Jet 1642 or Jet 1642-2?

[Noah Barfield]

Hi all,

I've been taking (and loving) some bowl making classes at the local Woodcraft. Given how much fun I've had, I was thrilled when my wife suggested that I get a bigger lathe to pursue this hobby (I have a 1970s Craftsman pipe lathe)! After some searching, I've narrowed it down to the Jet 1642. What I'm wondering is--is it worth it to spend the extra $300 to gain 1/2 a horsepower? I'm not currently set up for 220 in my garage, but my next door neighbor is an electrician and has offered to help.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Noah

[Paul Singer]

I have the 2 hp version and have never turned on the 1.5 hp model. I bought this model with recomendations from our club president. He has the powermatic 3520 which cost about twice as much. His comment was that the motor on the Jet was the same as his powermatic for half the cost. A friend of mine comes over occasionally to rough out larger blanks that his lathe can not handle and is always amazed at the power of this lathe. It is smooth and lets you be as aggressive as you want. I have to leave the belt slightly loose so that it will slip if I get a severe catch because I have never had the motor stall. I know the price difference is alot but I am happy I paid the extra. I went through the Tool Nut when I bought mine a little over a year ago. It does go on sale a couple times a year if you can wait. If you talk with Sean at the Tool Nut he may be able to tell you when the next sale is coming. I am sure you will be happy with either model.

[Roger Chandler]

you cannot go wrong with the extra horsepower..........in some situations it does make a difference, and you will never regret it, however, if you don't you may at times.

[Russell Eaton]

I spent a few extra for the 2 hp. and have no regrets. I core some bowl and have never had a problem. You are luck to have a neighbor to help with the power. Good luck.

[Michelle Rich]

This lathe choice has been discussed over & over on this forum..search back and read what everyone said. I have the 1 1/2 just beause I did not want to spend the extra money, and because I did not want to have to run a 220..Keep your tools sharp and you'll gain the 1/2 hsp difference. just personal choice..

[John Keeton]

I have the 2hp version, and I don't regret that purchase. That said, I tend to agree with Michelle. I turned for a year on the Delta 46-460, and within its 12" capacity, I rarely had any issue with power and it is only 1hp. When my gouge looses its edge, horsepower makes little difference - a dull tool won't cut regardless of how many horses are pushing against it! Conversely, a sharp tool will cut easily - again, regardless of the horse team.

The 2hp does permit me to take a bigger bite with a 5/8" Thompson gouge. I did not own that tool when I had the Delta, so I can't compare. However, I really don't know that the ability to do that changes the way I turn all that much.

On the other hand, if you intend to be a production bowl turner, roughing blanks one after the other, the 2hp version would probably be the better choice - both for the extra power and durability.

[Tim Rinehart]

$300 is well spent to get the 2HP version will take a fine lathe to a superb lathe with capabilities to hog and core that would have been a bit more of a workout on the 1.5HP version.

[James Combs]

I have the 2hp version and also a 3/4hp Grizzly midi. If I have been turning on the Jet for a while and switch to the Griz I will tend to stall the Griz until I get the feel of the smaller hp. Not a direct comparison of the two hp in question but... My recommendation is to go for the 2hp especially since you have the helpful neighbor.

[Jim Underwood]

Generally I'd go with the 220 voltage machinery regardless of the HP. It's less hard on the circuitry of everything.

[Reed Gray]

I turned on one of the 1 1/2 hp models for a demo, and found it way underpowered. My tools are always sharp. If you do any kind of production work, you need the 220 volt and 2 hp. If you are not in a hurry, or don't mind taking your time, and money is tight, then go for the 1 1/2 hp model. There is a big step up with the 2 hp.

robo hippy

[Steve Kubien]

Needing the extra horsepower means you either do not know how to sharpen or you don't know how to use the tool in your hand, at least in terms of a 16" swing lathe. If you want to go off the end and do some weird, off ballance huge wall hanging, maybe the extra hp helps, but I doubt it. $300 is a lot of tooling...

