Wadkin RS8 Woodturning lathe
The lathe that I use to produce all of my work is a Wadkin RS8. It has fantastic capabilities that allow me to undertake most jobs, big or small.
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- 1600mm between centres
- 330mm maximum spindle diameter
- 710mm maximum faceplate diameter
Originally designed as pattern maker’s lathes, the RS lathes were built in my home city of Leicester from the 1930s to the mid-1970s in Wadkin’s Greenlane Road factory.
Weighing in at 865kg it was designed and built to handle even the biggest and heaviest of work, but it is equally capable of the smallest work too due to its build quality and excellent speed range.
The lathe has a 1 1/2hp, 3 phase motor and is driven by a traditional 2″ wide flat leather belt. There are four pulley positions and the motor has two speeds, giving a choice of eight-speed settings.
To learn more about Wadkin lathes and some of their other machinery, you can download the following documents: