Yandles weekend packs Record Power launches, demos and sales for turners

Yandles turned its April 17-18 weekend into a rare all-in-one stop for turners who wanted to see machines under load, not just on a shelf. The headline draw was the official UK launch of Record Power’s Pathfinder, backed by the Record Power Roadshow and Sale, the EXMAC launch, and the third running of Masters of the Lathe.

That concentration mattered because Yandles offered more than a retail visit. At its Martock, Somerset woodworking centre, which it says has served the local community for over 150 years, the weekend brought together demonstrations, expert advice, exclusive offers and live comparisons in one place. The shop also bills its hardwood self-selection timber centre as the UK’s largest, a fitting backdrop for a weekend built around buying, learning and testing.

Record Power framed its roadshow at Yandles as two days of demonstrations, expert advice and exclusive offers, and the woodturning spotlight version included guest turner Andy Fortune alongside Record Power’s resident experts. For anyone weighing extraction as seriously as spindle work, the dust-extraction spotlight gave the weekend a practical edge, with Record Power’s Peter and Richard on hand to handle extraction queries. That kind of face-to-face troubleshooting is exactly what standard retail trips usually miss.

The Pathfinder was the clearest machine-led draw. Record Power described it as an ideal starter lathe, priced at £499.99, with a five-year warranty and the sort of compact footprint that still promises serious capability. Its published specifications list a 305 mm maximum bowl diameter, 406 mm between centres, spindle speeds from 250 to 3200 rpm, a 1 HP motor input, a 3/4 HP motor output and a weight of 45.5 kg. It can be bench-mounted or used on an optional leg stand, which made the launch especially relevant for turners trying to judge how much lathe they could get into a small shop without giving up torque.

Yandles’ own turning programme was just as pointed. Masters of the Lathe III ran on Saturday 18 April from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and was free to attend, with Yandles promising a wealth of well-known woodturners demonstrating across the day. EXMAC’s launch ran from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm the same day, with both bench-top models on demonstration. This was the third Masters of the Lathe in quick succession, following the April 2025 debut and Masters of the Lathe II in August 2025, and the inaugural 2025 event was also paired with a Record Power Road Show and Sale. By the end of the weekend, Yandles had confirmed the formula: live turning, live machine launches and live buying decisions all under one roof.