To Lathe or Not to Lathe, that is the question

[Bobostro61]

My wife wants to get me the Rockler Excelsior mini lathe for Xmas. I was reading some of the posts about lathes and
things pretty much go both ways. Some say a wood lathe is OK, some say that a metal lathe is what you need, and
some say both.

For a beginner pipe maker, would the Excelsior lathe be something worth spending the money on? If I can use it to
drill the tobacco chamber, draft hole, mortise, and maybe round the shaft I think it would be worth it instead of
getting a floor model drill press like I was thinking.

If you can put a chuck on the tail stock of the lathe can you also drill out stem rods? I have absolutely zero experience
or knowledge of lathes and am wondering it the Rocker Excelsior lathe is something I can use effectively.

Thanks for any responses!

Bob.

[d.huber]

A link would be helpful.

My vote: metal lathe all the way.

[JonBood]

I think a normal wood lathe is good if the alternative is to buy a really small metal lathe. Although it demands a bit more knowledge to be able to do a straight tenon for the stem etc.

I think the shaping of the bowl and shank is easier with hand held lathe tools, which means you need a big enough metal lathe to clamp on a tool rest on it. But for doing cylindrical turnings, a metal lathe would be much easier.

I guess it all depends on how you plan to use it.

This is my thoughts at least, but keep in mind that I'm certainly no expert on the subject=)

[potholer]

Bobostro61

the lathe swings 10" ie 5" from centre to bed with mt2 tapers, so yes you can fit a jacobs chuck in the tailstock

this lathe needs to be bolted down to something really solid to minimise vibrations

fwiw & imho a good small wood lathe is more versatile than a small metal lathe

regards

dave

[Bobostro61]

My plan was to use the lathe for bowl and shaft turning and drilling as well as stem drilling. As far as tenons go, I want to go the delrin route. If I can use the wood lathe with a chuck for drill bits in the tail stock I think I'd bee good to go.

http://www.rockler.com/m/product.cfm?page=19446

[Bobostro61]

Also, the slowest speed on the excelsior is 750 RPM. Is that slow enough to do pipes?

[oklahoma red]

IMHO, the Rockler is too small. It is great for pen turning and other small projects. You might be able to do some stem work on it but I cannot imagine doing any stummel work. If you are going down the wood lathe trail then go up a step (more loot of course) to the midi size such as Delta, Jet or Rikon.
In metal lathes I would not go smaller than a 9 X 20 unless you want to dedicate it to stem work. You can make a pipe with a pocket knife and a hand drill if you want. Doing things faster with more versatility comes with pouring more money into equipment. If you are going to make pipes to sell then at some point you'll have to dig deep. There is nothing cheap in this business.
Chas.

[Sasquatch]

It's big enough, but just.

The other critical issue here is getting a chuck to hold briar - a Oneway or Nova is basically a requisite to go with the lathe.

[Bobostro61]

Yea, I've been looking at chucks on line and reading reviews. I kind of like the Oneway Talon. I believe you can get taller jaws for it and jaws for stem work. As far as the lathe itself, I can't see why it would be too small to do stummels. If you can turn a 10" bowl on it, why wouldn't you be able to do a block of briar?

[wmolaw]

Is this the lathe you are thinking of?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... te=ROCKLER

If so, this wood lathe, IMO, is a much better buy.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/riko ... 050VS.aspx

It is larger, it has belts as well, but also has a variable speed adjustment within each belt which is wonderful and gives a much broader range as you work.

I have seen it for as low as $249 as well.

[potholer]

sas is right, sometimes just wont be enough!

with lathes i have found that while bigger is good, heavier is better

we are not beach boys - there are no good vibrations

ask if you can try before you make up your mind, over here - uk, some places have demonstration areas set up.

regards

dave