would this lathe work?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed May 05, 2004 2:54 pm

because this appears to be "too good to be true" I'll phrase my question like this:

why wouldn't this lathe work for tenon turning??

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=36066

whitebar · Post by **whitebar** » Wed May 05, 2004 7:14 pm

Ben,

That is a wood lathe. It might work for turning briar but a metal lathe is needed for tenon turning. A metal lathe allows for very precise cuts. With a wood lathe, the cutting tool is hand held and rested on the tool post so just the slightest wrong move would destroy the tenon.

I hope this helps.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed May 05, 2004 7:17 pm

But aren't there tools (I thought I saw some) that hold the tool in place?

Post by **Tyler** » Wed May 05, 2004 7:38 pm

Ben,

On metal lathes there are.

That is basically the difference between a metal and wood lathe. A metal lathe has a tool post that is controlled by wheels, and the wood lathe has a t-bar that you rest a chisel on. Metal lathe allow precise diameters, wood lathes are by feel.

BTW, I would stay away from Harbo Freight for major tool purchases. You get what you pay for with those machines...cheap junk.

Tyler

whitebar · Post by **whitebar** » Wed May 05, 2004 7:58 pm

Here is another relatively inexpensive option I have wondered about. It is called a Clisby Metal Lathe. While designed primarilly for miniture model makers, it seems like the long bed model might work for stems. The biggest drawback is that it runs off a 12-volt DC power source such as a car battery.

Here is a link to their site: http://www.clisby.com/

Here are the specs:

SPECIFICATIONS
Swing: 2 1/2"(63mm)
Between centres: 4 1/2"(114mm)/8 1/2"(215mm)
Mandrel bore: 0.318"(8.1mm)
Lead screws: 1/4" 20 threads per inch
Taper: "O" Morse
Speed: 1500 R.P.M.
Supply voltage: 12 V D.C.
Current: 4 Amps
Overall length: 11"(280mm)/16"(380mm)
Height: 3 1/2"(88mm)
Width: 2 5/8"(67mm)

Personally, I decided to go with a Taig because it was a more heavy duty machine but this might be the right price point for someone.

Any comments from the lathe experts in the group?

Post by **Tyler** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:14 pm

Interesting looking lathe, whitebar. I like the DC aspect of it, because that is so easy to speed control. I would just buy a transformer and speedcontroller and plug that rascal into the wall. However, my concern would be torque. I wonder what the HP of that motor is? I also wonder how accurate the machine is? For the latter I suppose one would just need to buy one to see.

Tyler

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:46 pm

whitebar wrote:Here is a link to their site: http://www.clisby.com/

Any comments from the lathe experts in the group?

That's an interesting lathe. A 12v power source is interesting as well. However, if you take a look at the movies on their website, you can see that the unit is *tiny*. I don't think the included chuck opens wide enough to grab my thumb. Also, the amount of available work area is quite short. I would be concerned that there wouldn't be enough travel to drill stems.

Then again, I'm the odd man out. I *like* my Pimo tool - as difficult as it is for some people to use. I've never had any problems - except when I wasn't paying attention.

hiway · Post by **hiway** » Thu May 06, 2004 7:50 pm

First of all I have to go against the grain here. You can turn tenons on a wood lathe. I do all mine on a wood lathe as that is all I have. However, to qualify that statemnet though, I have quite a bit of experience working on a wood lathe and using the skew. Having said that I agree that a machine lathe will give you much better results with much less effort and I highly recommend that you look in that direction.

The harbour frieght lathe looks very light framed. Vibration is the #1 enemy of lathes so the larger, heavier and more mass the better. If you tried to turn a stummel on that lathe I expect it would walk right across your workshop and out the door. Even if you have it bolted down.

I have a large wood lathe and I have added over 300lbs of lead wieghts to it to soak up the vibration.

Check out the 7-12 and 7-14 precision mini lathe series. These are small but solid lathes that would turn stummels, stems and tooling items. If you google on this lathe you will find many websites with a great amount of tips and information.
http://www.nextag.com/buyer/outpdir.jsp ... mini+lathe
I'm considering one of these myself but they are $1000 here so I may have to wait a while. This lathe should also be mounted on a heavy, sturdy stand to minimize vibration.

Dave