After being able to use my Vic for a couple of months now, I have posted a detailed (plenty of pics) review of it. The article can be read at:
- posted
18 years ago
After being able to use my Vic for a couple of months now, I have posted a detailed (plenty of pics) review of it. The article can be read at:
Brian:
An interesting review but I bet Vic Wood is going to be surprised to hear that he is building the lathes. Also, if the motor is being driven by a VFD, it is not going to be turning at 1750 rpm -- it is going to be turning at the speed the VFD says it should.
Also, if there really is a 3 - 5 second delay between start and when the spindle begins to turn, that can probably be changed by a change to the parameters in the VFD. With most machines, the spindle starts turning immediately but accelerates slowly to the set-point.
Bill
Brian Blazer wrote:
i too have ownd one of these since the summer of 2002 and have found that any thing breaks or comes lose there are no spare parts in the usa and the factory does not respond to your email! On the tailstock there area a series of allen screws that work with the quill.DONT MESS WITH THE ALLEN SCREWS. When the quill gets a small knick in it on the grove rfrom the allen screws it fails to go in and out properly. and binds. and becomes useless Two of them lossened up and scored the quill. some thread lock would have stopped the entire problem,. When the assy that locks it to the base snapped on me again not one avail for replacement in the usa and again no response to my email. I also had three sets of on/off switchs go bad and had to replace them Now the remote switch assy is doing the same darn thing. First it was thought it was dust in the small box they are in even when i silconed it closed they continured to go soft/bad Roger at craftsupplies in provo was able to dig up a used quill and assy for 1/2 price, and has replaced all the bad switches and I just dont use the remote any more since it has to be rewired somehow to make it work again makes me wonder about the future and my next purchase from vicmark. A happy vicmark owner but concernd about the aftermarket supply suport.
My mistake about Vic Wood. It will be corrected.
The delay is not from when you press start until the spindle turns, it ix from when you turn the machine on, until the start button will work.
Hi Brian, Thanks for sharing your two month's experience with your Vicmarc VL300. I know that it is an outstanding machine and I'm glad that you are happy with it.
I agree with your assessment, but not completely with your premise. Please follow up after one and two years and I hope you can refute my take now.
Vicmarcs have long been widely known and thought well of by semipro and amateur turners in N. America. I've had a VL100 for years. They have been pictured in catalogs, shown at symposiums, used in demos and praised on forums. I consider them very well known, but I question whether they are gaining in popularity with turners or with retailers.
I think this is owing to a recent perception that has been discussed openly by many about the incredibly poor PR and backup provided for a fine lathe and not to lack of advertising. Deserved or not, the poor perception is there and likely won't go away soon. This not to say that many owners and that includes me, aren't pleased with their Vicmarcs, but I wouldn't buy one today, too many other options.
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
Speaking of Vicmarc, they were once making the Volmer oval chuck. I don't see it on their website. Is someone else making this chuck now? Dan
Dan: Once they started soaking them in LDD, the chucks stayed circular and it eliminated those faulty oval chucks. *G*
Leif
Brian
You crack me up. Hope you're not planning on dipping *me* in any LDD!
...Kevin
Leif, Hey, this LDD stuff MUST work! After all, you don't see many oval chucks lieing around! ;) Dan
the jury is still out... just how long DOES it take to air dry a steel chuck??
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
Dan, Your mention of the Volmer lathe sent me searching the web. Totally confused, the best I could figure is that classic chucks slide and Volmer's roll, using some kind of circles, but I probably got even that wrong. :)
If there is any simple way to explain oval chucks, please try. I don't understand the math, much less its applications and I would never think about buying, building or even understanding much about an oval chuck. Inquiring dummies like me do like to know something about anything related to woodturning, even if it's only that things exist... just for the sake of knowing.
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
Arch, Most turners do what Holtzaphel called 'simple' turning, that is, they make circularly turned pieces. Oval turning is part of what is called 'ornamental turning.' There is an ornamental turners society:
There is an Ellipse Turner's Association website:
You can see my oval lathe construction project at:
Dan, Good post for the references and your easy to understand overview. It's all I know and all I need to know. Thank you.
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
Several years ago, North Island Boat in Anacortes was going to buy a lathe to turn oars (or sweeps, I guess). Were those lathes an adaptation of the oval chuck and a duplicator?
Old Chief Lynn
Oar blades aren't elliptical in cross-section, at least none of the many I have seen are. I'd guess that they were buying a duplicating router that slowly rotated the stock, much like the ones that carve gunstocks. Dan
Wow, I should have looked on your web site first! Those .mov's make your elliptical chuck's operation much clearer than words! Thanks Old Chief Lynn
Thanks! The whole deal looks like a well painted Rube Goldberg design when the parts are flying about. Funny thing is, it is perfectly balanced and there is almost no noise nor vibration.
Dan
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