noob needing lathe advise

[bobby milam]

i am totally new to lathes. I am interested in picking up a used lathe on craigslist to learn with. I see several in the couple hundred dollar range which is about what I would like to spend to get a taste of whether it is for me or not. Any advise that you could give as to what to look for would be appreciated. not looking to turn anything in particular. It will be a learning process starting from scratch.

[Tim Leiter]

That's quite a generic questions without enough info. If you have a couple lathes with prices you want opinions on please list them and you will get some information on whether they are good lathes or not, good price, and so forth. Welcome to the turning vortex............Tim.

[Matt Mackinnon]

If you are saying that you want to spend a couple of hundred dollars total, then you are going to look at the budget for what you are spending. The lathe is just one part of the costs involved. You say that you are not looking to turn anything in particular, but without knowing what you are looking to do, then it's hard to say what you need to get.

For example, you will need to get a good face shield as safety is very important. And you are going to need some turning tools as well like a scraper, parting tool, skew and even a gouge of some sort. You may need a chuck or at least a faceplate if you are looking to turn bowls. A live center of some form. These are not guaranteed to come with a lathe off craigslist, so it's worth while asking before you buy. If you are looking to make pens, then you will need tools for that as well.

You might be able to get most of what you will need for you budget, but I'd first look around and see if there is a turners guild near by. They would be better to give you some help in finding what you need and might even have a better lead for equipment near you, or even have members who can show you more about turning before you buy.

It's a fun hobby, but it's not necessarily a cheep one.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Where are you located? It might be that you have someone local that can mentor your decisions. It would probably save you a lot of headaches and expenses.

[Reed Gray]

By all means, try to find the closest club. You can get mentoring, and maybe even find a good used lathe and some tools, some one is always upgrading.

robo hippy

[bobby milam]

Sorry for such a generic question. I wanted to try some bowls and then see what I could do from there. I am in Arlington, tx.

I understand that I will still need tools. I was more questioning what is the minimum hp, what speeds and even maybe size that I should be looking for and what type of safety equipment should it have as a minimum. Just a quick glance on cl showed a cpl of jets and others.

I still have a lot of research to do, just looking for a starting point. I will Poway a cpl of machines that I found later and get an opinion. I've never used a lathe at all before.

[Bernie Weishapl]

If you are going to do a lot of bowls I would suggest looking at a lathe that has a minimum speed of 250 rpm or so. Most of the cheap lathes minimum speed is 500 to 800 rpm which IMHO way to fast for turning out of round blanks with 500 being the bare mimimum I would use. I agree with finding a club near you and talking with the turners there. You might find what you need and definitely will get some good info. Check out the American Association of Woodturners website. Do a search for a chapter. They show 25 chapters in Texas so should be able to find one close.

[Prashun Patel]

If you don't have any particular project in mind, I would DEFINITELY join a club first. They're cheap, considering and the advise is invaluable.

[Dale Coons]

+1 on join a club. An alternative if you are reasonably close to a Woodcraft or similar go take a class. The one by me has bowl turning classes regularly. Usually there are some tools to borrow, but check with the store.

d

[Jim Burr]

And a simple use of the "Search" function turns up:


Looking for my first lathe, is this decent? - Sawmill Creek ... (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148598-Looking-for-my-first-lathe-is-this-decent)www.sawmillcreek.org › ... › Turner's Forum (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forumdisplay.php?20-Turner-s-Forum)‎

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Sep 21, 2010 - 15 posts - 11 authors
Hello fellas, I thought I would tap into your vast knowledge for some help. I am looking to buy my first lathe, mainly for front legs in a rocker but I ...

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Mar 27, 2007 - 15 posts - 9 authors
Hi all, Well I have been admiring all of your turning work for the past year. I am truely inspired and in awe. The work you all have shown is really ...



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Mar 9, 2009 - 15 posts - 12 authors
Ok, first I would like to say thanks to everyone, I have learned a lot just by reading the message board. So, I am looking to buy my first lathe and ...



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Jul 3, 2011 - 15 posts - 15 authors
Well, I bought a lathe. I build furniture for fun and I have been looking for a lathe for a while for occasional use. I paid $370 for the lathe, 3 tool ...



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Sep 30, 2012 - 14 posts - 10 authors
I have just aquired a small delta midi-lathe. The only tool I aquired with it was a skew. I have spent today playing around and so far I can: 1) ...



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Dec 30, 2012 - 15 posts - 8 authors
I am looking into buying my first lathe and have a few questions. The lathe I'm looking at is the nova comet 2 lathe, it's on sale right now for ...



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Sep 3, 2009 - 12 posts - 10 authors
My Jet JWL-1220VS came yesterday at 08:55 AM EDT. About 1 hour setup time. The lathe stand is perfect for the tool and rock solid. The stand ...



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Aug 31, 2004 - 4 posts - 4 authors
I just ordered my first lathe. It is the 14" Jet Mini. Small in comparison to what I'm sure most of you are used to but a lathe none the less.



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Nov 4, 2011 - 4 posts - 4 authors
I would like to try turning and found a Rockwell Delta Homecraft (I believe not marked as a homecraft but does have Rockwell Delta) Lathe.



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Feb 5, 2010 - 15 posts - 15 authors
Hello all, Normally I spend most of my time in the General Woodworking and Power Tools section of SMC but I'd like to expand my



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[Reed Gray]

Some community centers have woodshops, and some schools have open shops or craft centers. They usually require 'instructor' consent to go in and play, which would involve a class. The wood lathe is the best Christmas present I ever bought myself.

robo hippy

[bobby milam]

Bernie, thanks for the answer. I looked and they were all 500-600 minimum. I know how bad buying the wrong tool to start with can be and more expensive in the long run. I will look more and just expect to pay a little more to get one that will do more for me.

Thank you

[Mike Cruz]

You've already gotten good advice and questions that need answering before advice can be given.

Bottom line, before you go buy a lathe, take a lesson at a Woodcraft or other teaching facility. It will not only give you a taste of turning, but it will also give you the basics to turn safely at home on your own.

IF you enjoy it, I would say to take another class. Also, join a local turning club. You can get a mentor and a LOT of personal advice on lathes there.

[Russell Neyman]

I know a guy here in Port Orchard, Washington, who has a basic belt-driven Craftsman for sale. It belonged to his father and he inherited it. Lots of tools and is mounted on one of those Craftsman lathe cabinets. It could be had for about $300. PM me.