What to look for in a lathe?

[Shawn Stennett]

My wife is interested in learning how to use a lathe, she is going to start by taking the begining lathe class at woodcraft but I would like to start looking for one on craigslist but do not know anything about them either. She found one today but before we go and look what do you look for in a used one?

Oh and she is interested to making small to medium (no bigger than 12'') bowls and maybe pens.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Shawn,

If your budget will allow, I'd look at a VS variable speed lathe with a very low rpm. When you first spin up an unbalanced blank, having a slow speed is a good thing!

[Stephen Saar]

I just recently got in to turning myself so I'm not an expert in any field, well I guess I'm an expert in ignorance but somehow that hasn't helped me throughout life as much as I had hoped. I can offer a few tips though, take a look at your budget and see what is available new. One of the nice things about buying new is that you can take it back to the store if it has problems, also from the WoodCrafters I've been to, when you're buying there they are always very helpful. Also one thing to consider is that depending on much you plan to spend for your lathe I would at least double that for various tools and other things. I bought a Nova 1624 about 1.5 months ago for roughly 1200, and I've spent at least another 600-800 on various other items (sanding, buffing, chucks, jaws, wood blanks) and I haven't even gotten in to the nice tools yet. I don't want to scare you off as I've enjoyed turning alot, but I didn't quite realize how much I would be spending at first, and the more I learn the more I want to buy. If you give us your budget I'm sure we can probably give you some decent recommendations for different lathes to buy, new or used.

[Dick Sowa]

Shawn...visit http://www.nealaddy.org/node/39

Neal does a good job with all the questions you probably have, and a lot you wouldn't think of.

One caveat though. Most turners wind up spending as much, or more, on accessories and tools as they do in the lathe itself. So stick around here and other woodturning sites...we are really good at helping folks spend their money :p