Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

Re: Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

Richard Allen

>The Sorby lathe was a nice lathe. Simular to the Record Power lathe. Better than the Record were, cam lock banjo, a larger spindle and a 1 hp DC VS drive.

If you are looking for a lathe with a 12" swing it is a terrific lathe.

Re: Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

Bob Hackett

>If they`re similar to a Record then I`ll tell you what I didn`t like about the Record lathe I just gave away.

First the spindle wasn`t drilled thru,no chance for a vac chuck and the drive centers were jacked out by a collar you had to put over the threads first.Have fun getting the center out if you forget the collar,DAMHIKT.

The tapered bronze bearing was a pain to adjust and will sling oil over the work till you learn how much oil is too much.Once you learn it still leaves oil on the shoulder of whatever you put on the spindle which finds it`s way to the work as if by magic.

Changing belts is a horror show as the headstock doesn`t have room for wrenches,parts and hands all at the same time.This is also true of most other lathes though.

The double rod bed design flexes under moderate stress.

The tailstock sucks,big time!

The bowl turning rest assembly is junk and you spend more time adjusting it than turning as it loosens constantly.I just finally resorted to adjusting with a mallet.

The locking arms are always in the way or hitting the other parts of the lathe just before they`re tight enough to hold.I replaced them with SAE bolts and used a socketwrench to adjust.

You WILL end up replacing the plastic power switch every year till you finally give up and put a real swith on it.

Other than that it was a fine lathe.

The Record`s biggest advantage was that it really pointed out the need to upgrade and I love the Conover so much more now.

I felt so bad about burdening a fellow turner with the Record I gave him a Nova chuck and my custom stainless steel toolrests to help make up for it.He says he`s going to use it for spindle turning only.I wish him luck,and patience.

Mainely,Bob

Re: Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

RonZ

>So Bob, It sounds like you liked the Record...=o)

Re: Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

Russ

>I had a Record for several years, and have also used a Sorby that was a "club lathe".

Everything that Bob said about it is true, but.....

The Sorby, like the Record, is a light-weight lathe with a 3/4" spindle thread and a #1 MT in the spindle. Using one of them is like turning wood on a Shop Smith. If you are willing to accept its limitations, you will be able to do a lot of nice work on it. If you can't, you will fight it every step of the way, and be upgrading very soon.

You will not be able to turn heavy unbalanced pieces of wood, and you will have to take light cuts because of the limited power available. And you will be finding ways to put blocks under the rods that substitute for a lathe bed to control vibration.

Having said all of that, its limitations will make you a better woodturner.

Re: Were Sorby Lathes good quality?

Edward

>Yes Sorby lathes were pretty good quality.

They had: Sealed bearings, No. 2 mt's in the headstock and tailstock, 13 inch dia. over the bed bars which were solid steel, hard chromed, 1 inch x 8 tpi spindle and swivel head. They were supplied with 1 hp motors that were either DC variable speed (0 - 3000 rpm) or 5 speed poly-vee pulley ( 265, 550,950,1500 &2400 rpm). Some nice low speeds 265 & 550 to get your out of balanced blocks under control. They weighed over 200 lbs - between 205 and 250 depending on the length of the bed bars and the motor.

Sorby had this machine in their booth at the AAW conference in St. Paul and I noticed that it was smooth running and quiet.

The Sorby was not a Record. But even the Records have their place in someone's workshop to do a job or two.

So what's one worth?

Matthew George

>Thank you for the information. The lower speeds sound kinda neat, at least. The steel bars: not so neat. It also sounds heavier than the HF I already have, and slightly (+1/4 HP) more powerful.

Well I'm a bit torn. The fellow wants $1000 for the lathe, throwing in a Stronghold chuck. Does this sound about right?

I THINK this would be a step up from the HF34706 that I have (upgraded the banjo to a Oneway), already outfitted with a Talon; but I'm not so sure given some of the previous responses.

I guess I can always 'piece out' the HF on ebay. Still, not as clear a win as I'd hoped.

-Matt

Re: So what's one worth?

Edward

>Matthew: I don't know what the Sorby lathes sold for new. Maybe the seller could tell you or find out from where the lathe was purchased and ask them. See if the seller is asking half or less than the purchase price. Alow something for the Stronghold.

Is the lathe on a factory or home made stand? Is it the VS or 5 speed model? VS would be worth more. At this stage I would go and have a look and try it out. I am sure it is a smoother operating machine than the HF, sliding toolrest and tail stock etc. But if it is covered in dried wood sap, finish and rust then all advise is off.

Maybe you have to stand in front of the lathe and see if it says "buy me".

Re: So what's one worth?

