I’ve got this lathe - or rather the Clarke named version.. first thing I’ve done is buy a decent chuck for it - a 4" Xact Precision Woodturning Chuck - from Amazon. Not very cheap at £121 but the quality is superb and will last me for years and will fit other machines. This arrived today and I first thought the thread was way too big - but luckily it comes with an adapter to step the thread size down to the 19mm thread it has. All good now on that front. I immediately found that this lathe needs to be mounted onto something VERY steady.. so I needed a new bench - which needed to be bolted to the wall... that was another £90. Next up I’ve ordered fairly decent chisels.. another £110. Oh, and I’ve ordered an tailstock conversion kit so it can hold drill bits etc.. another £40. A face mask, another £20. So, although the lathe was a birthday present, only yesterday, it’s cost me twice the amount to get going. Hopefully I’ll enjoy the experience and give some kind of review further down the line!
Really thorough and informative video. I agree with you completely on most of what you said. However, I would like to add this: Using a cheap tool will help you figure out what you want from a more expensive tool. And with no experience you might not know what you need.
Yes. Exactly. I could not have said it better myself. Some might say that is money wasted but it is not wasted provided you get enough use out of the cheap tool. It may be years before you move on to needing something better.
Hello Dave, it's called the slippery slope. I started with a borrowed version of that lathe over 15 years ago, I'm on my 3rd lathe now. The new shed, tools and ancillaries cost more than the lathes. You can stiffen the lathe by bolting on a suitably size piece of 17mm ply. I agree with get lessons from knowledgeable teachers, be they from a woodclub or professional turners. It saves years of trial and error.
I can imagine. Although same can be said for every aspect of woodwork. I know I dream of a bigger better shed. A lot of guys have told me wood turning can be quite addictive. Yes every experienced guy I've talked to has recommended tuition of some kind.
Yes I had been planning to do this review and once I saw they were coming back on sale I had to rush to get it out. Let us know if you end up buying one.
Hi Mate Interesting overview of this type of lathe. For the money, looks to be a useful tool. Only criticism I would make by just a visual appraisal is that the tailstock doesn't look very robust. With a little more fabrication, they could have made a more rigid assembly.
Yes everything about it is a level down. Then again it is dramatically cheaper. As a novice I have little to compare it to. However I have not noticed a particular problem with the tail stock. That said, this machine works OK with small diameter spindles. Once you move beyond that I think you would really start to notice its limitations.
Hello my friend, These brand lathes are sold as different brands in our country. Thank you for the installation and detailed information of this wood turning machine. It's nice to create and share a variety of ideas to help many people. Congratulations. Thank you for sharing. See you. Great greetings......
Nice review Dave, I see that they’re now called Ferrex & there was also a bandsaw available, I don’t know if the newly named range is any better but like everything we purchase research & cross fingers that we get things that work, good job mate 🇦🇺🍻👍👍👍
Thanks mate. I didn't notice a name change. Where did you read that?. If I go in next week I guess I'll see for myself. Is the bandsaw one of those mini ones?
Im really pleased you found it useful. Actually you don't really need a workshop for this. As you can see I use it in a carport anyway. You just need power and a table or bench. My table is on casters and I just roll it into the carport. The ground is sloped and uneven but that doesn't matter. So in this situation you can turn with this machine. So I'd say that is a huge plus for this machine. Plus as I said. It took me months to get all the other bits anyway.
@@DavesShed I don't have a carport, ny garage which i was using with make shift bench is no more, i demolished it a few months ago, it was rotten and about to fall down. i am building a 7X7m garage so in a little while i will have a place to work. Cheers
I picked one up the other day, looks like a nice bit of kit. Great for entry just to try it out. Cheapest option out there. The same model is around $300 online. I am now looking for a chuck. Any recommendations?
No. Sorry. I have not bought a chuck for it. If you buy one please make another comment and let us know how that went for you. However, before buying a chuck or investing too much into this machine, I suggest you have a close look at the shaft with the side door open. The shaft on a good quality machine will be hollow tube all the way to the exterior so that you can push something out of the shaft. Just something to consider.
I’ve got this lathe - or rather the Clarke named version.. first thing I’ve done is buy a decent chuck for it - a 4" Xact Precision Woodturning Chuck - from Amazon. Not very cheap at £121 but the quality is superb and will last me for years and will fit other machines. This arrived today and I first thought the thread was way too big - but luckily it comes with an adapter to step the thread size down to the 19mm thread it has. All good now on that front.
