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After 33 years with my Woodfast lathe, a new lathe is now on the way!

Doug Machin said:

StaStrStu Articulating Led Work Light, 18W Machine Lights, 1800 Lumens Flexible Wood Lathe Light Drill Press Lighting 110-220v - Amazon.com

StaStrStu Articulating Led Work Light, 18W Machine Lights, 1800 Lumens Flexible Wood Lathe Light Drill Press Lighting 110-220v - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...
Thanks. Some questions:
  • The advertisement says it is dimmable. Is it? How? I see no control. It looks like AC power cord but min voltage is stated to be 110v, possibly eliminating the use of something like a router speed control.
  • Is there enough friction in the pivots to allow adjusting the head position and keep it from moving or sagging?
  • Is there an adjustment on the joints to lock in an position? One reviewer mentioned the need for a tools, apparently to to tighten the individual arms.
  • Is the base strong? A reviewer wrote: "Wish the base was not plastic"
JKJ
 
- No dimming, unless they're talking about using an LED compatible dimming light switch.
- Yes, there is enough friction to keep the light stable.
- Pivots are all controlled by a 5mm allen wrench. I keep the joints very tight, but I bring the light to bear on the inside of a bowl with a minor yank. Occasionally, I'll re-tighten, but it does the job well. I don't move the light a lot, it's aimed at the inside of a bowl. I keep a full set of allen wrenches nearby, its seems I use them all the time.
- Base is strong enough to hang sideways on the wall (zoom in on photo, it's screwed to the corner of the pegboard frame)
 

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I already have a 6" faceplate, and hardly use any of my faceplates anyway. I am a user of screw center faceplates for nearly all my work. This Vicmarc faceplate is very well made but I don't need it.

It dawned on me that a big magnet could be attached to this Vicmarc faceplate, and it would essentially double/triple the level space on the headstock that could be used for magnetic lamps, my vibrometer, and a few other things that have magnetic bases.

This ought to do for now.......
20250907_165445.jpg

=o=
 
You haven't asked for information on this, but Vicmarc do have their outboard mechanism, which many people dismiss because of the very long pole. These appear to be either an earlier version of what is available today, or possibly modified. They work extremely well and are as rigid as anything.

My turning club has three VL175SH units, each of which is fitted with a Vicmarc outboard attachment. These are all used without the centre pole and were kitted out before my time. These lathes are all around 20+ years old and get used six days a week; more or less.

Just some food for thought.

SH_Steady_001.jpg

SH_Steady_002.jpg

SH_Steady_003.jpg
 
Mick Fagan said:
My turning club has three VL175SH units
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, Mick..... :)

It appears as though the VL240 isn't the first attempt Vicmarc had with a swivel headstock lathe.

This, I was unaware of.

=o=
 
There was probably a hundred little details that I needed to do changing over to a different lathe.

I think I'm down to the last of it, and am ready to start turnin'!....as soon as I get my new lighting. :)

This little gadget needed another center line location of the Vicmarc lathe. The yellow strip beneath it is the centerline of my old Woodfast lathe.
20250908_070333.jpg
On a few occasions, I need an accurate measurement of the tool rest height.....and, this little gadget is a quick reference point.
20250908_070457.jpg

My two new Super Nova lights should be here today.....hopefully!

=o=
 
Odie said:
Note: I put out an enquiry about current production lights in another thread in the "newbie" forum, but not getting much response there.

These are some that I'm considering:

woodturnerswonders.com

Super Nova LED Machine Lamp + 120 Kg Pull Magnetic BaseDefault Title

Energy efficient, industrial strength lighting provides bright illumination for up to 50,000 hours. With features like switchable magnetic bases, 9' power cords, and 30" flexible necks that stay put without sagging, these LED lamps are ideal for a wide range of industrial applications, including...
woodturnerswonders.com woodturnerswonders.com

woodturnerswonders.com

Quasar LED Machine Lamp + 120 Kg Pull Magnetic BaseDefault Title

According to our internet research "Quasars are among the brightest, oldest, and most powerful objects in the universe. Powered by massive black holes at the center of most known galaxies, quasars can emit enormous amounts of energy, up to a thousand times the total output of the hundreds of...
woodturnerswonders.com woodturnerswonders.com


(Looking for a little feedback and comments on lathe lighting.....thanks.) :)

=o=
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Odie. I have a mag base light from Ikea, OK I did a mod on the magnets and now have Neodymium magnets. Above the bed I have 4' LED and at the end of that I have a 1200 LED spot angled forward. Plus a magnetic LED that goes on the toolrest, sorta like Cindy Drozda, its diy as I had the parts on hand
 
hughie said:
its diy as I had the parts on hand
Click to expand...

