I've decided to get a lathe, please help with which one.

[Steve LaFara]

I've dabbled in turning with a small Sherline metal lathe that I adapted for wood in the past and have finally decide to get something more suitable. Problem is that my budget is limited and don't want to waste what little I have on junk. I have the dark handled tool set from HF so that will get me by for a while. What I need to know is what can I get in a lathe for under $750 including a good chuck? I would like to have a bed length of at least 24" between centers for some specific projects but I think that I will be concentrating on smaller hollow forms and finials to start.

I see a lot of good reviews on the Delta Midi but it's on the short side. I've also seen decent reviews on the Harbor Freight Jet clone and understand that I will likely want to upgrade in a fairly short period of time.

So what would you all suggest? I've been watching Craig's List for a long time and the only things that ever pop up are old Craftsman and ShopSmith units.

[Roger Chandler]

I would go with the Delta Midi, because of all the great features, and you can get a bed extension later to add more distance for long spindle turnings if you wish.

[Lupe Duncan]

+1 on the Delta.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Delta 46-460 and if needed a bed extension.

[Trevor Walsh]

I've been really happy with my Rikon Mini, I got mine at woodcraft on sale $360 which included a chuck (the sale is on again so the flier says) and a bed extension to 40" BTW centers is $100 more. That still leaves you $250 for wood, project kits or other goodies.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve - you don't say where you are located - but I suggest you get with your local turning club and see if someone there has a lathe for sale. Seems everyone upgrades at one time or another - you just might pick up a good deal on something that meets your requirements. Good luck!

[Steve LaFara]

Sorry, I'm in St. Louis, MO. How does one find out about local turning clubs?

If I were to get the Delta, what chuck would you reccommend for around $100 - $150? The Nova G3 seems to get a lot of praise.

[Rob Wachala Jr]

I've got a rikon mini for a few years now. I can't really complain it's held up very well and I mostly do 'small' type projects so it's a nice fit for me. The only thing I do wish it had was variable speed.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

The Delta Midi is your only choice, really. Var speed, reverse, indexing, easy belt change, the list goes on.Tool Nut usually has it for a` little over 500. No affiliation, just a happy customer.Max

[Bill Blasic]

Steve,
The 46-460 has a mated chuck from Nova. It is the Black & Decker G3-D, it has a grub screw to hold the chuck on the shaft as the 46-460 has reversing and the grub screw makes sure the chuck does not unscrew in reverse. Go to the AAW homepage and there is a link to find a chapter of an AAW club.
Bill

[John Keeton]

Sorry, I'm in St. Louis, MO. How does one find out about local turning clubs?

If I were to get the Delta, what chuck would you reccommend for around $100 - $150? The Nova G3 seems to get a lot of praise.
Steve, I started on the HF 34706, and for what it is, it is an excellent lathe - particularly if you catch it on sale, and use a 20% coupon. That puts it at about $200. It is a 1" x 8TPI spindle, so most all of the accessories will fit the Delta, and the Rikon WHEN you upgrade - and, you will. The low end speed on the HF is the only real issue. It works fine for spindle work, and if that is all I was going to do, I would probably still have the HF.

I sold my HF for $150, and bought the Delta 46-460, which is a much superior lathe. I have three of the Nova G3 chucks, and one Nova Midi - excellent chucks and they will do anything you need to do on a 12" lathe.

[Roger Chandler]

Sorry, I'm in St. Louis, MO. How does one find out about local turning clubs?
.

Go to the AAW website, there they have a listing of all the clubs across the country, and you can find the contact info for one in your area.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Steve - like everyone has mentioned - the AAW homepage has a link for folks to use to find a club within their area. Here is one that should be fairly close to you: http://www.stlturners.org/cgi-bin/index.py

[Ron Stadler]

Looks like a very nice club Steve, but I will also point out the one I belong to in Festus, Missouri. We meet every second thursday at the Festus High school Wood shop. Like at all woodturning clubs there is a lot of nice people and we have our share of great turners willing to help you along the way. The cost of our club is relatively cheap, It when up this year but I still think its only about $35.00 a year.

