Hello and advice please.

[SteveClay]

Recently retired and new to turning. I've joined a local club and have been using a record 320 and an axminster variable speed. I'm not sure I can warrant £600. The Record 305 looks good bit will I get fed up changing belts. Is an extra £300 for variable speed worth it. Thanks

 

[flexi]

Hello and welcome to the forum....
The short answer to your question is only you will know, depending on your available cash....
I have an older Axi Perform lathe with the belt adjust and tbh I have never changed the speed, much like my pillar drill...yes I know I can/ could but it works as is...so do I need an easier variable speed gizmo?
If price is an issue and you must have all the bells and whistles check out E bay Axminster sell off their returns as do disillusioned turners. Most good makes are robustly built these days

 

[Gadget-UK]

Agree with Mark.
Down to what you actually want to turn and your budget.
There are some amazing Lathes that have all the bells and whistle's to do whatever you want BUT its down to what YOU want to turn and what it is going to be used for

 

[Doug]

Hi & welcome Stephen,
I would say it’s down to what you intend turning, if it’s just pens then a belt driven lathe is fine, if you intend to turn a wide variety of things then variable speed can be very handy.
Take for instance an out of shape blank with variable speed you can start slowly as you begin to true up the blank & as you progress you can slowly increase the speed until you are at the speed you want & the blank is true.
Personally I wouldn’t want to be without variable speed as it is so useful but as Mark & Colin have said it’s really down to you & your budget, best of luck in your endeavours what ever you choose.

 

[Phil Dart]

Hello Stephen - welcome to the Forum.

Have you managed to solve your lathe dilemma yet?

 

[howsitwork?]

Hello Stephen

personally I wouldn’t be without it but I turn a variety of shapes and sizes, not just pens. For that it’s incredibly useful. I added my speed control afterwards but it’s cheaper to get it i. the first place ready fitted. As has been said, only you know what you want to do. Gain experience with the two club lathes then make your mind up and ask about for anyone either upgrading or changing hobby in the meanwhile

Above all have fun and stay safe whilst doing so

 

[Rich Aldrich]

Welcome. Variable speed. Much safer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Adal6]

I am still on with changing belts I do not mind. But will go to variable speed when I win the lottery

 

[Gert Fitcher]

Varible speed isn't so important if you're not turning large stuff, where it comes into use is when turning out of balance pieces. Sometimes a blank will shake like hell at e.g. 300rpm but be reasonably steady at 350pm. A couple of cuts later it might start to shake again and be perfectly OK at 380rpm or 320rpm - there's no real logic, sometimes a few rpm can make a difference. Many people manage perfectly well for decades with fixed speeds but no one who has variable speed would happily go back to fixed speeds. Don't forget also that you can turn very small things on a very large lathe but not the reverse.
( I assume the club is at Wheal Jane - Cornwall Woodturners? I'm not far from you - Carharrack.)

 

[Terry Q]

You will get tired of changing belts very quickly. You won't regret getting a variable speed lathe.

 

[Nicholas Andrews]

Recently retired and new to turning. I've joined a local club and have been using a record 320 and an axminster variable speed. I'm not sure I can warrant £600. The Record 305 looks good bit will I get fed up changing belts. Is an extra £300 for variable speed worth it. Thanks

Variable speed is an asset as I'm sure you will find out the more you turn. There are kits on the market which might enable you to convert a non variable speed lathe to one which has more versatility. If you're looking to buy a lathe though, a decent used one from a renowned maker will be far better than the rubbish which comes from the Far East. Even Record products are manufactured there though often assembled in the UK with better attention to quality and detail. A good used Myford, Coronet, Vicmarc, Woodfast etc. will be far better and respond well to restoration.if necessary. A personal view, but don't be sucked in to buying a small lathe supposedly suitable for pen turning. You can turn pens just as easily on a large lathe but you can't turn a decent bowl on a small, pen turning lathe!

 

[loftyhermes]

I've had a Record DML24 for 30 years, it's a 3 speed belt change and I've been happily using it with no problems. I have used friends and the clubs variable speed lathes, and yes they are handy, but I've no intention of upgrading. As the others have said, it's down to your budget and preference.

 

[ValleyBoy]

I think the old adage always applies when buying a tool, especially a machine. Get the most you can afford.

You don't need a vs lathe. You'll still be able to produce the same quality pens as those with vs. But if you do get one I don't think you'll regret it, unlike you might with certain other upgrades that are available that you may never use.

When it comes to pen making I only change speeds when moving between turning and polishing.

Cheers
Ash

 

[BIX010]

Recently retired and new to turning. I've joined a local club and have been using a record 320 and an axminster variable speed. I'm not sure I can warrant £600. The Record 305 looks good bit will I get fed up changing belts. Is an extra £300 for variable speed worth it. Thanks

From personal experience variable speed is a fantastic asset to have, I use a record lathe with variable and it is 3 phase which gives loads of torque at low RPM. Changing belts is a time waster when you can have variable speed, I know you would say money well spent,

 

[Dalboy]

I run a CL3 which is belt change and do not find it a problem only takes less than a minute, I would think it is down to the lathe as to how easy it is to change the belts. VS is great and yes if I was to replace mine then I would go down the VS route as well as a bigger capacity.

 

[Padster]

So I have both on a single Axi lathe! It’s the 355WL model, the first two letters change mine is AC, currently the range is AW, but it’s the same…. Three different belt positions and variable speed for each….works perfectly, for pens and smaller stuff I use the fastest, medium bowls, the middle, and the slowest is reserved for the biggest bowls I can turn around 11”
Its simple to change them and takes as long as changing a chuck, it also as was mentioned earlier helps massively when starting to turn large or off centre pieces, then as the wood is removed you can speed up again….
oh and no affiliation to Axi but they currently have some lathes reduced…

HTH

Padster

 

[Tom.1946]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I took early retirement in 2009 but things got held up as it was a voluntary. But didn't get leaving till October and turned 65 in February 2010. Took up woodturning about 2-3 years ago but so far only turned pens, Snowmen and Christmas trees. I belong to a club but our instructor can't always come due to ill health.
However I bought a second hand lathe with belt change have it set about 2000rpm. I will be told by members here I am doing it all wrong but I drill, sand and use my chisels at this speed.
So far I have had only one blowout in acrylic and cut below the bushes on a wooden pen. I used a variable speed at max of 2000rpm in club and went back two days later and was running at 3000rpm. Apparently there are pullies on the lathe and changing them changes the speed. Just depends on what you want and afford.....
Tom