The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

flashbk13 · Joined: 15 Sep 2006 Posts: 31 Location: Ontario, Cal.

Hi all,
I want to cut 78's only (for my jukebox which has been modified to use a lighter 45 arm), so does it matter if I use an over head lathe or a pivital arm type? I undersatand the over head type should be better, but can I achieve good results with the pivital type. Any thoughts on either would be great. Thank you, Rick.

tsullivan · Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 27

The overhead lathe type is the better machine, of course, but the bigger difference will result from the type of cutting head. The pivot arm type tend to have crystal cutting heads. You can expect perhaps AM radio quality out of those. But the biggest problem that any of those you find will require rebuilding. West-Tech services can do that. The lathe type usually use magnetic cutter heads, and those will give you a smoother, wider frequency response. Of course you will pay a lot more for a lathe type cutter. OTOH, a home type pivot crystal cutter can be had sometimes for less than the cost of shipping on ebay and other places.

Also keep in mind that any machine you find will be about 50 - 70 years old and will require complete restoration to make it operable.

Tom