Lathe

[Mark Woodmark]

I have a PSI midi lathe. It seems to do a pretty good job, but seems to be underpowered. Someday I plan too replace it after I get more proficient at using a lathe. My question is what lathes would everybody recommend and why? I plan to do mostly medium to larger bowl shaped items and occasionally spindle shaped items. I am looking for quality, ease of use, and accuraccy.....Thanks

[Tony De Masi]

Mark, this should be in the Turners Forum. Maybe a mod will move it for you.

Tony

[Brendan Plavis]

I can see how the names would get confusing...

[Ryan Baker]

The obvious answer would probably have to be the infamous mustard monster -- the Powermatic 3520B. But there are WAY too many variables involved to give you a very good recommendation without a lot more info about your needs/wants. How much are you really willing to spend?

For a full-size lathe, the Jet 1642 or Nova 1642 would be the lower end of machines that you should consider. From there, you work your way up to the Powermatic, Oneways, Vicmarc, Stubby, Robust, etc. See if you can spend some time on the machines in a store, club, etc. Over time you will figure out which of the features are important to you, and how deeply you want to commit.

[Mark Woodmark]

Mark, this should be in the Turners Forum. Maybe a mod will move it for you.

Tony

Sorry, didnt notice the wood turners forum. As can can see I am new to woodturning

[David E Keller]

It's hard to answer your question directly, and there are a number of turners on this forum using a variety of lathes. For up to 12 inch diameter turnings, the delta midi seems to be a popular option, and it certainly is less expensive than many full sized lathes.

There are pro's and con's to many of the full sized lathes, so there's really not a "right" answer. I've got the PM 3520B, and I couldn't be happier with it. Others use the Jet 1642 or Nova lathes with great results. Unless you have some very specific turning goals that would require special capacity, you'll probably be satisfied with most of the full sized lathes from the major manufacturers.

Let us know if you have more questions.