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Vicmarc VL300

  • Thread starter Thread starter mkart
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mkart

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Anyone out there have a Vicmarc VL300. I think I am going to buy one without the base and motor from Craft Supplies. I already have a motor and controller. That only leaves building a stable base. Just curious if anyone else has done this. I'll save about $2,000 less the expense of the base I build. I figure about $500 for the base. This looks like a good lathe but I have never turned on one.

Thanks,
Matt
 
Hi Matt,

I have the VL 300 3 hp longbed but purchased the whole package from Craft Supplies. I love the lathe and would buy it again it a heart beat. The lathe is cast iron and has heavy duty tapered roller bearings. The head stock pulley on mine has four torque ranges. Hope your motor is 3 hp. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Ed
 
I also have one of these lathes. I bought the long bed 3hp from Craft Suplies. I think it is awesome. If I had it to do over again I would buy the same lathe. If you want to build your own stand and mount a motor you can save money.
 
Vicmarc lathe

I think the Vicmarc is the best kept secret in turning. If you are handy you can build what you want with the bare lathe only from Craft Supplies. You must supply the motor, controller, switches, base and put it all together. I don't know of another maker that will let you buy a lathe like this. I have turned on about all the large lathes out there and the Vicmarc was what I bought and I just am very happy with it. No matter if you get an all made by Vicmarc, the Craft Supply version or build your own you can't do better. I thought about it for over a year and went for the all Vicmarc lathe but if I was handy I would have built my own.

Ron
 
Welder

I am using this purchase as an excuse to learn how to weld, the stand. I am looking at purchasing a Hobart 140 mig welder. It says it can weld up to 1/4" in a single pass. Anyone know if this welder is worth buying? I would like to build a custom stand.
thanks
Matt
 
I have a Hobart 175 wire welder. I really like it. If you do get one I would highly recomend using the co2 Nitrogen gas and not the flux wire. Using the wire welder with the gas really makes for some nice welds.
 
Tom Lewis said:
I have a Hobart 175 wire welder. I really like it. If you do get one I would highly recomend using the co2 Nitrogen gas and not the flux wire. Using the wire welder with the gas really makes for some nice welds.
Click to expand...

I'm with Tom, wire-feed always over stick.
 
Vicmarc VL300 w/out motor... 3ph or DC?? motor heads... help!

I have also thought about the VL300 from craft supplies without the base and motor, etc... Has anyone ever actually done this or see any drawbacks? I have friends who actually teach welding, so the welding of the base is easy. I am not to knowledgeable about the motors/controllers, etc... but it seems as though this stuff would be pretty cut and dried to those in the know. Anyone here "in the know?" I get the Surplus Center catalog and they always have screaming deals on motors, especially 3 phase. Is it true that one would want a 3 phase motor and use a VFD controller? OR is DC a good way to go such as the Conover set-up? I was thinking a 3PH 3HP with VFD would be what I want to get. Low speed torque is important I know but do not really know what to look for in terms of this. What to get for a VFD is another question... how do you figure out what VFD controller to use? Any other things to consider here??? How about pulleys and pulley sizes, etc.. ?

I have a lot of very handy friends that can help me get it all together with a stand. Just need to know what to buy!
 
If you will go to the Vicmarc owners site that GeorgeTroy listed in one of the above postings there is a post by someone who did exactly what you want to do.
 
I have the Australian Vicmarc 300VL long bed (51") and would not trade for it for any other lathe out there. There are some differences in the two, I have turned on the CS version as well as mine. It is what you get used to, I am used to the Aussie version so that is my preference. And after turning on the short bed version and having to take the tailstock on and off, I am glad I got the longbed. I just move the tailstock down to the end and out of the way - saves the back. The tool post is 30mm on mine and 1" on the CS version. Both are stout, the 30mm (1 3/16) will take a little more abuse and not flex. After the controller and motor (mine is a 2hp vector controller), the biggest difference is the base.

