Should I buy a Mini Lathe?

[nigelmercier]

What drives you want one?...

Time and time again I come up against a barrier and think: if only I had a lathe. I normally manage to struggle through, but I'm rarely happy with the result.

Another reason: SWMBO needs something made, so is OK with the plan

 

[VicS]

Dinghyman in post 14 has given you excellent advice
May i add that carbide tools do not get the same sharp edge as toolsteel & needs more power to turn it
You need to read up on how to sharpen tools
I fully agree that a metal lathe is not conducive to turning wood
Takes ages to clean & the metal turning tools do not do proper wood turning
I still have a metal turning lathe & will buy a bigger one soon
I initially had a Myford wood turning lathe i my teens so have done a bit of both
I would suggest you consider what you want to turn for a boat. Hardly worth buying for that
However metal turning is part of a great hobby & if you get hooked you will spend a fortune on bits & regret buying a mini lathe
The cheepo Clarke lathes are reported to be c..p
Buy a few magazines & read the test reports & get hints on using first.
Research engineering forums for comments on best equipment

We bought some wood turning chisels and made a rest for then to use on the lathe in #2 in the traditional way.

 

[PabloPicasso]

Mines a bit bigger than that. Older too. In fact its a good bit older than me.

Never use it for anything larger than the one you are looking at would handle.
The largest thing I think was the cylinder from a Vespa scooter which my father rebored on it.

Id not buy one if I did not already have it but once in a blue moon it comes in handy.

Worth learning screw cutting

You will need a suitable grinding wheel for grinding your tool bits.


I wish i had a bench drilling machine and a bench grinder ... both would have been more useful than the lathe.

I'd have liked a wood turning lathe

Can't you turn wood on that lathe then?

 

[DaveS]

I had to buy a single phase motor to replace the existing 3 phase one.

I was faced with that problem when I moved house 5 years ago. (Moving the lathe was another story.) The new house only had a single phase supply. Machine Mart stock a "phase converter"* which generates 3 phase from a single phase supply and I bought one of these. I've a 2.5 hp motor so starting is slightly fraught (the converter makes a loud noise for a few seconds but the 16A supply MCB usually stays in).

* This is a purely passive device containing no electronics: it consists of nothing but a transformer with a centre tapped secondary and a switched capacitor bank that is set to suit the motor size. Only the three phases are generated, no neutral, which is fine for a motor. If you don't already know, it's an interesting exercise to work out how it does it!