[Del Hollingsworth]

I saved the extra $300 and bought the 110v. 1.5 horse version, and have regretted it every day. Ironically, my regret is not limited to the horsepower, but also to the 220v. The 110v inrush current will throw the breaker on some of the circuits in my shop. No problem with 220v.

The $300 savings was not a savings. It is a constant source of annoyance and regret.

[Tim Rinehart]

Needing the extra horsepower means you either do not know how to sharpen or you don't know how to use the tool in your hand, at least in terms of a 16" swing lathe. If you want to go off the end and do some weird, off ballance huge wall hanging, maybe the extra hp helps, but I doubt it. $300 is a lot of tooling...
Steve, that sounds correct in many cases, but for those who like to have big scary sharp tools :eek: take big fat long shavings off efficiently...2HP and up is often the price of admission.

[Wally Dickerman]

In my opinion, 1 1/2 hp is plenty of power for a 16 inch lathe. I have a friend who has a Oneway 2036 with a 1 1/2 hp motor. He is a pro and turns between 200 and 300 salad bowls a year. many of them 16 inches or more. He uses a coring tool. His feeling is that for most turners, being able to stall the motor is a safety advantage. I agree.

I visited my friendss shop a few days ago. He had just finished rough turning 70 madrone bowls up to 17 inches in 3 days. He obviously wasn't holdiing back.

[Donny Lawson]

I bought the 1 1/2hp simply because I do not have 220 in my shop and it has done everything I asked of it so far. You can always buy the 1 1/2hp and put the extra 300 bucks on a few nice tools and you will never miss the extra hp. Thats what I did. I bought a nice Burnmaster burner for the extra $$$$ plus a few smaller tools. Just my 2 cents worth........

[Reed Gray]

Well Steve. if we lived closer, I would have you over to test out your claims. I do not agree.

As for the 1 1/2 hp motor, that is enough horse power for a lot of turners. When I first went about setting up my wood shop some 20 years ago, I did a lot of research as to what tools to buy, and how much power they had. Being a concrete man for years, I prefer things overbuilt rather than underbuilt. Every article I read on electrical requirements said that any motor up to 1 hp ran fine on 110 current, but any motor 1 hp and above ran better on 220. I am not an electrical engineer, but I did have a couple of 1 hp and above motors rewired, and they did perform better. If you are running a 1 1/2 hp motor, you need a dedicated 20 amp circuit or you will trip your circuit breaker. Wally, that Oneway with the 1 1/2 hp motor runs on 220 I believe. That makes for a big torque difference. I would like to get a number of them side by side for a test drive some time. I have turned on a Nova DVR that runs on 110 current. I would rate it with more torque than the Jet, but no where close to my old PM3520A.

robo hippy

[Noah Barfield]

Thanks all for your replies--it's a tough choice. You've given me plenty to think about.

Noah

[curtis rosche]

Needing the extra horsepower means you either do not know how to sharpen or you don't know how to use the tool in your hand, at least in terms of a 16" swing lathe. If you want to go off the end and do some weird, off ballance huge wall hanging, maybe the extra hp helps, but I doubt it. $300 is a lot of tooling...

not so. i have a 2hp motor on my 14 inch lathe. i find at times that if i had a smaller motor i would be stalling the lathe. that being said, i do semi production and in very hard woods, so i have a tendancy to get very agressive.

[Dave Halter]

I have the 1.5 hp version because I do not have 220 in my shop. If I did I would have bought the 2hp model. Yes, you can turn large bowls on the 1.5 hp Jet. You can even turn with dull tools until you figure out how to sharpen correctly. I don't believe the extra horsepower will let you "turn" bigger and better things. What it will do is let you do more grunt work. If you ever want to get into coring bowls and those type of things the extra hp will make a huge difference.

Dave

[Dale Miner]

A pull cut with a 5/8" or 3/4" gouge with a swept back grind gets a lot of edge in the mix, can remove wood fast, and can use a lot of power. It is fairly easy to stall a 2 HP 3520b in low range in the early stages of roughing a 14" bowl blank of some of the harder hardwoods. A 3 HP machine is harder to stall, but with an aggresive enough cut, can be done.

