Woodturner David Reading has increased his capabilities by investing in a £60,000 Hapfo CNC AP7000 copy lathe.
The machine, supplied by Hapfo Pollards of Milton Keynes, replaces one of Mr Reading’s two Hapfo AP 5000s at his workshop in Olney, Buckinghamshire.
The model allows him to work large timber stock up to nearly 9ft long; does away with the need for templates; saves time in setting up; increases volume and complexity of work; and, for the first time, makes it possible for him to produce square turning and name engraving.
It features a bed length of 1800mm or 2500mm, a swivelling cutter head, a Hydro King twist unit and built-in milling system, laser scanning and MegaCAD software.
The software programs the lathe controls for one or multiple passes to produce cutting, twisting and milling for products including staircase spindles, chair legs or decorative twisted mouldings for kitchen units.
