Getting a lathe

[Jake Byrd]

I am getting a Jet Mini Pen Lathe kit from www.woodturnerscatalog.com (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com). To see it go to pen kits then go to starter kits on the left side. It is the one at the very bottom of that page with 5 kits, 5 blanks, and 3 tools, glue, and finish. What else do I need. Tool upgrades?

Thanks,
Jake Byrd

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Nice Lathe Jake! I have a Variable Speed Jet Mini, and it is a fine, solid little machine. Actually, it's a little machine that THINKS it's a BIG machine! ;) As far as additional tooling and accessories for the Mini, a lot depends on what you would like to turn. The Mini is capable of turning bowls, goblets, small boxes and hollow forms.........and just about anything you can do on a larger lathe, just on a smaller scale. It is fantastic for Pens, by the way. As you will quickly find out, there is really no limit as to the goodies you can buy for turning. You may want to consider a good scroll type chuck for bowl work, and a bowl gouge or two. I use the Oneway Talon on my Mini, and my larger lathe, and it is a fine, solid chuck. One you get running with the lathe, check out some catalogs from vendors that cater to turning.........there are all sorts of ideas and tools for your lathe. Here are a few that come to mind:

Packard Woodworks (http://www.packardwoodworks.com)

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com)

Craft Supplies (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com)

All of these vendors have printed catalogs and online ordering. There are others as well, but I deal with these 3 mostly.

Good luck Jake...........turning is addictive, for which there is no cure! :D

[Jim Becker]

I believe our own Ken Salisbury tested out the Jet "pen lathe" and wasn't impressed. You may be better served by investing in the Jet Mini VS (or even the non-VS version).

[Bill Grumbine]

I wouldn't buy it. It looks like it has been designed to do nothing but pens and other very small mandrel type turnings. It is pretty much a guarantee that you are going to want to turn other things. I turned thousands of pens on a Jet 1236, but when I wanted I could do bowls, hollow forms, etc. Look at the last line of their copy:

...this starter kit is so affordable, you won't feel bad when you decide to upgrade to a larger capacity lathe.

What they should probably write is this lathe is so cheap we don't think you'll feel like we hosed you when you discover you really need a bigger one. Look at the specs. It has a whopping 1/12 HP motor. That is sewing machine size. It also has a #0 MT. There aren't too many places to find accessories for that! How do I know this? Quite a few years ago I walked into a turning meeting to discover that an acquaintance of mine had a teeny tiny Conover mini lathe for sale. It was much more stylish than this Jet, but with many of the same capacites/specs. I had a bunch of cash burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought it for $75.00. It sat around in the shop doing nothing for a couple of years, as even my Carbatec mini dwarfed it. I did actually turn some wood on it, but it was just too small for anything reasonable. I finally sold it to someone who wanted a teeny tiny lathe for $150.00. That is about the best I can say about it.

The rest of the package looks like a bunch of high margin stuff they are throwing in to induce you to buy that particular lathe. I would be surprised if the tools are worth much. The pen kits are worth something, but the cocobolo blanks are not something you want to start out turning. In addition to being highly allergenic (think poison ivy here) it is very hard and resinous, making it hard for even experienced people to finish. It can very often lead to frustration for people just starting out. You would be much better served by starting with some domestic species.

If you can swing it (that's turner talk for you) I would echo Jim's recommendation of the Jet mini. It will cost a bit more, but you will have a much nicer lathe capable of many more options. Add in a couple of basic tools of good quality, and you can start out turning firewood, which is free. As time goes on and you discover what you really like turning, which may be pens, you will be better able to decide on what is needed and what is not. And, if you discover you hate it, a regular mini lathe is a lot easier to unload at a better price than that little one.

Bill

[Richard Allen]

I also recall Ken reviewing that lathe. You should send Ken a private message and ask him what he thinks of that lathe.

[Jake Byrd]

It is a gift from my grandma, because I am turning 13 in Oct. Thanks for the advice though. Mabye I can make a bunch of pens to sell amd get a bigger one.


Thanks,
Jake Byrd

[Bill Grumbine]

Jake, if it is a gift from Grandma, that changes everything! Gifts from Grandma are sacred! Receive it with thanks and make a bunch of pens with it, although I would still counsel you to start with some other wood than the cocobolo. Getting the itch for turning should not be a literal thing.

Happy birthday too. My youngest daughter iks a year younger than you, and she wants to turn too. Have fun with it, and be sure to show us some of your efforts.

Bill

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Jake, if you need some blanks for turning pens, I would be happy to send you a few for a Birthday Present! I have some Cherry, Walnut, and a few other things that would be easier, like Bill said, for starting out. Just let me know, I will be happy to send you some............of course, they are on me! (Pretty good price, huh?) :D

You can use the PM feature here to send me a private message, or email with an address to send them to.

Have a great birthday, and welcome to the Creek. You can learn a LOT from the folks here. ;)

[Ken Salisbury]

I believe our own Ken Salisbury tested out the Jet "pen lathe" and wasn't impressed. You may be better served by investing in the Jet Mini VS (or even the non-VS version).

This is my post on the pen lathe:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=4822