Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-5, страница 51
| 46-460 $599 Motor size: 1 hp, 110 volts Swing: \T/i over bed; 9" over rest Distance between centers: 16'/2" Speed range: 250-4,000 rpm Weight: 97 lbs www.deltaportercable.com (800) 223-7278 bracket handles are long and overmolded with soft rubber, so they're comfortable to lock down securely. Delta provides a 6" tool-rest for tackling tight-quarter operations and a 10" rest for longer work; you'll use them both often. Every lathe should come with these two sizes. Not all do. Once underway, power delivery was smooth and steady up through aftermarket multi-jaw chucks. All have self-ejecting tailstock quills to make live centers easy to remove. If you're ready for serious turning without shelling out for a full-sized machine, one of these top-shelf spin meisters could be the perfect fit. Delta 46-460 To put the lathes to work, I turned 16"-long hardwood spindles and 9"-diameter bowl blanks. Delta's burly 1 hp motor — the largest of the test group — tackled those challenges easily. A bunch of other good details made testing the 46-460 downright fun! First off, shifting the tool's belt into three speed ranges was easy, using a lever that both tensions and locks the belt. The job requires two levers on other lathes. Both the tailstock and tool-rest the speed ranges, with no noticeable vibration or noise. But the best feature came into play once the chips were done flying: this lathe has a reverse mode that's perfect for sanding. A common problem when sanding a turning is that end grain tends to lie down in the opposite direction. Cleaning up that stubble is a pain, but not with the Delta. Just flip the motor into Delta provides up-front, easy access to the drive belt and pulleys. Flip a single tension lever, and you're back up and running again. Tame unruly end-grain sanding by shifting the motor into reverse. It's a feature unique to this machine — and a nice one at that! Tumcrafter 12 New Models, Supply Shortages Miss Test Several brand-new variable-speed midis weren't available for us in time for testing, but they're coming to market in the next few months or even sooner. We're eager to see them when they do! Planning to wait a spell before buying? Then be sure to check out the new Tumcrafter 12 Midi Lathe from Penn State Industries (pennstateind.com). It should sell for around $399.95. plus shipping, and be available in late fall. Steel City (steelcitytoolworks.com) recently unveiled a new variable-speed midi with a granite bed and headstock — Model 60I70G — which sells for $369, plus shipping. Inventory shortages at Grizzly Industrial (grizzfy.com) prevented their new G0658 12" x 20" lathe from making our test group in mid summer, but that lathe is available now for $375 plus shipping. Woodworker's Journal October 2009 1 9 |
