I'm new, but also not!

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cnb

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
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Location
NJ
Hi, I'm Chris from New Jersey. As you may see, I joined here almost a year ago, but got sidetracked and never properly got into pen turning.

Well, now I'm ready to get started with pens (especially fountain and dip pens), shaving brushes, and anything else that tickles my fancy. I've been trying to find a good lathe, and someone local offered me and old Craftsman 103.23070 and a set of chisels.
Here's what it looks like:
vbX2Bmhl.png


Anybody know if that's a good lathe and how much it's worth?

Ready to get my feet wet!
 
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The tools are most likely carbon steel. If they are, they will require care when sharpening to avoid overheating and loss of temper. (If they turn blue when sharpening you let them get too hot and they won't hold an edge anymore). Carbon steel will take a finer edge than high speed steel and carbide, but it is far less durable. That means much more frequent sharpening. If you don't know how to sharpen (and you don't have someone to teach you), you will likely be unhappy with those tools.

I've seen lathes of that type / condition auctioned off at local clubs for about $25 - $50. You would have to put some work into getting it ready to turn. Hard to tell from the picture, but you may have trouble getting a chuck on it. It looks like it could be set up to turn between centers or using a mandrel. You would need to buy a live center for the tailstock.

My honest opinion is that "free" would be a very fair price for the lathe and tools. I wouldn't pay more the $50 for the package. But that's just me (and I may be spoiled :wink:).

Ed
 
parklandturner said:
The tools are most likely carbon steel. If they are, they will require care when sharpening to avoid overheating and loss of temper. (If they turn blue when sharpening you let them get too hot and they won't hold an edge anymore). Carbon steel will take a finer edge than high speed steel and carbide, but it is far less durable. That means much more frequent sharpening. If you don't know how to sharpen (and you don't have someone to teach you), you will likely be unhappy with those tools.

I've seen lathes of that type / condition auctioned off at local clubs for about $25 - $50. You would have to put some work into getting it ready to turn. Hard to tell from the picture, but you may have trouble getting a chuck on it. It looks like it could be set up to turn between centers or using a mandrel. You would need to buy a live center for the tailstock.

My honest opinion is that "free" would be a very fair price for the lathe and tools. I wouldn't pay more the $50 for the package. But that's just me (and I may be spoiled :wink:).

Ed
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice.
I had thought the chisels might not be great, and planned on getting a carbide tool that uses inserts rather than also needing to get a grinder.

It seems that lathes are few and far between on the used market around me. I'd been trying to avoid the harbor freight route, but maybe that's the only realistic one for me.
 
parklandturner said:
The AAW (american association of woodturners) has about a half dozen chapters in NJ. Maybe one (or more) is near you. If those clubs are like my local clubs, good lathes will periodically come available at good prices. Might be worth checking out.

Here's a link to the AAW chapter search page:

Local Chapters - The American Association of Woodturners

Ed
Click to expand...

There is indeed one fairly close by, I will get in touch with them.

Thanks
 
Welcome

Welcome from Sunny St. Cloud, Fla. Home of beautiful Florida wood. I have the same lathe that I got for the same price. Not the best in the world, but I have turned some nice things on it.
 
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