Jet JWL-1236 opinions

[Bill Embrey]

Any 1236 owners out there that wouldn't mind sharing their thoughts and opinions on this tool? I have an opportunity to pick one up for $450 with some "ok" tools. The previous owner purchased it from Amazon during one of their sales to try his hand at turning. He apparently encountered a BAD catch, tool handle came up and whacked him in the chin (???) and broke his jaw and two teeth. He doen't want to get back on this horse. Lathe is for all intent and purposes, brand new.

I currently have a Jet mini and I've reached my limits on it. I'd like to do some bigger stuff and some hollow forms. To that end, I'm concerned that the 3/4 horse, 110 motor might not have enough power for serious hollowing.

Any input would be appreciated,

Thanx,

Bill (in OK)

[Philip Morris]

Bill,
I turned on one for about 6 months. I took it on trade when I sold a larger lathe before I bought my Jet 1220 "mini".

Despite being like new, I think $450 is too much.

1) These frequently come available on the used market for much less. I have read that Harbor Freight sells a similar quality clone for $300 new.

2) It is really geared more to spindle turning than bowl turning. The low speed of 550 rpm is just too high for the light duty stand that it has. I stiffened the stand with sheets of plywood and weighted it down with 300 pounds of gravel. Despite this, it still vibrated more than my 1220 on its low speed of 200 rpm (not bolted to the bench).

3) Reeves drive is very noisy and will have additional belt wear than direct belt drive lathes.

4) Don't even think about using the outboard tool rest extension that comes with the 1236. The thing is so flimsy, it is dangerous. The only safe use I found for the rotating headstock feature was when I buffed bowls. It was nice to be able to buff without worrying about the piece hitting the ways. But then you had to re-align the headstock with the tailstock before turning between centers.

5) I did not own this long enough to experience first hand, but have read where people have had problems with motors burning up or overheating because of sanding dust being sucked in. Other swivel headstock designs (i.e., Nova 1624 and General Maxi) have the motor cooling intake on the outboard side and don't seem to have this problem.

This is an old design and has been around for a long time. There are a lot of threads on this lathe here and on WoodCentral that you can pull up through an archive search.

If I was going to spend that kind of money for a 12" lathe I would buy the Jet 1220 (I did). Honestly, you probably won't see much gain in capacity "stepping" up to either lathe from a mini. You probably need to be looking at an honest 16" lathe like a Jet 1642 or Nova 1624/DVR.

Hope this helps.

[Bob Vavricka]

Bill,
I have a Jet JWL 1236 which I bought as my first lathe. It has been OK for a starter lathe for me, but IMO I don't think you will find it much of a step-up from your mini if you are wanting to do bowls and hollow forms. The headstock does rotate, but I've been reluctant to use that feature to try to turn larger pieces.
Bob V.

[Gordon Seto]

Don't waste your time, move on. It was my first lathe. I upgraded to a Jet 1014 VS. The mini is a more enjoyable lathe to turn within its capacity. The 1236 is an old design. The Reeves drive is high maintenance; it can only change speed while running. It is not as steady as the mini. You were spoiled; this is a step back from the mini.
The Harbor Freight clone of this lathe is the 34706; it comes up on sale for $180 with coupon very often.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Before I would buy that one I would buy the Jet 1220 VS or jump up to a Jet 1642. The 1220 is 12" and I believe a better lathe in my opinion.

[Barry Elder]

Overpriced!

[Bill Embrey]

Wow... thank you for the great responses guys... I believe I'll keep my money, keep saving, and get the Mustard Monster I really want. Thank you for the quick and honest input.

Bill (in OK)

[John Shuk]

I too had one and it was just ok.
IMO this segment of the market has been the most ignored as far as innovation and quality. I think the minis offer more value and satisfaction as a starter.
I think the price is a bit high as well.
I don't think that all things considered you can beat the Mustard.

[Dean Thomas]

I agree with almost everyone who has commented. I would NOT go the HF way. Their products look like what they're copying, but the workmanship just is not good. Chances of getting a good and decent clone are slim to none.

I own the 1235. It is a dramatic improvement over what I was using, but had I saved my money, I could have had a used 1642 EVS for a couple of hundred more. Of course, I'm not sure that I could have saved the bucks, but that's a separate thread. ;)

My 1236 has issues that I think are not uncommon for the model, but nothing compared to the issues of a friend's HF 1236 clone. On the larger, more expensive, better-attention-to-the-details brand-name models like Mayo, Mustard, Robust, Vicmarc, Stubby, and others, you'll immediately notice the reasons for more money. Tail stock has virtually no play front to back, tail spindle design is better and less prone to spinning if you forget to only loosen by 1/4 turn to leave the bolt in the slot.

Details mean a lot, especially the longer you turn and the more time you spend each day at the machine. A LOT! :)