The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Hi everyone, I am setting up my HARA 805 to cut with a head from an ATOM. I have had various results and to be honest I’ve been shooting in the dark to get a decent result. The main problem I’m having is distortion on playback. I have adjusted the input signal level, the input gain on the lathe, the...

Hi Mark, Thankyou so much for your reply and the fantastic information. This has really helped me! I agree with using an external stand alone amp to drive the head. EQ is not a problem for me as I run everything through a vintage Ex BBC Calrec j series console. My plan is to record live musicians in...

Hi everyone, Hope you are all well. I have recently obtained a Hara RM-805-VA cutting lathe minus the cutter head. I have an old untested RCA mi-11853-a cutter head that is in tested which I am going to mount to the Hara lathe to get me cutting whilst I start plans to evolve over time into stereo cu...

So I have now purchased a lathe with no cutting head.
So the next step is to find or build my own head.
I think the advice of saving time and money buying a lathe is the best way forward. An already build lathe would be easier to improve than starting from scratch.
I’ll keep you posted!

Hi Mark, Thank you for your reply. It is a pro spec build. I am starting totally from scratch. I was thinking about using a cnc engraver with upgraded custom parts that will have a cutting head mounted to it. I’ve seen folks using them to try and cut to vinyl but never one specifically used to mount...

Greetings, I am planning a lathe build to facilitate cutting some live sessions straight to vinyl in my studio. I am hoping to provide a facility where I can record live sessions using a totally analog signal chain onto a vinyl record. From microphone diaphragm to your stylus at home. Totally analog...

Hi everyone, My name is Liam and I currently run a vintage analog studio in the Derbyshire peak district UK. A lot of my audio gear is ex BBC equipment. Namely a very rare 1970’s Calrec J Series outside Broadcast system comprising of 8 channels into 4 sub groups into stereo L&R out. I also have a go...

Hi all, I’m planning the lengthy costly process of building a lathe.
I’m currently sourcing parts and have a studer tape machine dc motor. I’d like some thoughts on wether I could use it to drive the turn table directly which will be a billet aluminium construction.