Choosing a Lathe

Choosing a wood lathe involves considering several key options to match your woodworking goals, available space, and budget. Here’s a summary of the most important factors:

1. Size and Capacity (Swing and Distance Between Centres)
* Swing: This is the maximum diameter of wood you can turn. It’s measured as twice the distance from the centre of the spindle to the lathe bed. If you plan to turn large bowls or platters, a larger swing is essential.
* Distance Between Centres (DBC): This indicates the maximum length of wood you can turn. For spindle turning (e.g., table legs, balusters), a longer DBC is crucial. Some lathes offer extension beds to increase this capacity.
* Types of Lathes based on size:
* Mini Lathes: Compact, often bench-mounted, suitable for small projects like pens, chess pieces, or small spindles.
* Midi Lathes: A good all-around choice for hobbyists, offering a balance of size and capacity for a range of projects including small to medium bowls and spindles.
* Full-Size (Floor-Standing) Lathes: Large, heavy machines with substantial swing and DBC, ideal for turning large bowls, platters, and long spindles. Often preferred by serious hobbyists and professionals.

2. Motor Power and Speed Control
* Motor Horsepower (HP): A more powerful motor (higher HP) is needed for turning larger, denser, or unbalanced pieces of wood without bogging down. For small projects, a 1/2 HP motor might suffice, but for larger work, 1 HP or more is recommended.
* Variable Speed Control: This is a crucial feature. It allows you to adjust the rotation speed to suit the wood type, project size, and turning stage (e.g., slower speeds for roughing out, higher speeds for finishing).
* Manual Belt Changes: Less expensive models often require manually moving a belt to different pulleys to change speeds.
* Electronic Variable Speed (EVS): More convenient and precise, allowing for instant speed adjustments with the turn of a dial. Some even offer digital displays for exact RPM readings. This feature is very well worth a bit of extra investment.
* Reversible Motor: Useful for sanding, as it allows you to sand with the grain in both directions, improving surface finish. This not a critical feature as the use of power sanding usually gives the required finish.

3. Construction and Stability
* Weight and Material: Heavier lathes, particularly those made from cast iron, are generally more stable and absorb vibrations better. This leads to smoother cuts and higher quality finishes, especially with unbalanced workpieces.
* Bed Design: A robust and well-designed bed provides a rigid platform for the headstock, tailstock, and tool rest, minimising flex and vibration. Avoid flimsy or round bar beds if possible.
* Headstock and Tailstock Quality:
* Headstock: Look for sealed bearings for durability and a sufficiently robust spindle. A hollow headstock is a plus for turning longer spindles.
* Tailstock: Should slide smoothly along the bed and clamp securely with minimal effort.
Proper alignment of the headstock and tailstock is critical for accurate turning so by fitting pointed centres at both ends and sliding the tailstock up to the headstock ensure the points meet precisely.

4. Spindle and Taper Information
* Headstock Threads: This determines which chucks, faceplates, and other accessories will fit your lathe. Most new lathes sold in the UK have spindle size of M33 x 3.5 with a 2 Morse Taper (see next section). This size if highly recommended because of the ease of interchanging accessories. If the lathe is over 10 years old then common sizes include 1″ x 8 TPI (threads per
inch) and 1-1/4″ x 8 TPI. There are many adaptors to fit these older lathes.
* Morse Taper (MT): Refers to the tapered hole in the headstock and tailstock where accessories like drive centres and live centres are inserted. MT1 (small lathes best suited to light work), MT2 (most common on modern lathes and very robust for most turning- highly recommended) and MT3 (heavy duty but accessories and fewer and expensive).

5. Additional Features and Considerations
* Tool Rest and Banjo: The tool rest should be sturdy and easily adjustable. The banjo (the part that holds the tool rest) should clamp firmly to the bed.
* Copying Device: For repetitive work where you need to duplicate a specific profile (e.g., chair legs), a copying attachment can be a valuable feature on some lathes. Unless you intend to do multiple copies of spindles, this feature is rarely used by the club enthusiast.
* Mobile Controls: Magnetic or easily movable start/stop controls can improve safety and convenience.
* Budget: Lathes range widely in price. Consider your long-term goals and how much you’re willing to invest, remembering that tools and accessories are additional costs.
* Space: Ensure you have adequate space in your workshop for the chosen lathe, including room to manoeuver around it comfortably.
* Does the power supply to your workshop have enough capacity for the lathe? This is especially important if you also want to run a dust extractor at the same time. If you have a friend in the workshop using other equipment whilst you are using the lathe then make sure that the total power draw at any one time does not exceed your circuit rating.

By carefully considering these options, you can select a wood lathe that best suits your needs and allows you to enjoy the art of woodturning for years to come.