Hey DIY is a great way to express your creativity.....some would say it's the best way to get the ol' mental gears turnin'! :)

Some turners prefer to just throw money at a situation.....and their solutions look similar to other turners who throw money at the whole learning process.

=o=
 
Odie, I hope you enjoy your VL240 as much as I do mine. A small tip that might be useful for rotating the head: I made a sort of wrench out of plywood that goes around the head (see pic). I put (fine) Sharpie marks at the two positions and I find that with the wrench, I can rotate the head more precisely to the exact spot where the locking pin drops in.

BTW, re Mick's post about the outboard attachment, I have it on my VL240 and it is great: massive, stable and flexible to use.
 

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Gord Cameron said:
Odie, I hope you enjoy your VL240 as much as I do mine. A small tip that might be useful for rotating the head: I made a sort of wrench out of plywood that goes around the head (see pic). I put (fine) Sharpie marks at the two positions and I find that with the wrench, I can rotate the head more precisely to the exact spot where the locking pin drops in.

BTW, re Mick's post about the outboard attachment, I have it on my VL240 and it is great: massive, stable and flexible to use.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gord....... :)

That looks like a great idea you have there! Tell me though.......does the headstock get more difficult to rotate after the passage of time? I ask because my headstock seems pretty easy to move without any special tool to make it easier.

Also, I probably won't be getting the outboard attachment for my Vicmarc 240 because the location in the shop corner would be a bit awkward. Besides, a 19" swing over the bedways is plenty large enough, considering the wood that is available to me.

=o=
 
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odie, this stuff goes around $30ish per can, but a dry film moly spray such as this, judiciously applied to the rotational contact patch every once in a blue moon should keep that headstock rotating nicely for decades to come. May even reduce the wear of the iron surfaces themselves. Molybdenum is a preferred lube for high shear applications, such as gear teeth, roller chains, and other high pressure metal-on-metal surface contacts that can break down the structure of other lubricants.
https://www.crcindustries.com/dry-moly-lube-11-wt-oz/ Grainger has it for about $28, Napa about $35. I recall similar products having a dark gray color to it, and you want to clean away any overspray to keep it off other surfaces where you don't want it. Like wood.

Edit- I would not use this stuff for the tailstock and tool rest due to the dark moly film it would leave on those surfaces, and other things.
 
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Odie said:
It appears as though the VL240 isn't the first attempt Vicmarc had with a swivel headstock lathe.

This, I was unaware of.

=o=
Click to expand...

The VL175 was a very nice swivel head lathe other than its outboard turning rig with the big heavy duty and hard to move post that went down to the floor. The photos of the outboard rig that Mick has posted looks like a much better design, but that version was never offered here. Because of that issue with the outboard turning rig on the VL175 I stayed with my Woodfast C1000X swivel head.

I have had outboard turning platforms and tool posts on my lathes for over 50yrs and I much prefer to turn that way, as does my aging back nowadays.

I expect that you and your back will really enjoy your new swivel head lathe, Odie.
 
Brent@TurnRobust said:
Hi Odie, those are for setting up the inverter ...... My friendly advice is to leave those buttons alone. About a year ago, I started placing a sticker on our lathes to tell the owner to leave these buttons alone. It reduced our service calls from well meaning new owners ;)
Click to expand...

Having had to do some inverter programming recently I would second that advice from Brent. Not something you would want to get into idly (or accidentally), if woodturning is what you want to be doing, and best avoided unless you really have to go there.
 
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Neil S said:
Having had to do some inverter programming recently I would second that advice from Brent. Not something you would want to get into idly (or accidentally), if woodturning is what you want to be doing, and best avoided unless you really have to go there.
Click to expand...

I'll consider myself lucky because like an idiot, I did punch some buttons on my inverter.... :(

=o=
 
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