Brought one on wednesday, the motor blew up after 10mins of work on Thursday the bearings where rough as well, pulled it apart on Friday, Brought a new motor added a speed control, replaced the bearings to a tapped bearings for side loading strength, strengthen the Chassis, Now it works great. Buy with caution every tool i have brought from Aldi I have had to rebuild in some kind of way, I like to rebuild my tools to fit my needs and bring some precision to cheep chiness made products. If you want something to usestraight out of the box Take your time and do some research then think about buying this and hope you don't buy the one made on friday. cost lathe was $150 New motor was $200 hundred from hafco and new bearings $50 speed control $60 At the end of the day $460 for it to be a good lathe is not bad.
That is a thought but there isn't that much volume for sand to make a difference. In my case, so far I have lifted it onto my assembly table to use it and so I don't want to make it heavier just yet. I think bolting it onto something heavy would mean you have two parts and thus easier to move.
Thanks Dave, initially you turned me off, but the itch needed scratching and I picked one up today. Other entry level tools were too expensive for something I might use once or twice, so Aldi it was. Now for the hand tools, cheap and unreliable or crucifyingly expensive, I'm guessing I'll try cheap first. cheers.
Thanks for the comment. I hope you get hours of fun with it. My intention was more to help people go into it informed, rather than turn anyone off. As I say, it fits a niche and it works for me.
Anna Renfrey I’ve found the same thing... however it’s only off centre if the faces aren’t parallel to each other. Ideally you would bolt your wood to a faceplate and mount on the main drive spindle then square off the face nearer the tailstock.. once it’s squared off you can advance the tailstock forward and it should centre ok
I'm sorry for the late reply. When I bought it, I unbolted the motor and pushed it around until I could get it aligned as best as I could. This is not easy. I got it fairly close on one axis but not perfect on the other axis. I haven't turned much but so far it seems that close enough is good enough for spindles. It might start to matter for wider and heavier things?
I forgot to mention that it does come with a face plate. I have never used this flimsy thing. Another owner who has used it said that this has the structural integrity of being made from icing sugar.
I'm trying to recall because at the time the ones I planned to get were sold out. Then my plan B was sold out also. Then the 2nd hand ones sold out also. So now I'm trying to recall where I ended up buying these ones.
Best video I have seen in years ......... No not really. Are you a alcoholic ? Amazing vid but for all the wrong reasons. We have had fun watching here Hee Hee Hee
Yes I can see why you give that advice. I think it does have a place in the market. For example I don't turn much and I don't have the money or space to have a proper floor standing wood lathe. With this unit, I can at least start to learn how to turn and have some fun. And that is all I am going to do with turning for a few years. For all it's short comings it is a lot of machine for a low price. All that said, I do agree with your advice for anyone serious about getting in to turning. Many people would soon get frustrated with things like it's lack of mass. Thanks for your comment.
Yes I can appreciate your point of view. I would not recommend it for anyone serious about turning. However I think it does have a position in the marketplace.
Let's face it, you pay peanuts and you get garbage. There's next to no quality control, a really cheap and nasty motor and that tail stock would have to be someone having a joke. He says It cost him $110, now it's 2nd hand it may now be worth $60 if he's lucky. I purchased a $300 lathe 11 years ago and in used, but good condition it's now worth around $500 to $600. There's only one thing worse than buying a cheap lathe, and that's buying cheap chisels. They have to be sharpened correctly before use and they will need sharpening after each session. They are made from really nasty Chinese metal. I was given dozens of them and I came close to giving up turning altogether, until a friend loaned me a set of old English chisels. It was like chalk and cheese the ancient chisels transformed not only my turning, but gave me confidence and pride in what I could make with them. My wife had a big win on the poker machines recently she divided the win with me and I decided to invest in new tools. Instead of the Ozito and other cheap tools I ended up investing in a Makita Mitre Saw, a Carbatek Thicknesser and a Metabo table saw. Yes I shopped around for the best prices, but I now have machinery which will last me out and they'll still be worth a decent price when they're sold. I'll admit, I started off the wrong way and it was a costly mistake. I used the excuse of "I can't afford the good stuff" But even without that win my buying is less frequent, I now save for longer to make sure I buy something I won't later regret, I hope :-)