Need help with Wadkin lathe

[Tony Osegueda]

Hello,
I am looking into purchasing a lathe that a local dealer has for sale. Its a Wadkin RS lathe
8ft between centers,looks like its in good condition. I want to start turning bowls and this lathe seems to fit the bill,however the dealer is asking 3,500 and I've haven't seen anything on the web locally to establish a fair price for it. What are the pros and cons and a fair price for this lathe?
Thanks,
Tony

[Frank Drew]

Tony,

If you only intend to do face plate work (bowls and such), and don't think you'll ever want to turn a bedpost or newel post or porch post, then a long bed lathe might not be your best choice. Of course, the Wadkin RS is a very heavy duty machine with provisions, both in- and outboard, for bowls or platters, so it's not that this lathe wouldn't work for you, just that that's a lot of excess cast iron for what you want. In some ways this is a timeless design that, if in good condition, could give years more of service, but in other ways the design is a bit dated (no variable speed or reversing, two features I really like in a lathe for bowl work.)

Is the heavy floor tool rest available?

Here's some more info: http://www.lathes.co.uk/wadkin/

[Frank Drew]

You should also consider crossposting this in the Turner's Forum.

[Bruce Page]

Moved thread to the Turner's Forum.

[James Combs]

I just found where one sold on eBay.uk for 1800 Pounds Sterling or about $2800. Don't if that helps but it was a Wadkin RS lathe.

[Tony Osegueda]

Frank and James,
Thank You for the information. Now that you mentioned it, I would like to have the option to turn a long piece or a bedpost and not limit
myself to a shorter bed. It does come with a floor tool rest and a lathe chuck. He did tell me that someone had offered him 500.00 for the rest alone,but he didn't really want to seperate it from the lathe.

Thanks,
Tony

[curtis rosche]

can you show us a picture of it and what shape it is in?

[John Keeton]

I am not familiar with this lathe, but for $3,500, it would be an easy choice for me. There are many other lathes out there with modern features (electronic speed control, reverse, lower speed range) that have the potential for a longer bed. In fact, one could probably buy a PM on sale for less money. In the future, if the need arose, one could acquire an extra bed to attach as was illustrated in another thread. Sounds like you need to decide what your principle purpose will be. It is hard to buy a lathe that meets spindle needs without sacrificing other features (without spending really big bucks!)

What do you do when you need a replacement part????

[Bob Bergstrom]

Got to agree with John. Bought my 3520 three years ago and enjoy it every day without one problem. If for some reason I would decide to sell it, in the Chicago market, it would be gone in a day. I have a club member who has been trying to buy a used one for 6 months and has driven considerable distances to try without success.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+1 to what John said. I too know nothing about the Wadkins, but turning on a 3520B is very nice. If that were MY budget, that's what I would do.

[curtis rosche]

check over at owwm.org they are a great help over there about things like this