Matthew George

>Edward,

Thanks for the advice, pretty much as I'd expected. I'll take a look tonight, and ask some questions. I'll try your strategy of 'half-or-less' of the original purchase price. The Stronghold doesn't sound any better than my present Talon; only bigger.

If it's a VS drive, we'll see the other conditions clear enough. My understanding is that he's built a nice stand and cabinetry around it. A trusted friend says it's in 'good shape'.

It's not my intent to 'get a killer deal' since the guy selling is clearly just getting too old or unhealthy to continue turning. But I wouldn't mind a step up from HF.

Thanks again for all the direct knowledge.

-Matt

Re: So what's one worth?

Russ

>The Sorby lathe with the step-pulley drive sold new for about $1900. It was never popular because it was overpriced. You could buy a Nova-3000 for several hundred less at the time, and it is a superior lathe.

Re: So what's one worth?

Edward

>Matthew

Tell us what you saw. A picture would have been good, but oh-well, your description will have to do.

I would say that the Sorby is a step up from the HF but you might be looking for some features points that are different than mine. Some British machines were well made; aged cast iron and accurately machined parts. Bob Hacket won't agree but he did have a different machine. There is little to go wrong with a lathe that cannot be easily repaired. Bearings are available everywhere. You might contact the Sorby Co. in England, via E-mail, and ask the 'service dept.' if they plan to support the lathe with "spares" and for how long. Extra handles and a belt would be good to get.

What other used lathe could you buy for $1000 that would be a step up from the HF?

Actually...

Bob Hackett

>I had no problem with the fit and finish of my Record lathe.I just thought the design wasn`t very well thought out.Seemed to have been designed by a committee of folks who had never once held a gouge in thier hands.

Then again you`re talking to a person who can`t seem to stay away from British motorcycles either.I also think Mr Lucas(the british one of Lucas electrics) needs to be drawn and quartered.Only a Brit could think that a Zeiner diode and retifier combination was a good idea.;^)

Mainely,Bob-Who is convinced that Lucas is the true prince of darkness.

Re: Actually...

Tim Grenville-Cleave

>Bob,

Over here (UK) Old 'Joe' Lucas has the nickname of

"The Prince of Darkness"

amongst the Biking Community.

Keep a torch handy.

Tim

Re: So what's one worth?

Matthew George

>Well I went ahead and got it. It's DEFINITELY a nice step up from the HF. It's true that the bed is two chromed steel rods, but at 1 1/2" they are quite beefy looking. I cannot imagine flexing them. The design allows the rods to be extended out to the left for outboard turning, and the banjo design accomodates this nicely. It's the step-pully drive, but the owner had added a few 'helper brackets' to make this a trivial (a few seconds at most) operation. Indexing head, hand-wheel, and smooth operation of all parts.

In addition the the pretty decent factory stand, the owner had added a nice custom cabinet that was bolted to the stand that allowed 200 lbs of sand -- and lots of tool and chisel storage) for additional weighting. So the base-lathe (at 250 lbs) plus the 200 lbs of sand makes for a pretty stable platform.

He'd kept it in impecable shape too. It looked used, but VERY well cared for: not a spec of rust or sap or goo of anykind. Sealed bearings, quiet running; no major repairs of any kind. I'll try to remember to take pictures this weekend when I pick it up, and post them. I was prepared for something quite a bit less than I saw. It certainly makes the HF34706 I have now look like a toy.

What really sold me was all the extra stuff being thrown in: half a dozen face plates of various sizes, half a dozen steady-rests of differing sizes and shapes, a Stronghold chuck in great shape, three or four Jacobs chucks of various sizes, a half-dozen live-centers, double-ended morse-taper for headstock/tailstock alignment, the cabinetry already mentioned, and the real kicker: a big (Sorby 5/8")boring-bar hollowing system (with all supports and anti-twist supports) and a laser depth-finder set-up that was all custom fitted to the lathe (easily $300 in that system alone).

Not to mention he threw in a half-dozen nice chisels (all Sorby, and I got to select 'em) from the 40 or 50 chisels he had there from over the years. So I got the big rouging gouge and a nice (5/8") big bowl gouge with 2' handles, and a few scrapers I didn't already have, and a diamond parting tool, etc. It was like a kid in the candy store with the chisels alone.

It was sad, seeing the guy's lifetime of turning being sold away; but he's older and suffering from maladies that woodturning now makes worse. Nothing in his garage but a bandsaw and a lathe (and what seemed like countless chisels) -- and soon it will all be gone. So we talked turning, and I oohed and awed over his tools for an hour while my four year old daughter got underfoot.

-Matt

Re: So what's one worth?

Edward

>Matthew:

Glad to hear it is a positive outcome. Sounds like you got quite a deal. Post a picture or two, We would like to see your new toy.

Best of luck (as if you've not had enough already)

Edward