Creative Woodturning
Woodturning UK, Silverdrive Statesman 280 Lathe - May 2006 - Long
Term Review
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SILVERDRIVE
STATESMAN 280 - LONG TERM REVIEW.
The basis of this long-term review is
Silverdrive's 280 Statesman lathe which was delivered to, and
installed in, my workshop by the company's engineers, something
I'm not used to as my lathes generally arrive by carrier and on a
pallet if I'm lucky.
After all the assembly was finished, the lathe was set on a series
of special mounting pads and adjusted with a spirit level.
A full run test was then performed, checking all the parameters of
the motor and controller. After the run test the spindle shaft was
measured for run out with a dial gauge and there was no movement
shown at all; zero tolerance. The engineers, satisfied with their
setup, left a little over three hours later.
As I had been waiting to get my hands on one of the Silverdrive
lathes in a working environment since seeing them at International
Woodturning Show last year, I was raring to go. The 280 Statesman
has a large swing over the bed of 560mm (22") and will turn
900mm (35.5") between centres. With the optional outboard
turning attachment fitted, diameters up to 865mm (34") can
easily be turned. |
POWERFUL 2HP MOTOR WITH FULL
ELECTRONICS PACKAGE.
The powerful 2hp
(1500w) direct-drive, variable speed motor is a three phase unit
but, with the clever use of an inverter and full electronics
package, it works comfortably through a normal 13 amp domestic
socket. Having chosen what
Silverdrive
feel to be the best inverter
system available, it is good to see the manufacturers offer a
five-year guarantee on the unit.
The 280 has a speed range of 0-2800, delivering constant torque from
100-2800rpm. To the turner, this means that, as they apply a bigger
cut, the electronics compensate by boosting the delivered torque to
maintain a constant speed.
All speed changes and reverse or forward switching is through a
magnetically-backed control box with a two-metre lead, allowing it
to be quickly fitted anywhere on the lathe or mounted in the special
holders available from
Silverdrive. The simple start and stop
buttons were very easy to operate and the forward and reverse switch
is conveniently mounted on the side of the controller.
For me, one of the best points on the controller was the accurate
speed readout; this shows the exact rpm of the motor, not phases or
some other rough indication of speed.
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SMOOTH,
EASILY CONTROLLED OPERATION.
When starting the
lathe, the revs gradually build up to the operator-set speed and
similarly, when the lathe is stopped, there is a controlled braking
deceleration. Both these parameters, "ramp up" and
"ramp down", can be reset through adjustment in the
controller, although I found the Silverdrive
factory settings very
much to my liking.
Another good point on the controller is that
it is not hard wired into the motor or built into the headstock as
most are. Should any problems arise, the controller can be
disconnected in seconds with the use of computer serial
connections fitted to the cables.
It is worth pointing out that all the electronics on this and
other Silverdrive
lathes are filtered and therefore do not play
havoc with your favourite radio stations.
That may not seem
important, but if you use a lathe in a residential area,
unfiltered electonics could badly affect the radio signals of your
surrounding neighbours as well as your own. |
SLIDE THE WHOLE UNIT EFFORTLESS
ACROSS THE BED WITH ONE HAND.
The headstock on the
280 has a very large pair of taper roller bearings in the nose which
are made by Nachi, part of the massive Honda corporation. All the
sliding parts of the lathe, the banjo and the tailstock have the
smoothest and easiest operation of any model I have ever used; the
slightest pressure quickly locks them both firmly in place.
The 280 tailstock, a heavy-cast unit has been designed with the
locking handle to the right and this is set in such a way that it is
easy to hold with one finger, and slide the whole unit effortlessly
along the bed with one hand. Another small, but most welcome point
is the fitting of cushioned grips on all control handles. Far more
comfortable for your hands than some of the short, thin levers found
on a number of lathes. The headstock also slides backwards and
forwards along the lathe bed.
Something that I
feel is very important in a lathe is a swivelling headstock; even
for a task as simple as sanding, being able to turn the headstock a
few degrees in either direction makes working so much more
comfortable.
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FOR
ME, A SWIVELLING HEAD IS A MUST HAVE IN A LATHE.
With the Silverdrive
this is no problem at all, a quick lift of the locking handle,
adjust the head to a comfortable position and drop the handle back
down, very easy, with this lathe no spanners involved at all.
The locking handle on the 280 lathe I have is at the front of the
headstock as seen in the photographs, it is generally at the back
of the headstock but I felt it would be better placed and quicker
to use if it was at the front. Although there is extra machining
involved, this is a now a no-cost option when placing your order.
It should also be mentioned the the head swivells on its own
mounting and not on the bed of the lathe; this feature retains the
large supporting footprint area wherever the head is turned to.
I also opted for a different 33 x 3.5mm spindle thread due to the
large number of chucks, faceplates and fittings I have in the
workshop. The standard spindle thread on the Statesman 280 is the
larger 38 x 3.5 TPI.
