Hello I’ve been offered a woodturning lathe for the space. Its a Tyme Avon lathe that belonged to my grandfather. It looks like this:
Googling it the internet thinks:
"It was a great lathe, the Avon. I used that for about 20 years until it was supplanted …
Had this for about 3 years now, can’t fault it yet, I think there is only two machines that could supplant this and they are a ‘Oneway’ or a ‘Magma Black Line Titan’
But I’d have to win the lottery for them. "
It would be a loan in the unlikely event my dad decided he wanted to or had space to use it.
I also think this could be a great enhancement to the woodworking side of things. It has an extension bed, giving perhaps a metre (more?) between the centres, so quite a substantial thing. Gouges etc are expensive, and I wondered if any of the collection in the photograph might also be available as part of the loan? Also interesting to discover what chucks it comes with.
Think the photo is of the same model from the internet. Suspect the actual one is rather buried in my dad’s workshop.
He did caution about the need to look after the gouges and chisels implying there are several. Back in the day it got a lot of use and I remember it as having a good range.
I’ll see if I can get more details about what comes with it and the specific model/ dimensions when I next talk to my dad.
They need to be kept really sharp, after every use really. A good sharpening system (Tormek or similar) would be a proper thing for the makerspace to own.
I wouldn’t think of a chisel that hadn’t been sharpened as a ‘damaged’ chisel. A chisel that had been bent, or used to cut stone, would be damaged. All handtools (saws, planes, chisels) need tuning up from time to time, it is a normal part of their use.
@Rs1771 the issue is that these wouldn’t be our tools, they would be on loan, and if someone is using the chisel to work material that turns out to have a piece of metal in it then it would get a large chip in the edge that would require substantial work to repair if possible…
It’s not about the tuning or what ever, it’s about some one wrecking an item that is easily ruined by someone who isn’t following the correct procedure…
OK thanks I understand you now. I suppose the responses that come to mind are:
The ownership status of a tool (whether it’s a loan or the company’s property) doesn’t make it more or less likely to be damaged. If the makerspace’s own chisels are damaged, they also might require substantial repair work. So this isn’t a point about loans, it’s a point about people behaving sensibly, knowing how to use the equipment correctly, doing the safety checks etc.
The company’s rules about donations and loans state clearly that it’s at the owner’s risk. That doesn’t absolve any user from the requirement to respect the tool on loan, but it is the bottom line that the lender must accept.
More broadly, the makerspace will have to decide what level of risk it’s comfortable with, if it wants to embrace woodworking as a ‘making’ discipline, given that it involves potentially very dangerous tools and activities.
My dad is dropping the lathe off to me at the weekend. Do we have room to store it/ use it at the space? Obviously I would much rather not have to find room at home - but appreciate it might just be in the way till Phase 2 is complete.
Builders at my dad’s mean it had to move now I’m afraid.
Chisels: I will see what it comes with. I think Tommel is probably right I probably don’t want to sacrifice all of them, but I am hoping that I will be able to give something with it.
