Another Harbor Freight lathe question ?

[hank dekeyser]

Hey, anybody have one of these ?? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98676

The Vega 1200 I got a good deal on is proving to be a royal pain to turn bowls on - Thinking of the HF lathe mentioned or I'm building a bowl lathe ! Any feedback on this unit is greatly appreciated. Yes I plan on waiting for it to go on sale and hit it w/ a 20% coupon, etc. (maybe I'lll have a better lathe by then anyway ??)

Had I known I would enjoy turning bowls so much I would have bought a lathe years ago !! Yup, I'm sucked in ! Thanks

[Scott Conners]

When I handled one of those in the store the toolrest banjo felt quite inadequate. The multiple-joint design just adds failure and flex points. The minimum speed of 670 is too fast for roughing larger bowls as well in my opinion. I'd definitely want to test it out before purchasing one.

[hank dekeyser]

Bump -

c'mon guys somebodies gotta have one ??

[Bernie Weishapl]

I don't think that one is very popular. The 34706 is the one that most buy of the HF lathes. The low speed being so fast would scare me when turning bowls especially if it was out of round.

[Chuck Aaron]

This is a newer model for HF and it looks like the cast iron base is an improvement over the sheet steel they used on the 34706. The rest looks very similar. My first lathe was a 34706 and I actually liked it pretty well. It was what it was--a cheap starter lathe that allowed me to practice my skills and decide whether I wanted to stay with woodturning. It was great for pens, and I make quite a few bowls up to 10" or so without any difficulty. The banjo was hard to keep locked down tight until I took it off and roughed up the bottom with sandpaper and a file. I believe the reeves drive had a slowest speed of 500 or 600 rpm--seemingly scary but not a problem if you round your blanks on the bandsaw or with a chainsaw. It was imperative that I weighed down the base with 200 lbs of sand, but after that the lathe was pretty stable. I didn't use the rotating capability of the head to do any larger bowls because I didn't have that much confidence in the lathe to be stable. But all in all I found it to be a great buy and a very capable starter lathe and when I upgraded last year to a Powermatic I was able to sell the HF lathe for almost what I paid for it...

Chuck

[Gordon Seto]

You mentioned bowl lathe. I don't think this is a safe lathe designed for turning bowls of that size.
The peripheral speed of a 14" bowl at 670 rpm is 27.91 miles per hour. That speed is too fast for roughing out. This lathe is not the worst, Grizzly G0462 (16" swing at 600 rpm) tops that at 28.57 MPH.
You already have one disappointment; you may not want to do constant upgrades, a mini step at a time.
This is a brand new model. It is not attractive at this price. I would rather look for a used lathe with known quality.

[Burt Alcantara]

To sound like a broken record, put a dowel between your teeth and buy something that will hold you for a few years, even if it means going beyond your means. When you start turning on a good machine, the pain of payments will evaporate.

My first lathe is a Nova 1624-44. I've had it for a tad over 2 years. This Monday I will pull the trigger on a Powermatic 3520b because I've found I want a sliding headstock and variable speed. I even considered buying a Stubby 750 and almost pulled the trigger on a Robust. I didn't go with the last 2 because they are built for production use and I'm a aging amateur. I'll never wear out the 3520b.

I'd venture to say that a good percentage of forum members have upgraded at least once. You have a lathe. Don't downgrade. This is truly a "you-get-what-you-pay-for" tool. Your next purchase should hold you for a long time.

[Harvey Mushman]

I stopped by a HF store on Friday. The lathe in question was in stock and on display. My initial thought was "WHAT A POS!"....... After closer inspection......I was correct!

A decent used lathe should be easy to find for not much more $$$$$. Be patient and look around.

[hank dekeyser]

Thanks for all the feedback / advise. I have to agree w/ most of you. Time to sit tight and save for a GOOD lathe. I'll probabaly end up building a bowl lathe. Sign up for a night class at the local tech school and do all the machining there. Whenever that happens I'll be sure to post a few pics.

Thanks again guys and happy turnin'

[Scott Conners]

Keep your eyes open on the classifieds here and places like Craigslist - used lathes come up often, and you can get some really nice old iron for a great price sometimes.

[Dean Thomas]

I know that Wisconsin is a big place, but if you're on the lower east coast of Wisconsin, you're in a good place to reach into Chicago-land as well as Madison and that other M-city. Watch right now for used lathes. Contact the turning chapters in your driving range and see if anyone has upgraded to a mustard and has a mayo 16" variable that they want to sell to make room. Or any of the other quality machines out there, of course. Jet, General, Vicmarc, Nova, or others. You can frequently pick up something from Craig's List or estate sales, and often pick it up cheaper than a new HF. My opinion is the same as Harvey's on that model. I've seen it and turned on it. The Jet cousin is head and shoulders above in quality. WAY above on the three HF in that models that I've touched.

[Rick Prosser]

I have the Shop Fox version of this lathe - same lathe different color.

http://www.woodstockint.com/Products/w1758/

Grizzly has one too.

As a beginner it has worked ok for me. I can certainly appreciate and look forward to purchasing a "real";) lathe in the future, but this one is serving me for now.

I love the variable speed, but the low speed is too fast - and getting faster. It started at around 600 rpm, but now does not get below 900. Exciting for large bowl roughing:eek:

I don't have a big band saw, so my bowl planks are very out of round and chunky from the chain saw when I start, but I only had one (so far) that caused the lathe to walk across the floor. Probably would help to add some weight...

The main issue I have found so far is the the levers that hold the tool rest strip out very easily - especially if you use the articulated arm. They have sent me 2 sets of replacement, and I just stopped using the arm so I could keep turning. The banjo foot is a little short, and is hard to work around the larger bowls without the arm. (but possible)

The tail stock does not tighten into the correct position always, I have to put a twist on it when I secure it or it will line up a little to the left. With the twist it is spot on.

The banjo does not slide smoothly, so be sure to turn off the lathe before moving - it might skitter as you try to move it DAMHIKT:o(should always turn lathe off before moving anyway).

It has no hand wheel, and no way to lock the headstock from spinning that I can find.

All in all, it gets the job done, but does not have the polish and the craftsmanship of the bigger lathes.

I recommend putting more money into a good quality lathe if possible.

[Maylon Harvey]

Rick,
I had the Grizz version for a year before upgrading. Served me well for the price and like you learned to work around the short comings. A new belt will get you back to 600 RPM. I used to buy them at NAPA auto part store. I would put a new one on to slow her down to get a blank balanced then go back to the old one. Pain in the a** but it worked.

[Jeff Nicol]

Here is a link to Wholesale tool, they have some lathes that are comparable to the HF ones, but I think a bit better or maybe worse.

http://tool.wttool.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&uid=956095168&srid=S9-2&nodecode=true&af=&do=search&do=search&w=wood+lathe

Check them out,

Jeff

[Gordon Seto]

Other than the 2 Jet, I would be hesitate to consider any of the rest. They either have odd size spindle thread or undersized spindle. Now the standard for mini lathes is 1" X 8 tpi, I won't consider any 12" lathe with 3/4" spindle. The $99 lathe has sheet metal headstock and starting speed of 1040.
I don't see any value in them.