How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if the woodchuck could chuck would? Doesn’t matter, because, with today’s industrialized and technologically-savvy era, you could turn the piece of wood into almost anything you want to! Yeah, you heard that right, you can do almost anything you want with it because today’s lathes are like no other. Today’s lathes can do some heavy work really handily, and with a whole bunch of features on display, it only makes life much easier. The Delta 46-460 Lathe is one such woodturning lathe.
Let’s have a quick look at the Delta 46-460 Lathe Review. Hopefully, it will walk you through some of its best features for you to decide if it works for you and meets your demands.
(Do you want to know about Best Wood Lathe of 2019! Then, click here and you can also know about Best Wood Lathe Chuck of 2019 by clicking on here.)
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Features of Delta Industrial 46-460 12-1/2-Inch Variable-Speed Midi Lathe:
Build:
The Delta 46-460 lathe has a typical modern-day woodturning lathe structure. It has two legs made of metal on both ends of the lathe. This forms the support of the lathe on which the bed stands.
The bed is an extension bed which is 25.5 inches in length. It is made of cast-iron and forms the base for everything else that is present on the lathe.
The headstock curves inwards up until the front leg of the lathe. The curved portion has a layer of black, slightly thick plastic. Underneath is a layer of cast-iron which houses the spindle, speed control system and a handle that protrudes out of the back of the headstock.
The tailstock has a fixed tail spindle which lines up with the front spindle perfectly. In between is space where the piece of wood is supposed to sit. On top of the bed is the apron that holds the cross slide, saddle, and tool-post.
The saddle is also made of cast-iron and is shaped in the form of a trapezium. At the end of the saddle begins the bottom of the tool-post. It is black in color and made of plastic, and it starts off thin, but suddenly expands wide to form the base where the work-piece is supposed to go.
On the other side of the base lays the cast-iron apron of the lathe. It starts off from one middle of the rear of the bed and extends up to the bed. There is a straight gap that bisects the base, which forms the foundation of a moving saddle and apron.
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Features:
The spindle comes at rotational power of 1HP and is capable of varying rotation speed from 250 RPM to as much as 4000 RPM. By default, it is set to around 1700 RPM, which is sure to make you a pro at woodturning!
In addition, it can turn long work-pieces, in fact, longer than 12 inches in length. For a lathe that claims to be mid-length itself, that is quite a feat. Of course, when you combine the varying speed you can pretty much work on work-pieces of any size with relative ease.
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To make it better, speeds are changed by a switch that can have 3-speed settings. This can give you three different speed ranges to work with, depending on what the setting is.
Oh, if that wasn’t good enough the spindle can change direction too! All you do is hit a switch and the direction of rotation reverses so you can change it up without having to remove the work-piece and turn it around.
Speed-changing occurs due to a belt inside the headstock that rotates via a motor. Delta’s belt system is patented for exceptional quality, and it is made so that you can change speed in a flash. It is also extremely efficient, so rest assured whatever power you are using is turning the work-piece
Given the material used in making this lathe, it will come as no surprise to learn that it is quite heavy. Weighing in a 97 pounds, the Delta 46-460 has quite the pull of gravity so you will find that moving it around is a bit cumbersome.
It is also equipped with a bed extension which adds 6 inches to the existing length. It gets so long at times that you could even carve a long piece of wood on it. Of course, you also get a 3-inch faceplate, and 2 tool rests that are 6-inches and 10–inches in diameter.
Of course, you could also change the speed via the belt. The headstock’s plastic portion can be opened to reveal the rotator belt. Given that it is an internal component, being able to tweak it is ridiculously easy. The belt itself has 6 grooves for better grip (hence more efficient) and making adjustments can only make the speed more precise.
In terms of build precision, the lathe has been made to perfect measurement. It is so precise that the spindles on both ends align perfectly. If you put in a symmetrical work-piece, both the spindles will perfectly fall in the middle of both the ends.
It is also quite rigid. It can do quite a lot of work without having visible wear and tear on the body. The parts are also quite durable so you will not have to change them for many years. Given that it has the shiny grey of cast-iron and patches of black in the plastic, you can rest easy knowing it will look quite cool for a long period of time.
The body itself may be heavy, but that is what makes it capable of long-lasting and continuous work. Apart from a bit of cleaning, you will not have to carry out maintenance on this baby!
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Pros:
- The fact that it has an extremely wide range of speeds makes it quite versatile. You can do work on all things big and small, adjusting for the work-piece you are handling.
- The build also makes it one of the best in terms of damage and wear resistance, so you don’t have to worry about consistency for the foreseeable future.
Cons:
- Having to deal with a bulky piece of equipment is a pain in the butt, even though you get good resistance in return.
Final Verdict
Overall, though, this is a solid woodturning piece of gear that is bound to leave you impressed. Once you get the hang of it, you will thank us for recommending this. The ample choice and adaptability is a deal-breaker for most the lathe. Hopefully, now you know everything what you wanted to know about Delta Industrial 46-460 Wood Lathe.
(Do you want to know about Best Wood Lathe of 2019! Then, click here and you can also know about Best Wood Lathe Chuck of 2019 by clicking on here.)
[…] (We have published a complete review article about Delta Industrial 46-460 Lathe. In there you can know details about this wood lathe. Check it out by clicking on here.) […]