Since you are building your own, you might want to take a look at the Australian version. The red bar across the front is an emergency kill switch, bump it with your knee and its the same as hitting stop. Also the front of the Vic base is more or less flat. It is angled back a few degrees, and the back is angled quit a bit compared to the front. But I am never on that side. This gives it a fairly wide foot print that is stable. There are no splayed legs to get in the way, and I can work around the headstock without tripping. I can use the CS base, but am not in love with it. Its as clumsy as a Oneway to me. There is also a chip chute built into the base that lets the shavings fall out the back.

Recently I have been roughing out 22" Pecan bowls. I core them and get around 5 to 6 bowls per blank. The mass (1000 lbs) of the 300VL was able to handle the blanks with no problem, from the rough log to the coring. I don't think you can go wrong with either lathe, just be sure to get a Vic chuck to go on your Vic lathe....

We also have a MIG welder. We bought a Millermatic 180 and its a great little tool. If you are getting a MIG, get the C25 gas version - 75% Argon 25% CO2. This is good for the steel you will be welding. For Aluminum all you have to do is change the gas and wire and you are in business. The wire for gas welding is about half that if the flux core wire. Figuring in the cost of the gas you are still ahead. Hobart is owned by Miller and a little lighter duty, be sure to read about their duty cycles. If you check around you can get the Millers at a decent price, not too much different than the Hobart. Either one is good, the Hobart is the consumer model and the Miller is the industrial. Also the bigger models like the 180 will weld thicker steel for down the road when you have to repair your trailer or build one.

And if you are going to work plate steel, look at a Miller plasma cutter. We bought the 375, which can do "shearing" cuts up to 5/8" - it does an excellent job on 3/8" and under. With some 1/4" MDF templates you can make miter cuts in angle iron. Just finished up doing that for a welding table a earlier this evening. Next year its a TIG welder, you just can't have enough "tools" before the time on this rock is over.....

Good luck with your Vic, you really can't go wrong with what you are doing.
 
By the time you build a base you will wish you had just bought it. I'm not talking to the guys out there who would build it even if they had the money, if that is the case then go for it. You will spend more $ making your own base and will rarely match the benefits of the Vicmarc or CS base. Save up and get the full deal and spend your time turning! :D
 
I turn spindles as well as bowls. I was thinking it might be a good idea to get the long bed VL300 for this reason. I could use the tailstock when needed on bowls but 99% of the time just turn bowls outboard rather than having to lean over the bed all the time. This would mean the motor would be in reverse most of the time and turning would be done outboard. Any problems with this? Does this make sense to anyone or am I missing something? Seems like the long bed would be nice for the weight. It seems most peole have 2 lathes for this... one short bed for bowls and a longer bed (smaller lathe) for spindles but with the outboard capability I thought I could just have one lathe. Thoughts?
 
New VL 300 Long Bed

Dear all who want to know about the new VL300

I have the new VL 300 long bed and a 2.2 motor with outboard turning rig and a box w/magnet (move it where you want) with speed, forward/reverse, on and off in the box with the new model. I would not try and re-invent the wheel when the Aussie model is so well engineered, If it cost less then you put less into it. I have used both types and the Aussi design is far superior. Weight of 990lbs and hollow large footprint's that can be filled to add more weight speak for the design. Now if money is an issue then I can' say much, but I would sell everything I did not use after using the new model to purchase one.

no insult ment to any one,
just know a good piece on equipment when I use it,

John the Burlspiner
 
Burlspinner- I guess I am not sure what all of these extra features are that the aussie version has over the craft supplies (USA) version other than a different base allowing you to add weight with a large footprint. At 990 pounds without added weight... well, I am not sure that being able to add weight is worth any $ if the lathe already weighs 990 pounds! By that I mean that I don;t think of that as an option that is actually worth paying for but that is just me. The other option I can think of off hand is the emergency stop bar (the big red bar) that is offered on the aussie version. I am under the assumption that the motors and VFD controllers are ab out equal in terms of performance. I am leaning to just buying the craft supplies version out of the box rather than building it myself. Too much tinkering around and relying on other people to help me. So, am I missing something obvious here that makes the Aussie version so much better?
 
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