Lathe-Suggestions?

[MikeR]

Looking to buy a lathe.

Don't want to pay top of the line prices, need a tool with basic ability.

Suggestions?

Many thanks,

MikeR

[Russianwolf]

we'll need more info to make suggestions.

what do you plan on turning?
do you see yourself going further in the future?

They say that a lathe is a slippery slope for a reason. The lathe is usually the smallest amount of the investment.

The one thing I can say is to make sure that you get a lathe with a #2 morise taper. that way the chucks and other assessories will swap to other lathes easily.

midi sized lathes run about $150-$300 Jet, delta, PSI, and the new Rikon are popular choices

large lathes can run up to about $1000 or so. Jet, Delta, Powermatic, etc. There is an HF model that people seem to like that runs for $200 if I recall. It's basically a clone of the Jet.

Then you;ll need a good chuck for bowl turning. Tools of course. If pens are you thing, then you'll need to get the special items for those. With a $200 lathe, you could expect to pay about $300-400 before you even get a piece of wood.

[DonHo]

If you are wanting to turn pens and small items, any ot the lathes Mike mentioned would be fine and most of them have bed extensions you can add later for length. Of those mentioned I like the Rikon ( I plan to upgrade to that in the next week) because it offers a 12" swing insted of the 10" offered by the others and it also has head indexing which could come in handy for certian jobs. Right now WoodCraft has it on sale for $199 which is about a $50 sawings. The Rikon has also been rated hightly in all the small lathe test I"ve seen.

If you think you might want to turn a lot of longer, heaver projects you might want to look at the Jet model 1220, which for a little more offers a 3/4 hp motor instead of 1/2 hp and with it's extension you can turn up to 50". I think it runs around $350 to $400. Like Mike said the lathe is going to be just the start of the expense but it sure if fun.

Good luck,
DonHo

[leehljp]

What they all said goes for me too. I started with pens on a very good mini/tiny Taig lathe. Then, wanting something larger, I bought a Rikon because it would support 12 in bowls where as the Jet mini only supported 10 in. I still have not turned a bowl in 18 months. The Rikon was nearly $100 less than the Jet when I bought it. But I kinda wish I had bought the Jet in hindsight.

I also wish I had variable speed. It only takes about 20 to 30 seconds to change belt speeds on the Rikon, but I hate doing that 3 or 4 times on a pen. I don't do that on all pens but some with troubling finishes require slowing down and speeding up for me to get the "perfect finish".

Continuous variable speed is where I want to go next.

The point behind this is that selecting a lathe can take you down several paths and listening to those in the know is wisdom!

[DonHo]

"What they all said goes for me too. I started with pens on a very good mini/tiny Taig lathe. Then, wanting something larger, I bought a Rikon because it would support 12 in bowls where as the Jet mini only supported 10 in. I still have not turned a bowl in 18 months."

You need to try bowls and even boxes, they are great fun. Not really too hard to do either(if I can do it anybody can do it ) For pointers on either check kwgorge's turner's page, I also reccomend any of the videos by Richard Raffan. Bowls and boxes take a little longer but you have more wood to show off the grain.

DonHo

[leehljp]

You need to try bowls and even boxes, they are great fun. Not really too hard to do either(if I can do it anybody can do it ) For pointers on either check kwgorge's turner's page, I also reccomend any of the videos by Richard Raffan. Bowls and boxes take a little longer but you have more wood to show off the grain.

DonHo

One thing that holds me back is the price of wood over here. Two shops have small bowl size blocks 8 x 8 x 4 and larger, and those cost $30 and more, and this is local wood. Larger sizes are cheaper per volume but still almost prohibitive. Anything more than 2 inches thick causes the price to skyrocket. I can pick up pieces at home building sites but it is all soft fir type of stuff. That would be good to practice on, but I'm not partial to it.

I've thought about segments but not ready to put the time in the alignment perfections that are needed.

I have given considerable thought to mini turnings. I will do a bowl one of these days

[Russianwolf]

hank, just take some 8 inch squares that are 1 inch thick and face glue them together. You'll have full control of thickness and it shouldn't cost too much that way. And if you alternate species, you could get a cool effect.,

[guycox]

One thing that holds me back is the price of wood over here. Two shops have small bowl size blocks 8 x 8 x 4 and larger, and those cost $30 and more, and this is local wood. Larger sizes are cheaper per volume but still almost prohibitive. Anything more than 2 inches thick causes the price to skyrocket. I can pick up pieces at home building sites but it is all soft fir type of stuff. That would be good to practice on, but I'm not partial to it.

