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The next two grumbles are more ideas for improvement than grumbles. Let me make it clear that the stand is more than adequate for the job but if these things were changed I think it would improve and already excellent product. The first improvement I would make is on the legs. The legs are made from, at a guess, 2mm plate steel. Due to the design and the ways the forces are transferred this is easily up to the job of supporting the lathe and work piece but during construction they feel flimsy. Perhaps this feeling is because the rest of the parts are so thick and heavy in contrast. I would have liked to have seen the legs been made from 3mm or 4mm steel instead. The second improvement I would like to see is on the length adjusting mechanism. At the moment one bar slides into the other and bolts are screwed through from the outside to trap the inner bar. This mechanism certainly works but results in bolts sticking out (albeit into the middle of the stand). I'm sure there must be a tidier way to lock these two bars together.
The Lathe
Once the stand is put together it's time to start bolting on the various bits of the lathe. The first section to build is the bed. When fitting the lathe on the stand this comprises two solid steel bed bars which are held each end by solidly constructed bar holders. The bar holders are attached to the stand by the use of a long bolt. If you purchase the CL4 with the bowl turning attachment it is worth fitting it now even though it gets in the way a little while turning (and is a hazard as you walk past the lathe). The bowl turning attachment replaces the bar holder at the head stock end and has an extra supporting bolt. If the lathe is being mounted on a bench there are extra long bolts provided as well as special washers.
One point to note here is the use of a three point holding system. In order to ensure that components are gripped tightly and won't wobble all the main connectors are designed to have either one or two contact points – the idea being that if one side of a connector has two points you match it with a connector on the other side that has one. The instruction manual explains this well pointing out when a two point contact should be at the front or back.
The tail stock is then fitted to the lathe. This is simply a matter of placing it on the bed and sliding a bolt, washer and fixing clamp up into the hole in the bottom of the tail stock. The instruction manual mentions that the nut should rest against a roll pin in the tail stock. My tail stock had no roll pin and no where for a roll pin to be fitted. As I understand it the roll pin in the tail stock is a recent upgrade so perhaps I have an old design tail stock. I fitted the tail stock anyway and tightened the bolt. The tail stock is held in place very firmly and I don't think a roll pin would noticeably improve it. Fitting the tail stock can be tricky as the nut has to be passed though a small window on the far side of the lathe. This is just about big enough to get the nut and two fingers through. After repeatedly dropping the nut I finally managed to get it on the bolt. All that is left now is to fit a brass pad and screw in the tail stock locking leaver. The brass pad, initially, seemed to be missing but after screwing in the locking lever I found the brass pad had actually already been fitted and was simply obscured by grease.
Fitting the banjo and tool rest is simple and all that is required is bolting it to the bed. A piece of sprung metal is fitted between the bar bars and held by the banjo. I have pondered exactly what this piece of metal is for but so far I have failed completely to come up with any ideas. It just doesn't seem to do anything useful. The instruction manual suggests that you fit the tool rest at this point but I suggest you leave it off until the end. My reasoning for this suggestion is simple: while you are fitting the head stock you really don't want to catch yourself on the sharp corner of the tool rest.
The last part of the construction is also the most difficult – fitting the head stock. Most of the head stock assembly can be performed by one person but there is one section that absolutely needs two people. First a swivel plate is placed on the bed. This allows the head stock to rotate so that large bowl turning can be carried out. Next the head stock pulley case is placed on the swivel plate. This unit is quite heavy but fairly easy to lift up due to good hand holds. Once on the swivel plate the pulley case happily sits without support which is a definite plus.
There are two roll pins in the head stock, one for the nut that locks the motor plate and one for the nut that locks the whole head stock assembly. My unit was missing the latter. Upon request Record Power sent me a set of roll pins through. Fitting the roll pin is fairly simple once you realize how it's done. I initially thought that I could drive it through from the top. A quick look at the problem showed me that wasn't going to happen in a million years. It soon dawned on me that I was being less than the sharpest tool in the box and they they are fed through from the bottom. To fit the roll pin hold it in one hand with the open side on the opposite side to that which the bolt will rest upon. Use are large lump hammer to drive the roll pin gently into the head. One end of the pin may be slightly bevelled to make this easier. Once the pin is in and seems flush find a metal rod (or a spare pin) and drive it 1mm further in to make sure it won't catch on the swivel plate.