Having said the above, I've demo'ed on a 1.5 Hp 16/42 many times. It is a nice machine, and the power is adequate for most tasks as long as a person is not in a hurry or in a production mode. I've used a McNaugton type set of coring knives on a 14" soft maple blank and the machine had adequate power, but I think when coring is done correctly it doesn't take a lot of power. My only real complaint about the 16/42 is that the banjo could stand to be another inch or two longer, and that applies to both HP versions. I do like the extra bed length of the 16/42 over the 3520B.

For me, the extra cost for the 2 Hp would be justified by the time saved in roughing. If there comes a time that you want to upgrade, the resale will be better with the higher HP Machine.


Wally, the 2036 has three speed ranges. My guess is that in the lowest range, the 1.5 2036 has more torque available at the spindle than the 1.5 16/42 in it's lowest range.

[Steve Schlumpf]

A pull cut with a 5/8" or 3/4" gouge with a swept back grind gets a lot of edge in the mix, can remove wood fast, and can use a lot of power. It is fairly easy to stall a 2 HP 3520b in low range in the early stages of roughing a 14" bowl blank of some of the harder hardwoods. A 3 HP machine is harder to stall, but with an aggresive enough cut, can be done.

Pretty much covers my sentiments exactly! Whenever folks talk about the 1.5 hp vs the 2 hp, they make many valid observations concerning money and the availability of a 220 volt power source, etc but not once have I ever heard that someone was unhappy because a lathe had too much power! Think about what it is you want to turn now and where you would like to take your turning in 5 to 10 years.... then see what hp rating will fit those needs. An extra $300 is a lot of money, but not when you spread it out over the life of the lathe!

Good luck with your decision! No matter which version you pick - you will love the lathe!! Looking forward to seeing your gloat photos!!

[Jake Helmboldt]

I have the 2HP model and am glad I do. That said, the only time I've ever stalled it has been while coring (with the McNaughton). But it is nice insurance to have for a relatively small amount of money. I had 220 for my other equipment, but I did do an upgrade with a subpanel in the garage (not specifically for the lathe) and it is nice having the dedicated 220 circuits for the machinery.

Del's comments may be the result of voltage drop over a long wiring run. I had the same issue with my tablesaw before the rewiring while using it on 110. Switching to 220 made a huge difference. So depending upon your wiring with the existing 110 it may be that you need a dedicated circuit anyway, in which case why not go with 220? It isn't a hard updgrade, and if you have an electrician neighbor that is willing to help, I say do it.

[Scott Hussey]

I have the 1.5 hp Jet and I would have gone with the 2 hp if I had 220. I didn't want to run 220 and I got a good deal on my 1.5 hp. I haven't had a need for the 2 hp yet, but you never know.

I don't think you can go wrong with either machine.

Scott

[Noah Barfield]

OK, I've decided to go with the Jet 1642-2, but I have a couple of questions (via my neighbor):

1) The 1642-2 takes single phase current and converts it to 3 phase via the inverter, right? My house wired for single phase (I guess only commercial buildings have 3 phase).
2) Since I'm installing a new 220v outlet, what shape / type of plug does the 1642-2 have?

Thanks all!

Noah

[Steve Schlumpf]

Noah - the lathe will run on a regular 220 volt circuit - don't worry about what the inverter does. The lathe does not come with a plug... just a 6' power cord. You can use any 220 VAC plug and receptacle you want. I use the L620P and L620R series because I like the twist lock feature!

Also, once you get your new lathe, also get in the habit of unplugging it when you are finished using it. The electronics stays on all the time and unplugging it protects the lathe from power surges.

[Noah Barfield]

Steve,
Thank you for the information! I should have the garage wired up by tomorrow evening and the lathe will be on its way soon!
Noah


Noah - the lathe will run on a regular 220 volt circuit - don't worry about what the inverter does. The lathe does not come with a plug... just a 6' power cord. You can use any 220 VAC plug and receptacle you want. I use the L620P and L620R series because I like the twist lock feature!

Also, once you get your new lathe, also get in the habit of unplugging it when you are finished using it. The electronics stays on all the time and unplugging it protects the lathe from power surges.