought about saving for a new lathe but that would be down the road a ways.. I know save and get a real lathe... Thanks for any ideas !! Mike

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - I started out with the Craftsman mono-tube lathe, a 1953 version, so I am well aware of it's shortcomings. I did pick up a Talon chuck for it so I could do facegrain turnings and while not absolutely needed - sure made things easier. The key to facegrain is to try and balanced the wood as much as possible before turning on the lathe. It can be scary - I also added 7 bags of concrete to the stand to keep it from walking across the floor. Didn't stop it but sure slowed it down!

Have fun with it - but be safe! If it doesn't feel right - then DO NOT do it!

[bob svoboda]

I started with the same type lathe. Steve's advice is right on target.

[Mike Davis NC]

I started with one even less able than that and quickly realised it would never do the level of work I wanted to achieve.
It took me a long time to find the right used lathe at the price I wanted to pay, but I am very happy with my old lathe now.

[Dennis Ford]

That lathe was very popular, lots of turners started on one like that. It can not do everything that you want to do but it can do some nice work within its limits. Working within the limits of that lathe will give you a lot of skills that will be very useful once you upgrade to a heavier machine.

[Ron Stadler]

If I were to get a new lathe it would at least have to have a 1 1/2 hp nothing smaller would do and 2hp would make me really happy, I said the same thing about turning bowls that I just want to do small ones, but its kinda addictive and soon your wanting to turn larger ones and then your out to get the next best deal on a larger lathe, just my 2 cents. Also I might add, we or our club has the 1hp delta lathe that we recently purchased new and it bogged down real badly on a small platter and I wasn't in the least inpressed so that's why I say at least a 1 1/2 for turning bowls, not that you can't get it done with something smaller but something with more torque will give you much cleaner cuts and last a lot longer than a motor that is always pushed to the limit.

But other than that, I'm interested in turning some flutes myself and was wondering if you had any information on these, I did a search and I'm really coming up dry on anything in detail.

[Michelle Rich]

Hey Mike: you are a step ahead with that last name! I started out with a home made springpole lathe ( 1 leg power) and my next was a 1/3 hsp mini from Record. I turned pens, bowls, spindles, etc. I made some furniture. Keep your tools sharp, use precision with your toolwork, and you can turn a lot with what you have. Save up and buy something that you can do more with. Have fun

[Mike Turner]

Hi Michelle,
Wow Ive had it all these yrs and never thought of the "turner" part.....Thanks everybody for the input !

[Wally Dickerman]

Mike, my second ever lathe was a Sears tubular lathe. Purchased in the early 50's. That was a lot of years ago and I'm now on my 9th lathe. Each one a bit bigger and better than the previous one, but I enjoyed turning on each and every one of them. Have fun.

[David E Keller]

For small diameter items, if you can get them pretty round on the bandsaw, you may be ok with that setup for a while. Turning gnarly bits of burl and off balance pieces will be tough with that low end speed. My first lathe was a little Rikon benchtop number that would walk all over the place... I used to give it a little 'hip check' to keep it on the bench top. In hindsight, it's not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it sure was exciting.