tonydem Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 im a casual hobbyist but i know the importance of getting good equipment the first time.... i did break my own rule of not getting a Harbor Freight lathe but forgive me, it was a 14" 40" for $50 and ive never done this before so i thought it would be a good way to start and see how i like it.... long story short... i like it.... alot.... but i cant justify spending 5-6-700+ on a lathe.... Ive seen the Grizzly mini lathe around 250 as well as Rocklers excelsior.... i really like Jet but they all seem to start around 450+ and i cant tell any real advantages over the previous pair... any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid-woodworker Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 This probably will not help you but, I just upgraded from a Jet 1442 to a 1642. I did this so I could get the electronic variable speed and get some speeds slower than 500 for chasing threads and larger stock. I did not expect to find many other differences. Was I wrong! The new one is quiter, smother, less vibration, a world of difference. I sold the old one to someone that had a midi, had taken a course where they had some Oneway and Powermattic lathes and knew they wanted to move up. I think you will see some difference in moving to the Griz or Rockler and a bigger difference moving to a Jet or Delta of any size. It is worth driving some distance to find some place that has lathes on display and look and feel them. Ever better is to take an intro course where the have several models so you can feel the difference. The last thing you want to do is spend 250 plus the 50 you already have invested, only to find you still want a better lathe and a better lathe... ;-) BRuce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Save up your shekels and buy your last lathe first. Turners are notorious for the upgrade path. Identify what it is you want to turn most, then buy the best machine you possibly can. One good thing is, you can usually sell your used machine for a decent sum, which takes some of the sting out of the upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aengland Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Save up your shekels and buy your last lathe first. Turners are notorious for the upgrade path. Identify what it is you want to turn most, then buy the best machine you possibly can. One good thing is, you can usually sell your used machine for a decent sum, which takes some of the sting out of the upgrade. Just too true!!!! This has been my path. I scored a massive 24" OneWay and it rules!!! Perhaps I can help a little. if you're into spindle turning, the bigger lathes aren't as necessary. Handles, legs, pens, and smaller diameter dry wood turning doesn't put such a load on your lathe. Having EVS is genuinely good to have, since it allows you on-the-fly adjustments. This is definitely worth the money. I started with a 12" Jet 5-speed (not EVS) and loved it. As I added turning bowls from wet wood, it became inadequate (too light). I moved upto a Delta 16" (1644) but it too had stability issues for bowl turning. But, as an EVS motor, it was fantastic for spindle turning. The OneWay does them all, extremely well. So, start as small as you want for spindle turning but buy cautiously and sparingly for bowl or other big item turning. Be safe and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonydem Posted December 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 well when it comes down to it, do the mini lathes all perform about the same? considering theyre all virtually the same size, all cast, same hp and so on? i did notice there is a Laguna redo with variable speed control for $399 on Rockler right now but i dont know anything about the company and i havent seen a bed extension offered for that model either.... ive been searching craigslist so hopefully i can get a deal on a bigger nicer piece.... well see thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aengland Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 well when it comes down to it, do the mini lathes all perform about the same? considering theyre all virtually the same size, all cast, same hp and so on? i did notice there is a Laguna redo with variable speed control for $399 on Rockler right now but i dont know anything about the company and i havent seen a bed extension offered for that model either.... ive been searching craigslist so hopefully i can get a deal on a bigger nicer piece.... well see As a member of a turning club, I see little functional difference between brands. OneWay consistenly, at all sizes, provides much more heft but at much more cost $$$$. Finishing really needs the EVS feature, but I see lots of nicely done turning without it. IMO, the real difference occurs in the accessories, which quickly add up to more than the lathe purchase. With the chuck, buy the best. Now, which on is that. I'm a huge fan of OneWay and Vicmark. I bought and gotten rid of others; these are my keepers but dang they're expensive. The turning tools. The grinder and jig options. Regular sanding supplies, CA glue, sealants, extensions--man, this hobby gets expensive quickly. Have you considered making a wooden pole/spring lathe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 I just got into turning a few months ago. I went with the 12x36 lathe http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-x-33-3-8-eighth-inch-wood-lathe-with-reversible-head-34706.html I will be doing a review in a few months, but I want to make sure I have thoroughly tested the lathe before I do that. In defense, I am new, so there is a good chance, I don't know what I am missing. But, thus far, the lathe has been fantastic. I have turned probably 50 or so pens, and maybe a dozen vessels. The largest bowl I have turned was 8x4 blank to start. I also bought the HF HSS tools. They work great, once you put a good edge on them. I have yet to use carbite tools, but I plan for that to be my next investment. I don't claim to know which lathe is best for you, but for me, the HF 12x36 has done everything I hoped, and more. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about it, just post or PM me. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid-woodworker Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 The headstock looks very similar to the Jet 1442. You should have lots of fun with this. One thing that can save you some money is to buy a tap that is the same as the drive thread and make your own chucks. My original Jet was 1 x 8, unfortunately my new Jet is 1 1/8 x 8 so I have to buy a new tap and new chucks. BRuce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambaum Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 I have a 5yr old Jet Midi and like it a lot. The only thing that bothers me is stability when I am turning bowls. Definitely needs more weight. The other thing that bothers me is the small swing ( distance from center to bed x 2 ). My distance is 5", giving me a 10" swing. For some reason, I like doing things that require 12" or more. Not so much for the size of the item, but in terms of clearance for positioning tools. I like to do deep bowls and I sometimes find that I hit the bed when coming close to maximum swing. Probably my technique is the real problem. Regardless, I have found that when I use other people's lathes with larger swing, I do not run into this problem. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted December 26, 2012 Report Share Posted December 26, 2012 I second what Adam is saying. You can add bed length to the mini's but not swing, and you can't out turn. I would have been dissapointed had I gone with a <10" swing mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted December 26, 2012 Report Share Posted December 26, 2012 i have the delta 46-460 its a quality machine. while it does not have a huge swing like a full size lathe its still at 12 inch swing which is prity good for most projects. it has a 1hp motor so it can tackle the heaver and more out of balanced projects. plus it has a easy switch and speed ajustment knobs takes seconds to flip and switch the belt. and its reversable so its perfect for sanding or if you mount some felt wheels on it you can have a hone to touch up your tools to get them back to razor sharp. i ended up geting the extension because i was taking off the tail stock all the time to have room for bowl turning i found the tail stock just got in my way of my tools. so now i can just slide my tail stock over on the extension and have it out of the way. plus now if i want to i can do long spindles or a walking stick. its pricy but its a machine i will never get rid of unless im realy hurting for cash but by then ill be on the street. the turners i have talked to that do larger projects basicly all say that 99 percent of there stuff is small projects they dont do alot of table tops and if weight is a issue do what i did i put my lathe on a dressor with several pads of rubber under it. (rubber is a just a cheap durable shock absorber) and in the bottom drawers i put a couple of sand bags to weigh it down and stabalize it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 I'm glad I picked up the midi lathe I did... having moved to a smaller shop, I'd have had to sell the bigger lathe just to even get close to the door. But, once a larger shop becomes available.... I'd end up picking up a second (sorry, third) lathe. The second lathe I have now is going to be dedicated to finishing and buffing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APierce Posted January 8, 2013 Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 Save up and buy the biggest nicest lathe you can!!! You will not regret it one bit as many of the previous comments have stated. I use my grandpa's wood lathe which is a grizzly lathe that I "upgraded" with a treadmill motor for variable speed control. You can see it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flky3YjF70Y. It was challenging to get it all to work but a nicer lathe in the beginning would have been better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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