ridgid wood lathe wl1200

[Joseph Tarantino]

this is my first post here, and i'm looking for information about the above lathe:

http://www.ridgid.com/ASSETS/CBF09463E7D540C38BDCC8134E35B9AC/WL1200LS_Wood_Lathe_Man.pdf

i don't know anythng about lathes yet, but it's the last significant tool i don't have. anyone here have one who would care to render an opinion as to it's usefullness for turning table legs and other types of spindles? it is set up but reportedly unused. comes with 2 ssets of chisels and a ridgid mobile base. seller is asking $300, but i see it going for somewhere between $200 and $300. it is, again reportedly, complete with a leg set as shown in the manual.

i do realize that the minimum speed for the motor is felt by some to be too fast for handling large, irregularly shaped material. is the 1/2hp TEFC induction motor conducive with a rheostat to regulate speed? if yes, has anyone tried it and what were the results? if no, is it because induction motors' speed cannot be regulated by a rheostat? info and constructive comments appreciated.

[Donny Lawson]

That was my first lathe and it was alright but the (pipe) type bed was not for me. I could not seem to get the headstock and tailstock to line up the way it should. I would look for one with a flat bed and I think you will be happier in the long run. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Dick Wilson]

Hi Joseph, Welcome to the forum. The answer to your question is difficult to say depending on what you want to do with it.

If all you want it for is to turn table legs, lamps, chair parts, etc. then I would say it would probably be fine. If you are talking about turning bowls etc. that start out unbalanced there will be a problem. The lathe is sitting on stamped legs. It will not take very much at all and the lathe will be shaking all over the place. As for the motor and dialing it down ???? if it is not the right motor you will burn it up. Others here would know more about that. Good luck

[Curt Fuller]

I also had that lathe as my first. When I didn't know better I thought it was great and spent many hours on it. But, it has some drawbacks and limitations in comparison to similarly priced lathes. First, is the speed you've already mentioned. Great for spindle work, not so good for face work. But because of the limited 12" capacity, you won't be turning anything very large anyway. It also has #1 Morse taper on the head and tail stock. If you buy spurs, centers, etc for it they will probably be of no use when you eventually upgrade to a larger lathe. I also had problems with the banjo and the tool rest locking setup on mine. They're just basically set screws that I eventually broke or wore out. The tailstock relies on a rib that runs the length of the tube for alignment. I battled with that constantly too. On a similar sized Delta, Jet, Rikon, etc that has bed extensions available, you'll be much happier with all the locking mechanisms and the #2 Morse tapers over the long run.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I think I would pass on it. If you are going to do just spindles, pens, etc. then it would be great. For bowls, HF's, etc not so much. I agree with Curt on the Delta, Jet or Rikon with bed extension.

[Doug W Swanson]

That was my first lathe. Like the others have mentioned, it is a decent lathe but for $300 it's a bit steep. I paid $135 for mine about 3 years ago when I first started turning. Then I sold it when I bought a Jet mini. Then I upgraded to a Jet 1236.

I think for a little more money you can get a better lathe than that one for $300.

JMO....

[Joe Watson]

Can not comment about the lathe, but something to consider is that (and depending on the brand and count) two sets of chisels could cost your 100-150 dollars, so if you can pick up the whole thing for 200, that does not sound to bad if it will fill your needs.

Just recently (two - three months ago) i bought my first woodworking lathe (been around metal lathes for a while) with the intent of table legs, door knobs/pulls, small things like that. After looking at some of the work people here have done with bowls - small logs and tree branches, i attempted some myself and i can see growing out of the Rikon (with extended bed) that i bought.

Just some thoughts, good luck.
_