Researching a Lathe Purchase

[Nick Mastropietro]

Hi all;
Well it's time to consider a lathe purchase, I am primarily intrested in turning furnature legs however I know that once I have the machine I will likely try other turnings. My funds are not unlimited however I could spend in the neighborhood of $1000.00 give or take a few hundred. I would like something with electronic speed control. Beyond these items I not exactly sure what I should be looking for, so I am open to an education form those who would graciously provide one. Thanks in advance for you advise and comments.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would say for a EVS I would look at the Jet 1642 1 1/2 hp 115V or the Jet 1642 2 hp 220V. From what I have seen these two will run about $1400 to $1800 and could be better if you shopped around. Other than a midi you won't find a EVS lower than that. Both are excellent machines with 5 yrs warranty.

[George Guadiane]

The Delta 46-460 should be on any short list... It is variable speed (down to about 200 RPM), reversible, has a 24 position indexing wheel and costs about $600.00 The distance between centers: 16 1/2 inches
Distance between centers with one extension: 42 inches
Distance between centers with two extensions: 67 1/2 inches, so you can do anything from LONG spindles to 12 inch bowls. I'm going to get one, eventually as a demo lathe, because without extras, it can be moved without too much trouble...

BUT, on a $1000 budget, it has MOST of the features I like in my PM3520 and at a very favorable price.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I have the Jet 1642 EVS 2 hp lathe and it is a great lathe! Unfortunately, it is about double your price limit.

I do agree with George's suggestion of the Delta 46-460 and for the same reasons. You can add an extension for turning table legs and the 1 hp / 12" swing is plenty to get you started with bowls.

[Reed Gray]

Lathes seem to go up to about the $600 range, then jump to $1500 plus for the bigger machines, with not much in between. You could get lucky and find a nice used one. Just another reason to contact the nearest club. My first lathe was a 12 inch lathe, and it was okay, but people kept wanting bowls bigger than 11 inches. If you want to do a few bowls bigger than that, I would imagine that they could be turned outboard, but it would stress the bearings.

robo hippy

[alex carey]

I may not be in the majority here but I think you should do a bit of research anyways.

I'd consider The General International maxi 25-200.

http://www.general.ca/site_general/g_produits/lathe/25-200.html

Pretty good lathe as far as I'm concerned, the original motor in 2007 had some problems but once they fixed that(and they did so quickly and without question) the lathe was pretty nice. I especially enjoyed the swiveling/sliding headstock and the small bed that is bolted down below, lets you turn up to 19". And 49" length if you get the bed extension.

I think the total was around 850-900$. Keep in mind that even after you have lathe, there are plenty of other things you need to buy.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alex, At $800 the General doesn't offer much more than the Delta 46-460 which is at least $200 less. Although the Delta doesn't have a digital read out you have to wonder if the General lathe is worth the extra money. But it does seem to look like a pretty cool lathe if not the best value.

[Bob Haverstock]

Hi all;
Well it's time to consider a lathe purchase, I am primarily intrested in turning furnature legs however I know that once I have the machine I will likely try other turnings. My funds are not unlimited however I could spend in the neighborhood of $1000.00 give or take a few hundred. I would like something with electronic speed control. Beyond these items I not exactly sure what I should be looking for, so I am open to an education form those who would graciously provide one. Thanks in advance for you advise and comments.

Nick,

I was looking for a lathe in that price range and chose the Nova 16-24. No, it doesn't hava varible drive, but it does have 8 speeds and is very smooth. So far as I know, Craft Supply has them on sale for $1199 with free bed extention and free shipping.

Until last week I had never petted one. The nearest WoodCraft had one on the floor. The sales person dropped power to it. As I said it was quite and very stable while running. It was already assembed. Once WoodCraft verified thier competitor's price, they matched it. BTW, I pleased with my new inexpensive Wood River chuck.

For me, the strong square tube legs with adjusters will me just fine. I doubt that I will ever use the pivoting headstock feature. With the free bed extention the center to center distance is increased to 44 inches. Ninty-five persent of the time I won't use the bed extention, but then whow knows.

So far, I used used for about 6 joyful hours. The Nova 16-24 is a lot of bang for the buck!

Bob

[Paul Douglass]

I've had my Nova 16-24 for well over a year and I'm still "in love" . They go on sale every so often for under $1000, I paid $800 and something. But it doesn't have the variable speed. Not a problem for me, but if you do production work the variable speed may be worth it.

I don't have the extension and have never needed it. The square tube legs have been fine for me also, once I put tape over the tops of the ones on the head end (I dropped bushings twice and of coarse they went down the leg that was a pain, had to remove the leg to get them out). For more stability (if you feel the need) you can fill the legs with sand or concrete. They would hold quite a bit.

[Sean Hughto]

I'd say, bite the bullet (spend an extra $500) and get the Jet 1642 (1 1/2 HP). I got one in the Fall and love it. I can verify that it works great for furniture legs:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4201582599_290dfaef09_o.jpg

As well as other stuffs:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4336871742_2fef5ebb7e_o.jpg

You won't be sorry.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

How'd you turn that cat? It looks real!:)

[Sean Hughto]

He was evaluating the bowl when I put it by the window to take the picture, so I thought I'd add him to the collage. He and his twin brother are good turning buddies. they often grab curlies in their mouths and run off with them. Strangely, my wife finds this annoying - considering the wood chips scattered in corners to be some sort of "mess."

[Glenn Weathington]

Hey Nick,
Penn State Industries will be offering a their version of a variable speed 12" lathe around mid-March. The price is in the neighborhood of $460 with extension plus shipping. Definitely worth looking at, in my opinion.

[alex carey]

Alan, there are more differences than one might expect. Some in favor of Delta, some for the general.
General has 3/4 hp and Delta has 1.
GI weighs 146 pounds Delta weighs 97.
Delta does not have a sliding headstock or a swiveling, GI has both.
GI has a bed that can be bolted down below so you can turn up to 19". Something I found very useful.

200 may be slightly over priced, but for me the GI seems a good inbetween of mini and mid sized.

[Donny Lawson]

Check craigslist. I saw a nice Powermatic on there last night.
Donny

[Scott Hackler]

How'd you turn that cat? It looks real!:)


LOL .. Kyle that made me laugh out loud!

[Nick Mastropietro]

Does anyone have an opinion about the Turncrafter Commander? Looks like a feature rich affordable lathe Penn State has it on sale with bed extention for $459.90 I would appreciate comments concerning this lathe.
Thanks

[Glenn Weathington]

Does anyone have an opinion about the Turncrafter Commander? Looks like a feature rich affordable lathe Penn State has it on sale with bed extention for $459.90 I would appreciate comments concerning this lathe.
Thanks


Well Nick, It appears to be a good buy, maybe some members that have had experience with Penn State's other lathes will chime in. It looks like a Rikon mini with a different paint job and a variable speed motor w/ digital read out and adifferent tailstock. If I were in the market for a mini-lathe, I'd wait until it was released. The price difference between this and the Delta 12.5" is a pretty large. Of course with the Delta, you pretty much know what you get.