I've thought about segments but not ready to put the time in the alignment perfections that are needed.

I have given considerable thought to mini turnings. I will do a bowl one of these days

Don't the trees in Japan ever die? -- 90% of the pieces I turn are from "found' wood. Even if the deceased trees are harvested for lumber, that stilll leaves the branch wood ( no good for furniture because of the tension wood), and the stumps and roots.

[Joe DeFazio]

I have the HF 34706, and I'm very happy with it. I got it on sale with an 15% coupon addded (subtracted, really) for $169. I think that it's an incredible deal. It is fairly large and reasonably heavy (which is good) as compared to a mini or midi lathe. It has continuously variable speed, a respectable swing and distance between centers, and the headstock pivots when you need to turn a larger bowl (I haven't needed to pivot mine yet). It also comes with a live center, a spur center, a knockout bar, and a faceplate. The 34706 is a clone of the Jet 1236; if you search the turning forum here and at Woodnet for either/both of those models, you'll get lots more info.

As for budget, if you pair the 34706 ($169 on sale, with a coupon also) with a PSI utility chuck ($79) and PSI bowl gouge (ca $20), and some HF HSS lathe tools ($32-$45), you can get started pretty reasonably, especially if you already have a grinder or belt sander you can use for sharpening. Make sure to get a faceshield as well (pretty cheap at HF), and also a book on turning for beginners.

I really like the little Rikon as well. I'm not an expert, but given that you're on a budget, I'd say:

If you want a smaller lathe that you can put on your bench when in use and then stow away later, get the Rikon or something similar.

If you have the room to dedicate floor space permanently to a lathe, and might eventually do some larger turnings, get the HF.

Good luck,

Joe

[leehljp]

I have the HF 34706, and I'm very happy with it. . . . It has continuously variable speed, a respectable swing and distance between centers, and the headstock pivots when you need to turn a larger bowl (I haven't needed to pivot mine yet).
Good luck,

Joe

Joe,

I looked this up on HF's web site and it does not mention the variable speed. How did you get that? I am interested in a continuous variable speed unit for my next one.

The model you gave (34706) lists the speeds as: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400 RPM

[gerti]

Joe,
The model you gave (34706) lists the speeds as: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400 RPM

That lathe (I have it too and for the price it works quite well) uses a variable-diameter pulley (VDP) or Reeves Drive. While in theory it allows for fully variable speed, the lever that operates it has various positions (presumably at the above speeds) where it locks in. I have never found the need to operate the lathe at 'in between' speeds. It isn't a very sophisticated system, but it works well and reliable. The pulleys do eat up the belt, but so far I had to change mine only once. Replacement belts are available at the local hardware store.

It isn't a high quality lathe, but it does a reasonable job. If you have the room, it is a reasonable choice, especially at a price around that of a good quality chuck.

Compared to the variable-speed Jet Mini (which is basically a regular Mini with an electronic controller, so belt changes are still required for optimum torque), the Jet has closer tolerances. For example on the HF the tail stock has some sideway slop, so one has to pay a little attention lining it up especially for pen turning. On the other hand the HF lathe can handle larger stock and the speed changes are convenient.

[leehljp]

Thanks Gerti! I appreciate the information. I have wondered about those kind of drives for a long time and why they were not used more. I will look at them when I am back in the States!

[leehljp]

Don't the trees in Japan ever die? -- 90% of the pieces I turn are from "found' wood. Even if the deceased trees are harvested for lumber, that stilll leaves the branch wood ( no good for furniture because of the tension wood), and the stumps and roots.

When you fly over a city in the US, you will see trees everywhere within the city, suburbs and bedroom communities. When you fly over cities in Japan, you don't see trees til you get to the mountains! Finding downed trees in the open is rare but I did seek a pine tree cut down recently and thought about getting some - then decided I didn't want to deal with pine sap! Done that a few times toooo many!

I can get some cut-offs easily but only in house construction. Otherwise, it is hard to find or expensive. I cut down a 5 inch thick holly tree last fall where I used to live just to get the holly. I am desperate for good wood! I have a 5 inch thick mulberry tree where I live now and I have looked at it a hundred times, thinking about what I could do with it! LOML told me to not even think about looking at her dogwood tree!

[MikeR]

Many thanks everyone. Much grist for the mill.

Will keep you posted about progress.

Cheers,

MikeR