Mini Lathe Suggestions

[Carroll Courtney]

Guys,I'm looking for a small lathe for pen turning,topps,stoppers,etc and have no ideal what I'm getting into.Been looking at alot of lathes on the net and the price goes from little to alot,some lathes looks the same as others but w/different names,some w/accessories some w/out.My desire to turn pens is great,but my funds don't match my desire.So with that in mine,what lathes should I check out,and which ones should I stay away from?I don't want to buy something that I can't get chucks or tooling for and parts, if I ever need them.I make enought mistakes in the shop,please help me not to make a mistake on a lathe purchase,be it new or used----Thanks Carroll

[Tony Greenway]

Carroll, save up and go with a Jet, and it will outlast all of the cheapies and give you excellent turning results. Even if you go with a used one, it is still a better investment. That's the route I took for my son's mini.

[Dennis McGarry]

I know every allways says save up and wait till you can get a Jet, which is great advice, but not always an option. (want it now syndrome)

I know, I suffered fromt the same thing, almost bought a couple really bad ones, HF, and some no names, then looked at the Rikon, *329.00 at wc.

Excellent machine! Very stable, standard sizes. Mt2 both head and tail, 1x8 threads.

Can get a bed extension for it as well, easy change of speeds, with a drop down door over the pullys (I like that better then the Jet door on the back)

Turns with no problems, indexing head. Great lathe for the money!

[Chris Stolicky]

Most people prefer the Jets and Deltas. Though there are many other decent machines out there. Right now, Delta has one-up'd Jet with its latest offering; even though it is considered a 'midi' lathe (12" swing). Those are going for $500 and $600. You didn't offer a price range so its hard to make a suggestion.

With that in mind here are a few things to consider:
- This hobby is addicting. If you have a slight inclination you will like this, invest in something that you can grow with.
- Investing in a decent mini/midi lathe, will retain a lot of its value if you wish to resell and upgrade later.
- The actual lathe is only the beginning. The tooling and accessories you will want will far out price the actual lathe.
- I strongly suggest variable speed. I started with the basic Jet mini (1014i) with no VS. I now have the largest Jet available in the US, the 1642 evs2, with variable speed, and it makes life much easier.

You'll probably also want a chuck. After a lot of research I decided on the Talon. It is lightweight (less wear on your lathe), has a key instead of tommy bars, and you can get different inserts so it can grow with you. You can use it from a mini all the way to a 16" swing with no problems.

These are a couple of thing to consider and to get started with. There are many others....

[Bernie Weishapl]

Carroll IMHO I would look at the Jet 1220 or the Delta 46-460 and get the variable speed. You turn at a high speed but slow them down to sand plus put on finish. VS makes that aspect nice. I have the 1220 but wished the Delta would have been out when I bought. The Delta is a nice machine and I think Delta got this one right. I have turned on it and it is smooth and has bigger moter for more power than the Jet. Both are great lathes especially with VS for doing pens, bottle stoppers, tops, ornaments, mini birdhouses, etc. Also at a later if you desire to turn bowls you can turn up to 11 3/4" bowls. That being said I do have a Rikon midi and like it. The belt changing is not that bad but find myself migrating to the Jet with the VS. One thing about both is if you decide later this is not for you these lathes will definitely hold their value when put up for sale.

[Michael Mills]

Here is a very good article which may help you with your decision.
http://www.nealaddy.org/node/39
Also, if you click on "wood lathe specifications" on the left panel there are major specifications on many lathes.
Mike

[Gordon Seto]

You already got very good advice.
Neal's article has very good information. It will help you nail down to several models that may interest you.
But don't rely it to make your final decision. You can use it to eliminate some of the odd size spindles that prevent you to get common accessories or upgrade in the future. Not all manufacturers use the same standard listing their specifications. A 5 hp vacuum on 110 V is not true 5 hp. The company who dares to lie the most, always looked good on paper. Don't overlook to compare the warranty and service. Some has as long as 5 years, and they have been honoring them with good reputation.
There must be a reason for some lathes that are inexpensive and are still not popular.
When turning pens with a mandrel, lathe alignment is very important. If it is off, your pens would look lopsided at the joints.

[Terry Murphy]

Rikon, *329.00 at wc......
It will be onsale at woodcraft in a couple of weeks for $279.00.
terry

[David E Keller]

I use the Rikon midi from WC. The belt/pulley system is really easy to adjust, and at the time, I couldn't justify the extra money for variable speed. Now that I'm turning more than just pens and stoppers, I do long for the ability to have infinite speed options rather than the fixed speeds my little lathe provides.

The next step for me is pretty easy... big lathe. If you think there's a good chance that you want to turn some bowls down the road(and you have the space), I'd give some thought to a full size lathe.