So I had these Big Oak Blocks, see....

[Jim Underwood]

I'll get to the point in a minute...

But the biggest question looming in my mind when I bought the Jet 1642, was...

Could I get it all in the back of my truck and under the cap? Or did I need to borrow the box truck for the weekend?

As you can see, it did indeed fit into my little wood hauler with room to spare.

And then the next question...

Could I get it all up to my shop without assistance and then set it up by myself? (Turns out my beautiful wife did assist, but of course didn't do any of the heavy lifting- I didn't want her getting hurt - even though she thought she could pick up her end of the bed. She carried the light parts up for me.)

Of course you can see the results. (After several hours - I kid you not - of cleanup of course.)

[Jim Underwood]

Well of course it did. Whaddya think, I'm a moron? (don't answer that.):D

So here's where it saw "first sawdust". Awwww! A Kodak moment.

But now you're asking...

"But what about the Oak Blocks you dunderhead?!!"

Hold on... I'm getting there...;)

[Jim Underwood]

yep. That's what I did with the Oak Blocks. Being laminated with some junky lumber they didn't look all that great on the inside, but I figure they're just feet for my lathe.

I took some suggestions and modified them (the suggestions that is) to make adjustable bunn feet for the lathe. I just ran down to the hardware store and bought four 3/8 x 16 tpi hanger bolts. I'm not sure how it will work out, and maybe I'll change the design, or lower them by re-chucking and turning them shorter.

But I'm a woodturner, and don't these look better than the weenie little adjusters it ships with?

[Jim Underwood]

See those weenie adjusters? Do they look like they should hold up 600 pounds to you?

I was tempted to bore out the holes in the legs and re-tap for at least 1/2 std thread...:cool:

(and what's with these Taiwanese manufacturers that make standard sized bolt threads and supply nuts that aren't really metric or standard? The 9/16 wrench was plumb sloppy on these nuts, and the 14mm was not a whole lot better- I could have done better with a darn file!)

And don't those babies look much better on the lathe? I could put this piece of furniture in my studio.... (but not in the living room.)

[Jim Underwood]

My first impressions are that this is a solid lathe, even if some of the fit isn't as good as it could be.

The construction is solid cast and I like it.

The legs, although machined where they meet the bed, were not flat, and a flat board rocked when placed on top of the leg. It didn't do the same when placed on the bottom of the bed. I'm afraid it might warp the bed...:(

Bed machining and head machining seem to be pretty precise where they meet, but the tailstock and tool rest are a little more sloppy. The tailstock center and the headstock center meet as close as I could see from side to side, but up and down the tailstock center is a little low.

But there AIN'T no runout on the headstock spindle. So I'll be making pens on it.

And I got no complaints on the headstock assembly. It's sschweeeeet to turn the speed up and down and find the place where there's no vibration...:) Yeah Baby!

And to top it off...

I couldn't handle it and bought that Talon Oneway chuck.... (Now there isn't any money left in the account whatsoever, and I'll be paying from now on....):rolleyes:

[Todd Burch]

Methinks those fugly bunn feet need some white and red and black paint.

Congrats!

[alex carey]

Congrats on the new lathe.

[Chris Rae]

Congrats on the new lathe, and the enjoyable narration ;)

[charlie knighton]

congratulations

[Richard Madison]

Jim,
You have good looking buns. Bet your wife thinks so too. Happy new lathe. Really like mine.

[Ron Bontz]

So how tall are you exactly? I am 5'9" and if I put those feet on my 1642-2 I would have to have a booster step.:D Congrats. I am still buying accessories for mine.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats Jim on the lathe. Make sure you have the bed level in all directions. That cleared up my up and down error on my Nova.

[Jim Underwood]

Dang! A guy can't win. Some folks thinks the bunns are ugly, and other folks make a pass at me...;)
(and just so's ya know, the wife does like the buns... that's why she married me y'know - too bad I'm not the same waist size anymore.:mad:)

I'm 6' 2" (plus the floor mat) and I like the center to be just a little high any way.

Thanks for the tip about the leveling. I'll take a look at that, I hadn't checked the centers after I leveled it. I suppose the legs being a little off could be affecting the center line up too...:(

[Todd Burch]

I didn't say I didn't like the buns, I just said (the way all the different colored woods show through) they were fugly. Just image - if you painted those fuglybunn feet the Jet colors, how many compliments you would get. They'd be awesome then.

[Jim Underwood]

Nahhh.... Natural wood beats paint any day... (although I have to say some woods deserve painting more than others - and I'm not 100% sold on this style of leg for the machine.) ;)

Now for pure butt ugly, you have paint something a mustard color....:D Heee hee hee!

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Good job on those turnings; I like the wood pattern. It reminds me of segmented turnings.

[Mark Norman]

I like yer sense of humor Jim.

Good job on the platforms, Paint or not they serve the purpose.

Congrats on the new machine:)

[Jim Koepke]

(and what's with these Taiwanese manufacturers that make standard sized bolt threads and supply nuts that aren't really metric or standard? The 9/16 wrench was plumb sloppy on these nuts, and the 14mm was not a whole lot better- I could have done better with a darn file!)

Maybe they are still stuck with the Whitworth system.

jim

[Jim Underwood]

That's what I've been told before....

As a former mechanic, I have a set (what a laugh... I have several :cool:) of both metric and standard wrenches. But not being a proper British mechanic* I don't have a single Whitworth wrench in the bunch.

I mean, come on, who uses Whitworth any more? Besides the Taiwanese, I mean.


*I visited London once, does that count?

[Todd Burch]

Now, don't these just look cool?

Todd

[Jim Underwood]

Well now you're talking...

I like the classic red, black, and white...

But I'm wondering about my style. Seems a square leg of the same profile might look better. (Oooo. Did I say that out loud? :eek:)

[Todd Burch]

Yea, an upside down pyramid (sans pointy top) would look better. Bunn feet for a manly's man's man lathe? Come on!

[David Hullum]

Those look cool I have some oak like that. Mine were stair posts 4x4. I need to do something creative like that.:D