Buying a Used Wood Lathe - Do You Want Accessories With That?

When buying a wood lathe it should be remembered that there is a lot that is seldom included with the purchase. The lathe will generally be accompanied with one or two face plates for faceplate turning along with a spur center and tail stock center for spindle turning. Other tools and accessories are most often not included but are necessary to turn wood. The buyer of a used lathe is often able to get some good bargains at the same time as the lathe is purchased.

Sellers of wood lathes are usually doing so because they are quitting turning for some reason or they are upgrading to a larger lathe. In the first case they have not further use for the woodturning tools and may be convinced to sell them at the same time. Those upgrading to a larger lathe may be finding that their collection of faceplates, centers, and tool rests will not fit the new lathe they have in mind or for that matter have on hand. It is not likely they will want to part with their turning tools themselves, but after the purchase of a new and larger lathe, they may consider a need for some ready cash.

When buying used lathe tools, be choosy about what you purchase. While brand names will give you an idea of quality, most manufacturers have ranges of tools from cheap to expensive and quality will most often vary with the price. Also many turners will put their own handles on tools from many sellers and it will be hard to find a brand name in the first place.

Look for tools with plenty of steel left on them. Sharpening gradually shortens woodturning tools and will eventually make them difficult to use as well as give very little life for the money. Many tools will start with seven inches of shaft. Less that five inches make them a chancy buy and anything from four on down should be free. I think bowl gouges need at least ten inches of shaft and twelve of handle but longer is better.

Examine the steel. Carbon steel is easier to sharpen to a good edge but will not stand the test of time in turning in the fashion of high speed steel. Most turners prefer high speed steel but many have a few tools of high carbon steel because they are a lot cheaper and in days gone by were all that turners could find. In general, high speed steel will be shinier than high carbon and is much less prone to rust. Look for shiny shafts with no rust. Sometimes the shaft will have HSS or M2 or M4 on high speed steel shafts.

It is good to have some idea of what tools are worth when looking at used ones and starting a barter session. Accessories that will not fit the new lathe are usually available at a good price of thirty to fifty percent of new. Turners that are dropping out of the craft will likely throw in their stash for a few dollars more. Always remember that good beginner's sets of tools are often available for less than a hundred dollars before the barter rush hits you.

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Choosing A Wood Lathe: Accessories Can Make All The Difference

Buying a wood lathe is different than purchasing almost any other stationary power tool. Most come ready to use right out of the box or with only a bit of assembly such as mounting the enclosed blade. Wood lathes generally come without cutting tools of any kind. All that come with the lathe are a faceplate and a couple of centers for mounting wood. However, tools and accessories are readily available and are either needed for turning or will add tremendously to the enjoyment. Still, it is necessary to make sure the desired accessories fit your lathe as it is definitely not a one size fits all proposition.

A good beginner's set of tools will meet most of the needs of beginning and intermediate spindle turners. Generally a bowl gouge or an Oland tool must be purchased or made for spindle turning. Ensure that the tools are high speed steel and have comfortable handles. While a small set of tools makes it hard to turn large objects and a big set makes it hard to turn small ones, a medium sized set with shafts about seven inches long are commonly used for all sorts of sizes of turnings.

The typical shop grinder is easily turned into a sharpening station with a couple of aluminium oxide wheels and a sharpening jig. While some experienced turners disdain the sharpening jigs, others love them and they make life much nicer for beginners.

Accessories will include more centers and faceplates as well as various chucks and gadgets. Manufacturers have long ago noticed the buying power of wood turners and the near addiction to acquiring tools expressed by many. It is necessary to know some things about your lathe before buying.

Generally accessories will attach to the headstock or tailstock. Headstocks come in a variety of sizes expressed in terms of their diameter and screw size expressed as teeth per inch or tpi. Common sizes for beginner length are one inch diameter by eight teeth per inch and three quarter inch diameter by sixteen teeth per inch. Accessories are easily available for both but may not be for some other sizes. In the UK metric sizes may be more prevalent.

Tailstocks and headstocks will generally be bored through and then tapered, usually to a standard called the Morse taper. This will generally be a number one or number two Morse taper expressed as #1 or #2. The two are not interchangable but most accessories will be available in either size. These have been the industry standard for some time. Number three Morse tapers have been used on metal lathes for a long time and are being found more often on some of the larger wood lathes for sale.

It should be noted that having a set of accessories that meet the accepted industry standards allow them to be moved on to new lathes. A good place to start is a beginner lathe with a one inch by eight tooth per inch headstock and number two Morse tapers in the headstock and tailstock. Such standards can have a woodturner looking at the after market accessories for a long time to come.

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