Turning is creative: The most beautiful works can be created from a raw piece of wood. But here, too, the result depends on the right equipment. We tell you, What to look out for when buying a lathe.
Here it goes round! Turning is one of the oldest handicraft techniques, a skill, who creates things from the raw material wood, ranging from everyday needs to elaborately decorated and art. The most imaginative works can be created on the lathe in a relatively short time, from simple to playful to whimsical. However, the prerequisite for successful turning is the right equipment and tools. The focus is on the purchase of a lathe. The industry offers various solutions here – from the attachment for the drill from approx 50 Euro, to professional lathes for several thousand euros.
The purchase of an attachment for the drill is an absolutely cheap solution and only suitable for do-it-yourselfers, want to try turning. These devices are actually unsuitable for serious work. The load on the bearings is often so huge, that the drill usually gives up the ghost after just a few workpieces. Added to this is the high running noise of the drill, that spoils the joy of work for the user and his environment. In addition, these turning devices lack the stability and mass for safe and low-vibration work.
THE CROWD MATTERS
Because wood is an inhomogeneous material, vibrations cannot be avoided during turning work. A lathe should therefore have a high mass (weight) feature, to keep the vibrations low. The ones in the price range from just under 100 The sheet metal lathes offered for sale in euros are not much better than the attachment for the drill. They are also very light and not torsion-resistant enough. Only from approx 400 There are turning lathes to buy, whose mass is large enough, to effectively dampen the vibrations when turning. Professionals even swear by turning lathes with a cast-iron bench bed and attachments, which are also made of gray cast iron.