Jet 1236 lathe A good starter?

[Russ Massery]

Looking to get into turning. Would you feel this would be a good starter lathe? Looking for feedback from some of you that maybe owned one in the past. The owner says it's about 6yrs old, looking for 400.00 or best offer. I know it's not the most solid of lathes. But I feel it's a good price considering what the mini's and midi's are going for. I'm no stranger to lathes I'm a machinist by trade. Working with lathes mostly. But never have done any turning in wood before. Thanks in advance for you feedback.

Russ

[Jeff Fagen]

Thats a premium price for what you're getting but if you want the most bang for your buck put in and extra $200. and buy a Delta 46-460.You will not be disappointed and it will never go down in value.

[Brian Palmer]

I have no complaints about Jet lathe at all. I have a Jet 1014VS mini I have had for a year now that I turn pens ect on and it is a great lathe, and I just got a 1642 about 2 weeks ago the so far has done everything I ask it to. From many of the forums I have read and exp with these to I think Jet is easily the best bang for you're buck.

[Bob Rotche]

I did use this lathe as a starter and it generally performed well, particularly for smaller pieces. It did not take me long, however, to realize I needes something more substantial. I think it is fine if you're not sure you really want to get into to turning or just want to turn the occasional small piece but don't expect it to be a long term tool if you get sucked into the vortex! I also think $400 is a bit steep unless it is in like new condition.

[Brian Libby]

I had a 12336 jet and it was a very nice lathe.It is best for spindle work and smaller bowls. I upgraded about a year ago and sold it for $550, it was in nearly new condition.

[Bob Haverstock]

Russ,

Let's see,,, no shipping, no tax, you get to pet it,and you get to listen to it purr. I'd move the speed lever a time or two while its runing and check out the tail stock. Put the chuck or faceplate on it, watch it spin. If I liked what I saw, I'd buy it. A bed extension is not required. Are there tools to sweeten the deal? If the machinist in you likes it, you are in bussiness. I believe that has a 1 X8 TPI spindle and #2 Morse tapers.

Next week you will hear about the Musturd Monster that changed hands for $75, don't worry about what might come along. Make a decision and get on with life.

Bob Haverstock

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Looking to get into turning. Would you feel this would be a good starter lathe? Looking for feedback from some of you that maybe owned one in the past. The owner says it's about 6yrs old, looking for 400.00 or best offer. I know it's not the most solid of lathes. But I feel it's a good price considering what the mini's and midi's are going for. I'm no stranger to lathes I'm a machinist by trade. Working with lathes mostly. But never have done any turning in wood before. Thanks in advance for you feedback.

Russ

[Richard Allen]

That lathe is a disaster which doesn't age well. By contrast the Jet mini is a terrific lathe which holds up great and can handle nearly anything which you can mount on the lathe. The 1236 is an old lathe design which has been superseded with lathes of a newer designs.

That being said there have been many many many wonderful things created using that model of lathe.

[John Keeton]

Russ, sell all your handplanes now!! Once you get into woodturning, you will have no use for them!!:D

For a starter lathe, you might want to look at the Harbor Freight 34706. It is essentially a clone of the 1236, and can be had for just over $200 on sale, and with a 20% coupon, which is easy enough to find. I turned on the HF for several months before moving up to the Delta 46-460 - a super lathe! I sold the HF for $150, and considered the loss insignificant as I had learned a lot on the HF.

[Bill Bulloch]

I started off with the Jet 1236 and would not recommend it. It has a Reeves Drive that eats belts like us fat guys eat candy. If you must get a Reeves Drive Lathe get the Harbor Freight one and same the money. But, personnaly I would stay away from them and get a belt drive like the Jet 1220 or the Delta 46-460. I still have my Jet 1236, but only use it as a disc sander.

[Donny Lawson]

No help on the 1236 but I would recommend putting in the extra dough and getting a Delta 46-460. It's a machine thats well worth the money and will hold its value. Look for a used one and you might find one.

[Kevin Lucas]

I have the Harbor Freight clone and it does fine for ornaments, small bowls and such. The belts are around 5$ at the local Mom and Pop hardware store. I did do the speed modification to slow it one notch. Its a pretty nice starter lathe. I have no idea what stores are near you but if you can do some price comparison. If you are like a lot of folks here the turning will get addictive and you will want a better one down the road. One plus your machinist background will help making your own turning tools )

[Wally Dickerman]

I haven't owned a Jet 1236 but I've turned on them several times. To put it bluntly, IMO it's a piece of crap. No woodturner would design a lathe with no handwheel. A reeves drive can be okay on a quality lathe such as the old General 260, but the reeves drive on the 1236 will give you trouble.

I agree with others that the Delta 46-460 for just a little more money would be a much better choice.

[Rich Aldrich]

For turning rough wood like bowls out of trees, I would not want to turn on a lathe that does not have VFD. I start on bigger pieces out of balance at around 200 to 250 rpm and increase the speed as the piece gets more in balanced. I agree with starting on the something like the Delta 46-460 with the VFD.

[Tom Winship]

Wally, I own a 1236 and am going to pull the trigger on a 1642 soon. May I quote you on your blunt appraisal of the 1236 to my wife? IMHO, POC. Might mean I get to order it sooner.

Russ, since it is the only lathe I have owned, I probably don't know how bad it is. HOWEVER, I would agree with John Keeton. Get the HF knock-off to see if you get sucked down into the vortex. Then you can sell it for $100 and buy something bigger.

[Mike Cruz]

Russ, if you feel like you are going to take the dive into wood turning (as opposed to just "trying it out"), I would find something with a larger swing. Not that you can't suffice with a 12" swing, but it will leave you begging for more. If you get a 16" lathe, you may never turn a 16" blank, but I almost guarantee you that if you get a 12" lathe, you'll end up with plenty of wood that would create 13-14" blanks...

[Garrett Ellis]

I have the Harbor Freight clone and it does fine for ornaments, small bowls and such. The belts are around 5$ at the local Mom and Pop hardware store. I did do the speed modification to slow it one notch. Its a pretty nice starter lathe. I have no idea what stores are near you but if you can do some price comparison. If you are like a lot of folks here the turning will get addictive and you will want a better one down the road. One plus your machinist background will help making your own turning tools )

Sorry to hijack, but Kevin can you elaborate (or point to another thread/source) about the 'speed modification'?? I'm thinking about getting this HF lathe as a starter lathe and one of the downsides is the slowest speed is still 600 rpm...

[John Keeton]

Garrett - try this - http://www.chrisbillman.com/Projects/LatheSpeed.htm

[Doug W Swanson]

I did the speed mod that John posted on my 1236. It was easy to do and well worth the time it took to do it....

[Kevin Lucas]

Garrett,

I had to hunt the mod up again I lost my bookmarks. http://www.chrisbillman.com/Projects/LatheSpeed.htm

I did it a bit differently since I could not drill the hole with the bits I had. Instead I turned it to the lowest speed and then shut it off. I then removed the shaft and replaced it a spline or 2 forward then turned it on again and checked to see where it come back and lock in the first position. There was some slack in the top pulley so at the slowest I could set it the belt fit snug. A few tries and the fit and the lock pin worked out fine. It probably knocked it down half of one notches rpms so I would say from 600 to the 400 450 area.

[BILL DONAHUE]

I would think that the Jet Mini is a better first lathe because when, or if, you decide to move up you'll keep it in addition to the larger one. Most turners I know have two lathes, a mini and a large one. I don't see a lot of turners with just one mid-sized lathe. You are smart in looking a used lathes because if you buy well you won't lose anything if you sell.