Both the head and tailstock are bored to take 2MT fittings. |
BRISTOL LOCKING LEVERS WITH BRASS
INSERTS SHOW ANOTHER TOUCH OF QUALITY.
The
beautifully-designed shape of the headstock allows for a very good
clearance when working at the back of a large platter or similar
piece. The 280 I have now, has a new, easier-to-use, 24 point
indexing system fitted to the nose of the lathe. This can be fixed
at either the front, back or top of the lathe, another operator
choice.
The banjo has a great range of movement and is drilled with three
threaded holes to take the locking Bristol lever at the front, left
or right side. Another quality touch from
Silverdrive
is the fitting
of Bristol levers that have brass tips inserted so as not to mark
the metal they lock against. The toolrests mount on a 30mm
(1.125") stem and are made from hardened steel; the stem is
off-set in such a way that the toolrests can fit right up to the
face of a large platter without the banjo getting in the way.
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ALL
SILVERDRIVE LATHES ARE HAND BUILT.
The main bed of the lathe is fabricated from
steel plate, well gusseted to add strength and rigidity, the
inverter being housed neatly in the tailstock end. The legs are
also fabricated into a tapering box section, again from steel
plate and these are bolted onto the bed.
The leg section under the headstock has a substantial 815mm
(32") wide footprint with the tailstock end legs a little
over 380mm (15") wide. This creates a tripod effect, making
for a very stable platform. The picture on the left shows the 280
fitted with the optional outboard turning attachment fitted.
All Silverdrive
lathes are hand built, leaving many options
available to you: a choice of spindle thread and front or rear
mounting headstock levers as already mentioned. When ordering, you
can also state your choice of bed length and height. Another
choice when ordering is the colour; although maroon is the
standard Silverdrive
colour, you can specify the colour of
paintwork you want from a range of six choices. How many
other manufacturers go to the trouble of offering these options? |
THE 280 STATESMAN IN USE, A REALLY
ALL ROUND LATHE.
I've had the 280 in my
workshop for almost three months now - at the time of writing - and,
having a heavy workload, it's been in use six or seven days a week.
Most of my work is done turning heavy, large, wet pieces of sycamore
that are mostly out of balance and the lathe, being so well set up
when delivered, has managed these with ease.
Being an all-round lathe, it works equally well with anything from
large-diameter platters to small, delicate pieces turned between
centres like goblet stems. As part of a recent demonstration I
turned a small pair of earrings in the shape of a birdhouse from
cocobolo and maple, these were a little over 20 x 12mm (25/32 x
1/2").
The speed control proved very easy to use, as did the forward and
reverse switching and, being direct drive, there are no belts to
change. Working at speeds down to 250rpm, I was not able to notice
any slowing when taking very heavy cuts. Basically, the 280 is a
real pleasure to use. The only problems I have noticed in all the
time I've been using the lathe is a drummimg or resonance coming
from the fabricated leg section beneath the headstock when turning
very dry timber. Being hollow, the box unit could easily be filled
with roof insulation, expanding foam or, better still, sand, as a
ballast which would also add to the overall weight and further
enhance the performance.
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CONCLUSION:
THE 280 PROVED A REAL WORKHORSE.
The 280 has proved to be a real workhorse of
a lathe and, apart from the drumming noise (now
cured completely by using roofing insulation in the legs),
I can find little to fault it. The ease with which both the
banjo and tailstock move and lock is the best I have ever
experienced. I would have like a positive zeroing system between
the swivelling head and its base to lock it in line with the
tailstock. Failing that, at least some marks on the two castings
to indicate this.
I would have liked tougher paintwork, but I feel the only real
option could be powder coating and I'm sure the extra costs would
be prohibitive. The 280 Statesman already offers excellent value.
The Statesman lathes were launched last year (2005) and I know Silverdrive
have made a number of small changes to the lathes based on
feedback from shows and people who have bought the lathes. One of
the smaller, 240 lathes was recently loaned to Kings Lynn
Woodturning Club for a demonstration by Jimmy
Clewes. When I asked
Jimmy for his views he sounded very impressed with the 240 and,
based on one day's use, said he would willingly endorse it. |
SILVERDRIVE ARE VERY PASSIONATE
ABOUT THEIR WOODTURNING LATHES.
Having spent time with
the Silverdrive
staff who make and develop the lathes, I have yet to meet a group of
people more passionate about their product they manufacture. Stephen
Silver, Silverdrive MD, happily states it is his intention to build
the best woodturning lathe available. I believe that, with the
Statesman range, he is well on the way to doing that already.
A big thank you
to Silverdrive
for the 280 used in this review, if anyone in the Midlands,
Derbyshire, Cheshire or Yorkshire areas want to see and get a feel
of the Statesman range of lathes, please
contact me by email
and hopefully we can arrange a visit to Chesterfield.
Review by Mike Swain
RPT.
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