after the seminars about turning at the EXPO, i have decided that i need a lathe (on a tight budget). i found this on the harbor freight site [www.harborfreight.com] will it do what i need for turning cork and EVA or should i save some more $ and get a better one down the road?
thanks,
mick

Mick

We make a Cork Lathe Set-up that can accept a drill that you might already have and costs less than larger bulky lathes. Click the link below to watch the short video.

[www.flexcoat.com]

Many of our dealers are located to the left of your screen.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Mick,

Maybe. It's not a very good lathe. Then again, turing cork and EVA doesn't require much. However, I'd probably opt for one of the Jet/Delta mini or midi lathes for a hundred or so bucks more. Better motors, better switches, better castings.

John's solution above isn't bad either.

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

If all your ever going to do is cork/foam, the lathe your proposing will meet your needs. However, something like John's suggestion is the way I would go if I was just turning a few grips now and then. If you ever think you're going to turn wood, then I would definitely go with a better late as Tom Suggests. You may want to check the recommendations on some of the pen turners forums for the better bench-top / mini / midi lathes.

lathe thoughts turning is addiciting almost certain you will in a short time want to do more,spend a little more in the beggining Ryobi ,Jet or Delta you will be glad you did one other thought the accessories you will need chucks etc will end up costing as much as the lathe again save and buy quality
John

Mike,
That lathe will work very well for you if you have a need for a 12 linch lathe and the longer bed.

But, this one -
[www.harborfreight.com]

especially, if you purchase the lathe bed extension will work very well as well. Also - note that the web page is wrong with the size of the head stock and tail stock. Actually this lathe has an MT2 headstock and tailstock.

The lathe that you mention has a top speed of 2400 rpm.

The one that I just listed has a top speed of 3200 rpm. Most of the time you won't really need the extra rpm, but every now and then - when sanding - it is nice to have the extra speed.

I have used the one that I listed above and it is certainly a fine lathe for anything that is needed for rod building.

If you purchase any lathe, budget an amount that is about equal to the amouint that you initially spend for the lathe to pick up all of the accessories that you will need for a complete setup.

It is nice to have a 3 and 4 jaw chuck. It is nice to have two or three Jacobs style chucks. It is nice to have a few different revolving tail stock, as well as a couple of different fixed point tail stocks.

If you purchase the lathe that I listed above, it is very nice to have the bed extension.
It is always a good idea to have at least one spare belt for the lathe.

Good luck
Roger

Using a drill you can use this also

[grizzly.com]

Mick,

There is a lot of merit to all of the above.

1. I've got a Flex Coat, which works out great for basic cork work and reaming. The Grizzly looks like a cool cross over product at a killer price. Seems like it would work fine but the nice thing about the Flex Coat system is that the separate roller supports come in very handy for other rod building tasks as well.

2. I've also got the 5 speed Harbor Freight lathe that Roger suggested. Very basic, but still 1/2 hp, max 3200 RPM and MT2. Inexpensive, but solid and dependable. Way more than is needed for most cork work, but good to have. However as mentioned, you'll definitely need to budget at least as much as you pay for additional lathe accessories, like chucks, mandrels, etc.

3. If you plan on getting REALLY serious about turning beyond cork then jump to the next level up withJet/Delta etc. for indexing, variable speed, etc. Keep in mind same situation as above on the accessories.

In conclusion, if you are on a budget and simply want to turn cork, the Flex Coat is a good entry because it will allow you to use it's components for many other uses if you should decide later to get a more powerful and versatile lathe. It'll get you by nicely and could even help you determine whether and which lathe to get later. It also takes up a lot less space.

No matter what you use for turning cork, be sure to invest in good eye and breathing protection, maybe even a cheap dust removal system too.

Also not to dissuade you, but taking reality check here. If you think turning cork is going to save you money...... forget it. I've had to resign myself to spending a whole lot more in time and money just to get what I want in a grip. From the way price and availability of good cork is going, grips are quickly becoming the most expensive components on my float and spey rods.

Have fun.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2013 06:18PM by Teague Parker.

I would strongly recommend holding off until you do your research. I have seen so many get impatient and find out (several hundred bucks later that what they have just won't do what you now want to do!
Keep in mind that turning is highly addictive.
Like many builders, I started out with a Grizzly Hobby Lathe [www.grizzly.com] (and wish I still had it!) It's nice and portable. Mount it on a board, carry it outside, set it on a couple saw horses and go to to town. It's a great little set up but it won't be long before the bug really hits and you want to start turning wood grips. Then come the bottle stoppers, pens and a ton of other things
I guess my point is, the lathe is the cheapest part of your total investment only IF you buy the right one. Do your research and make the best choice.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

I would look around at second hand tool shops for a good deal on a wood lathe. Years ago, I got a very nice Rockwell 1 horse wood lathe for about $100 and it is still going strong. I have made all kinds of reel seat inserts, pepper mills, jewlery boxes, etc on this lathe, drilled and shaped all kinds of wood trim, etc. etc. Check around for a good used model.