P.S. almost forgot to post our site, its at showmewoodturners.com :)

[Steve LaFara]

Thank you Ron & Steve for the club info. I may have to visit both to see which one deals with newbies like me better. :)

I stopped by the local Woodcraft today to check out the Delta and was impressed with the fit & finish as well as the extra little heft in all the right places. It really did look like a much larger lathe with a short bed compared to the others.

[Jim Underwood]

I'd have to differ with some folks and telll you not to get any lathe with a reeves drive. I've had nothing but problems with them- and others will confirm. If it weren't for that pesky pulley frequently breaking, I'd say go for it. But it is what it is, and I say, if you want variable speed? Get an electronic variable speed, or manually change belts.

Jet mini, Delta Mida, Rikon mini. All decent lathes. I believe you can get bed extensions for all of them. If I were starting out again, I'd be tempted by the Jet 1220.

I'd second the motion to check with the local club- if nothing else for the comradarie. But a club can benefit you in many more ways. I know of a couple of lathes for sale here because our club members have upgraded or inherited a lathe from someone else. There's a good chance your local club members know of some too...

[Don Alexander]

i got the Rikon mini because i just didn't have the extra 250-300 bucks for the Delta 46-460 and i have to say its been a great little lathe

a bit more power and electronic variable speed would be nice but my Rikon has been top notch and has handled everything i've thrown at it

[James Combs]

There is another option that I believe is a real sleeper that no one else seems to know about. It is the Grizzly G0658 Midi. I have one and have used it for over a year and love it. It is Electronic Variable speed, 12" swing, 20" between centers, outboard turning capability, and great customer support. You can check all it's specs out here, http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-x-20-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/G0658.

[Ron Stadler]

I'd have to differ with some folks and telll you not to get any lathe with a reeves drive. I've had nothing but problems with them- and others will confirm. If it weren't for that pesky pulley frequently breaking, I'd say go for it. But it is what it is, and I say, if you want variable speed? Get an electronic variable speed, or manually change belts.

Jet mini, Delta Mida, Rikon mini. All decent lathes. I believe you can get bed extensions for all of them. If I were starting out again, I'd be tempted by the Jet 1220.



I'd second the motion to check with the local club- if nothing else for the comradarie. But a club can benefit you in many more ways. I know of a couple of lathes for sale here because our club members have upgraded or inherited a lathe from someone else. There's a good chance your local club members know of some too...

I'll have to second that, I have a lathe with a Reeves drive and I having a real problem with trying to get the vibration out of my lathe using it, the drive is brand new along with the motor and Head stock. I will never own another one and wish I could just find the right configuration of pulleys for my lathe and change the belt manually.

[Steve LaFara]

Already told the wife that I was going to one of the club meetings next Thursday night and got the "eye roll" as in "now what are getting in to?" :) Good thing we've been together for 40+ years

[John Keeton]

There is another option that I believe is a real sleeper that no one else seems to know about. It is the Grizzly G0658 Midi. I have one and have used it for over a year and love it. It is Electronic Variable speed, 12" swing, 20" between centers, outboard turning capability, and great customer support. You can check all it's specs out here, http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-x-20-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/G0658.JD, that is probably a nice little lathe, but given the price, I do not find it competitive with the Delta. There appears to be no reverse, and apparently, there is no bed extension available. The warranty is only 1 year compared to the Delta with a 5 year warranty. With only a few dollars difference in price, these distinctions make the Delta the clear choice IMO.

[Roland Martin]

The infamous "eye roll":eek::D In general, turners are very eager to share knowledge and offer help and advice, I really think joining a club is a great idea. With the very high addiction rate of woodturning, I would venture to guess that the "eye roll" will be stepped up in the future :).