I have a little extra cash and I was thinking about buying a lathe or a power wrapper. Is there a reasonably priced power wrapper that I could use to turn cork on?

~Jon

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind

I've got a pac bay wrapper with the deluxe chuck. I have been using it to turn cork. Not sure if it is the best for turning cork, but I haven't had any troubles yet.

Hi Jon,

This is an often-visited subject on the forum.

I bought a power wrapper thinking I could turn cork on it as well. I did it a few times, and found I couldn't live with the dust in my wrapping and finishing space so I bought a lathe and dedicated the garage for turning and the upstairs shop for wrapping and finishing. It works best for me.

The Pac Bay wrappers are limited on horsepower, and you need the upgraded chuck and there isn't a tool rest, which you'll need if you turn many grips. With the chuck upgrade, this will run you around $350, maybe less if you can get things on sale.

The next step up in wrapper/lathe combos is the custom power wrap. Bigger motor, tool rest and tail stock options, probably run you around $750. This is a pretty good machine and would serve you well in the dual role.

The cadillac of wrapper/lathes is the renzetti. It's an awesome tool and will last a lifetime. Also with many tool rest, tail stock and chuck options. Probably run you around $1100 with everything you need to turn and wrap.

On the other hand, you can get a Pac Bay wrapper for around $250, less on sale or used and for another $250, you can get a dedicated lathe with a 17" center and all you need for tools to turn cork is a wood rasp or a stanley surform tool, a bastard mill file and sandpaper.

I had the space so I chose the dedicated lathe and power wrapper. I think with good dust collection and filtered fan/airflow, you can manage the dust in your shop if you want to turn and wrap in the same space.

Good luck.

Terry

Jon,
I agree that the post with respect to separating your rod building and your cork turning is right on.
No matter how careful, if you turn cork in the same area as you do rod wrapping and finishing, you will end up with dust on your finish.

You can get a mini lathe for about $100 that will turn cork just fine. If you go up to a midi lathe - you can get a nice one for about $250.
For either of these lathes, to be able to do everything that you might like to do with a lathe will require the addition of some addeed chucks, and tail stocks which could add another $100 or more to the purchase.

A rod wrapper can be simple inexpensive, or complicated and expensive.

As with any product, the more you pay for the product, you will generally get more features and the ability to do different jobs.


Depending on your capabilities, it is relatively easy to build your own wrapper.

So, as the saying goes - pays your money and buy the product of your choice.

Good luck and happy building.

Roger

I often turn cork in the same room, often on the same machine, that I do my finishing on. No need to get cork dust in anything. Never have, never will.

Dust is only a problem when it's airborne. Don't stir the environment too much at the time you're finishing and you won't have a problem.

Better yet, build yourself an inexpensive dust/chip collection system. There are photos on the photo page and several articles in RodMaker on how to create efficient dust collection systems with shop vacs and/or simple $10 box fans. They're surprising effective and allow the builder on a budget, or the guy who doesn't have much space, to perform all rod building tasks, including shaping cork, in the area and on the same machine that he uses for wrapping and finishing.

We've done several such articles in the past couple years, the latest being the built-in dust collection system on the RodMaker Mobile Rod Building Bench.

................

Jon, I chose to purchase a PSI midi lathe, and it's true, they are reasonably priced. I got mine with a 3-jaw chuck and a jacobs chuck. I recommend a 4 jaw chuck. That's my next investment. What you will realize after you get the midi lathe, is that it's way more than you'll need to turn just cork. So you'll begin to want to turn wood and acrylics for handles and seats. When you do, be prepared to invest as much or more in a quality sharpening system for the lathe tools. Without it, you are done before you start. I have a dedicated grinder with sharpening wheels and the Wolverine One-Way lathe tool jig for setting the correct angles. That setup cost me more than the PSI. Sharp tools will make the process so easy and enjoyable. Oh. yes. Don't forget you'll need a set of mandrels.

Wow...there's a lot more to this than I thought....geeze...my wife is going to be @#$%& off at you guys when I go out and spend small fortune on this hobby of mine....lol...Thanks for the info guys. You've given me a lot to think about.

~Jon

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind

There's always the little Grizzly hobby lathe that uses a common drill as the drive unit. Doesn't cost much ($50?) and has been used by rod builders near and far to turn all manner of cork and EVA grips.

...............

I bought a 3/8 in. Black & Decker for $39.00, I made a stand to hold it added a couple of mandrels and a "V" block and it works great. With a 20`` box fan and a good filter it will collect a lot of the dust.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

I bought a 3/8 in. Black & Decker for $39.00, I made a stand to hold it added a couple of mandrels and a "V" block and it works great. With a 20`` box fan and a good filter it will collect a lot of the dust.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

There is a Pac Bay with delux chuck on @#$%& fro 175.00 right now # 230328360476