A New Lathe for $99

[jnesmith]

Including shipping.

I don't know if this is a bargain or not, so I didn't post it upstairs.

This is cheaper than other "mini's" I've seen. Is this a mini mini? Don't know a thing about lathes, except that I want one sometime in the near future.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...976907-6857715

[LarryG]

Hmm, that's interesting, provided someone doesn't jump in and report that it's a POS.

Wilton is a respected name, and part of the WMH Tool Group (JET, Powermatic, Performax, etc) so that part, at least, seems solid.

It's 2/5HP and 12" between centers, vs. 1/2HP and 14" for the JET mini. All cast iron. Variable speed, even.

Interesting.

[kwgeorge]

This lathe came up in a conversation here not very long ago. See this thread;
http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...hTerms=,wilton

[gerti]

I have seen this lathe some time ago at Menards. Was in a hurry though and could not check it out. Prices seem to vary and can be lower.

Gerd

[LarryG]

Semi-hijacking the thread and continuing the discussion in the thread that Ken linked to ... it's obvious that a lathe of any given size will only allow you to turn projects up to that lathe's capacity. But what about the inverse? Speaking strictly from a standpoint of the size of the project one will be turning, is it possible for a lathe to be too big? Or will a big lathe handle the small projects as well as a small lathe will?

Another way to ask the same question would be: if a lathe is big enough for the largest turnings you want to do, is there any reason (other than convenience, perhaps, or "Because I want another one") to own more than one lathe?

[monte]

Seems like it might be worth checking into. I'm going to Menard's tomorrow so I'll take a look at it while I'm there.

[kwgeorge]

Well Larry, I have thought about that and here is my thoughts. On a larger lathe you can pretty much do what ever you want as far as going from its largest capacity down to the smaller items without much issue. I personally use the Jet mini A lot for my small turnings, finials and so on for several reasons. First off I have the mini lathe about 4” higher than the bigger lathe as I find this much more comfortable on my back when turning very small items. I also turn the smaller items at a much faster speed and I like the smaller tool rest and just general size of the lathe for my smaller projects. So really I think it comes down to more of a personal preference thing and for me, comfort.