If you plan ont turning wood buy a couple of GOOD gouges and skews. Cheaper ones will not hold a sharp edge for long

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

thank you gentlemen for all the replies!!!
i thought i had done enough research but i guess it's back to GOOGLE.
right now i am only planning to turn cork and EVA so i'll probably start with the grizzly or flex coat type. if the bug bites and i want a lathe i'll have something to hold me over until i can find the right one.
? about lathes:
1. what other accessories will i need besides the tools (gouges, parting tool, skews, etc)
2. what is the difference between an MT1 and MT2?
? about grizzly/flex coat
1. all the pics/videos i've seen on the flex coat, it looks like the cork is already on the blank. knowing me, that would be a good way to ruin a blank! can you use a mandrel on the flex coat?

thanks again for all your help! that's why i love this site, you guys rock!!

Mike,
Purchase MT2 fitted accessories.
MT2 attachments are larger at the attachment end, and are likely to be the size of any future attachments for any replacement lathes.
Obtain at least a 1/2 inch keyless Jacobs chuck. Obtain a 3 jaw chuck to hold work in the head stock and to also allow shafts to go through the head stock for shorter length over the lathe bed.
Obtain a set of center point drill bits to allow you to drill perfectly centered holes and or center holes for a perfectly centered tail stock hole.

[jntool.en.alibaba.com]

[www.grizzly.com]

[www.grizzly.com]

[www.grizzly.com]

[www.grizzly.com]

Good luck
Roger

Mick

You can use a mandrel with our lathe set up. Any 1/4" shaft can fit into the chuck of the drill and you can build up masking tape bushings to build up the shaft if your cork is already reamed. Also, a router speed control woks well to control the drill speed in our set up.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Assuming we're just talking cork or handle turning:

? lathe

1. Other accessories - What Roger said. For a mini-midi lathe, I found the PSI Barracuda C500 key chuck covers me and does a decent job. [www.amazon.com] Also wood rasps, some different length mandrels, a dust collector system and a possibly a bed extension, although for cork you can get by without extension. I'm sure there's more; there always is.

2. MT1 and MT2 refers to stock receiver size. MT2 (larger?) seems to be more universal. In addition to Morse Taper option, I'd consider at head stock adaptor size in a lathe as well. 1-inch-by-8 TPI is larger and can be adapted to 3/4-inch-by-16 TPI if needed; not sure about other way around. Also, if you jump to lathe, don't skimp on power, 1/2 hp min, IMO. Variable speed is very nice, but not necessary for cork turning.

? about grizzly/flex coat

1. Yes you can easily use a mandrel on the Flex coat and Grizzly. They'll just slip in to Jacobs chuck on your drill. Max size of mandrel is determined by the size of chuck on drill, usually either 3/8" or 1/2". Most cork turning will be on 1/4" or 5/16", so no problem for most drills, which you provide. I believe Backlash Tools also makes some larger mandrels with 3/8" at one end, if needed. I find the longer ("18" minimum) length mandrels work best with the Flexcoat because they give me more working room with their roller guides, which do eat up some space. If you use threaded mandrels be sure to tape at the roller guides.

Good luck.

Another point on the Flex Coat or Grizzly. Get a GOOD drill, like the DeWalt. [www.amazon.com] Aside from basic features recommended by FlexCoat, like 8 Amp 2,500 RPM min motor, you want the sturdiest head stock mechanism possible IMO. Some of the cheaper drills are not well balanced and have a lot of play in them. Not that much savings anyway.
BTW, the Flexcoat really works great for reaming especially with Batson's Dream Reamer set.

thanks again gents!!
mr. wilson, are you from north carolina? reason i ask; my college roommate's dad was roger wilson, and he was an encyclopedia when it came to wood, wood-working and tools. the man could build anything from wood or sheet metal.

Mick,
Actually, it goes like this:
My great great grandfather came from England and settled in Virginia He left Virginia to get away from tax collectors.
My great grandfather settled in Mo. But then my grandfather left Mo, to get away from tax collectors and settled in Montana.
I have left Montana and am back in the Midwest for my engineering career.

Since the amount of money is relative modest, I would really suggest that you go with at least one of the Harbor Freight or equivalent Lathes for your starter lathes.
Both are reasonably capable. Both use MT2 accessories.
Both have adequate power for any rod building needs that you would like to use.
Either of these lathes have much more capability than a variable speed electric drill lathe. The use of the hollow fixed head stock is frequently used for many many different purposes.

Good luck
Roger

On that same vein, I am on the way out to the shop where I have my lathe located.
I will be using the lathe to finish up work for the custom rod drum dryer for another rod builder.

Again, I will be using the fixed head stock with the heavy 3 jaw machine chuck that I have mounted on the head stock to take care of some metal machining that I will be doing to finish up the dryer.

I will also be using the Jacobs chuck to hold the center point drill that I will use to drill the perfectly centered hole in the end of the solid shat that I will be using for the dryer end bushing.

So, a lathe with a good head stock, tail stock and bed can be used for so many different purposes, both related to rod building as well as other tasks.

Although I don't have a variable speed lathe, I do have the ability to change the speeds by changing the belt on pulleys. Although not as convenient as a dial on the variable speed motor, the belt changes can be accommodated very quickly.

Roger

Roger, do you have some pics of the drum dryer your building on here. I would be interested in seeing one. Thanks.