Greetings from a newbie!

[Matthew Martin]

Hey folks. Just wanted to say hey to everyone and introduce myself. My name is Matt Martin and I am looking at getting into turning. I came looking for answers to some of the questions I will eventually have;). My main interest is pen and game call turning (turkey and duck mostly).

My first (and not at all last!) question is got to be the most asked question in regards to small turning.....what do I need to look for in a lathe?

I'm wanting to keep it to the cheaper side but don't want to sacrifice quality. I have looked at the Central 10 x 18, Grizzly H8259, Xtremediecast 10 x 18, the Rockler Excelsior, and the Shop Fox 1704.

For pen and call turning what should I look for in a lathe? What about chisels?

I am pretty much clueless other than what little I have read. Any help out there?

Happy turning.

[Alan Trout]

Just my personal opinion the Delta 46-460 is the best reasonably priced midi lathe out there. Good capacity, power, and reverse. Overall excellent machine. I am sure it will not be your last lathe :).

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

If you are looking quality the Delta 46-460 as Alan said and also would look at the Jet 1220 VS or the Jet 1014 VS. I have the Jet 1220 vs and love it. Not sure about the Delta but the jets have a 5 yr warranty. Anyone of these would make excellent lathes.

[Greg Just]

Welcome - I would recommend that you look for a turning clug in your area. There will be members that are willing to help you get started and they might even have some club lathes you could take for a test drive. Good luck.

[Donny Lawson]

I would look at the Delta 46-460 or a small Jet. Both are good quality and will be great for your needs. As far as tools, look for a 3/8 spindle gouge,and a nice roughing gouge, and maybe a skew. If you can look for good quality tools or you will be spending more time sharpening than turning. You will need a good grinder and a good sharpening jig. Wolverine makes a nice one. Look on craigslist and maybe you can come upon some nice used equipment.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Matt - Welcome to the Creek! I agree with Greg - if at all possible, get with your local turning club and get some experience/assist before you start buying tools. When folks first start out turning they buy a lot of stuff that ends up gathering dust because it was not designed for the style of turning they wanted to do.

Good luck with everything!!

[Matthew Martin]

Thanks for the answers folks. I built a new shop early summer and needed something to do in it ;). I had been thinking about getting a lathe for quite some time. My dad got a used one for 20$ not long ago. Haha it's not the prettiest thing but it does what he wants. He likes to make canes and walking sticks so it has been good for that.

Maybe I can get some pics of the high chair he made. He tried to duplicate the one that has been used by our family for 5 generations. He made a very nice looking copy using that ol' cheap lathe.

I think to start out I will work on turkey call strikers. Simple project that I know a lot about (the striker, that is).

Again, thanks for the help.