Entry level lathe

[Izzy Camire]

Hi Folks,
I am looking at getting my first lathe. I have run metal cutting lathes a lot but know little about wood lathes.

What would be considered a good entry level lathe?

Sunday I am going to look at an old Atlas model 7122 lathe it has 12" swing and 36" between centers, weighs 115lbs. It is mounted on a solid bench. The owners says it has been restored with new bearings. I am not sure if this is the right way to go. Perhaps I should be looking at something new or at least newer.

I'd be happy to hear what you guys have to say.
Izzy

[Reed Gray]

My first lathe was a little 4 speed Atlas, and it sounds like yours. It had a 1/2 hp motor, which was fine for spindles, but under powered for bowls. I changed that out with a 1 hp motor, which was far better for bowls. The changing of belt/pulley was pretty simple as I put in a link belt and it was easy to push off one pulley onto another. The variable speed that is common on most new lathes is a huge upgrade for convenience, especially when it comes to bowls, since most of the times, bowls never start out balanced, and getting them started at 500 rpm can be exciting till you get them rounded out. So, I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. You will spend several times what you spend on the lathe on 'accessories'. If you can find the nearest club, it is a huge resource for learning, and picking up used equipment. I have a bunch of You Tube video clips up on bowl turning, just type in robo hippy.

robo hippy

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Does the Atlas come with some tooling? As Robo mentioned, you'll spend (easily) several times the lathe purchase price in tools and toys. What is your budget? Starting on a non variable speed lathe is okay, but if you can afford it, starting with a new or used variable speed lathe is a great thing. I started with non variable speed lathe and I still have my little Jet mini. Which I would easily reccomend for an entry level lathe. They are well built. Mine is over 10 years old. You can turn small bowls on it. It's pretty much weak for bowl turning. But I've turned bowls on it. There are ways around the 550 minimum speed and vibrating bowl blanks.

[Edward Weingarden]

My suggestion is to try an have an idea of what you want to do on the lathe. If you think that turning pens, boxes and ornaments is what you want to do, then a mini/midi lathe will fit the bill. If you have in mind to do bowls, platters, and/or any other larger objects, then you'll need a machine with a larger swing. If you can hone in on what your needs are, then it becomes a matter of how much you want to spend. I started with a Jet Mini VS; a new one can be had for about $500. It didn't take long for me to want to turn larger pieces, so I moved up to a Jet 1642 with EVS. I've had it for about ten years, and am very pleased with it. It fills all of my needs, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. If you think you'll be turning larger objects, skip the mini. You can turn small items on a large lathe, but not visa-versa.

[Izzy Camire]

No idea on the horsepower of the Craftsman motor on the Atlas. It comes with a set of 12 Buck Brothers tools also some centers.

[Izzy Camire]

My suggestion is to try an have an idea of what you want to do on the lathe. If you think that turning pens, boxes and ornaments is what you want to do, then a mini/midi lathe will fit the bill. If you have in mind to do bowls, platters, and/or any other larger objects, then you'll need a machine with a larger swing. If you can hone in on what your needs are, then it becomes a matter of how much you want to spend. I started with a Jet Mini VS; a new one can be had for about $500. It didn't take long for me to want to turn larger pieces, so I moved up to a Jet 1642 with EVS. I've had it for about ten years, and am very pleased with it. It fills all of my needs, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. If you think you'll be turning larger objects, skip the mini. You can turn small items on a large lathe, but not visa-versa.

Ed this sounds like good advice. I guess I was going put the machine in the shop and see what I wanted to build. I guess this may not be the best way to go.

[Matt Evans]

That atlas actually sounds like a winner to me personally.

If it is one of the models I am thinking of, you should have no problem turning good sized spindles on it. Also, with very little modification (if any) you can flip the headstock on those, and have a large swing.


Motors and pulleys are easy to come by, and simple to put on in any configuration you want. Think of them as change gears on a metal lathe. More or less speed or torque required? Change the pulleys to suit

The buck bros lathe chisels are not bad for biggining spindle work. I have 3 I have been using for a few years.


The atlas should have a standard, easy to find spindle thread, so chucks and face plates won't be hard to find.

Just my thoughts.

[John K Jordan]

Izzy,

If you are like most people, the first lathe will be great at first and you will be hooked on woodturning. Then the limitations hit and you will want a much better lathe. I did that and everyone I know did that. Try to avoid that. Buying a very inexpensive first lathe can be a good idea since you won't be out much later. The risk is you might get discouraged and give up too soon.

One way to avoid the "mistake" lathe is to first get some experience on a wood lath before you buy. You might take a couple of beginning courses to see what it takes and if you really enjoy turning. Or if you know some woodturners, they might show you some things and let you practice a bit. I've had many people in my own shop just for that.

Another thing to do is find a woodturning club in your area and go to some meetings. There you will see different types of turning in action, see things others have made, meet lots of people, and get answers to questions. There are several members in our club that do not yet have a lathe - they want to learn as much as possible and get the right lathe the first time! The club meetings will introduce you to various type of turning and help you decide which is interesting.

Know that the lathe is only part of the issue - you will need to get a few tools and, most important, learn to sharpen them. There is an old saying that if you can't sharpen, you can't turn. A club will help with learning what it takes to sharpen and which tools are the most useful for the type of turning you might want to focus on first.

Another great way to get started is get some good books. I personally like Richard Raffan's beginners book. (And he's such a nice guy too!) Darlow's books are great too. Some will recommend watching videos instead and those are good, but there is far more information in a book than can possibly be in a video. You will learn not only the what and how but the why. And probably learn what you DON'T want to turn! I've seen some things in books that were just plain ugly to me.

I personally started with a Craftsman style tube lathe and very quickly found out how limited it was and bought a new Jet 1642. I like it so much I got a second one just like it. Also a couple of minis to carry around. I gave the first lathe to a friend.

You can do almost any type of turning with almost any type of lathe, but there are certain features that I find important or at least desirable. Here's some:
- Variable speed. SO much better than shifting belts.
- Enough swing. Ain't no easy way to turn a 12" bowl or plate on a lathe with 12" swing. Perhaps outboard.
- Enough length. An inch too short is limiting. (I have turned shovel handles on mine.)
- Mass and sturdiness. A light-weight lathe can cause much grief and seriously limit your turning.
- A strong enough spindle. Bigger is better. 5/8" is too small IMO, except for small things.
- A quality tool rest, banjo, and tailstock. Must be quick to adjust with no wrenches needed!
- Enough power. Large bowls can make use of more power than pens.
- Reversible. Not absolutely necessary but very handy.
- Good stand. Some table-mounted lathes are hard to get close enough to.
- Compatible power. 110v, 220v, three phase? Hate to rewire before even turning it on.
- Standard spindle threads. An old lathe with weird threads may prevent fitting a chuck.
- A #2 morse taper in the headstock spindle. Most accessories are #2. Same with tailstock.
- A good live center for the tailstock.
- Good bearings. Some old lathes have worn out bearings and/or unacceptable runout.
- A tailstock that is aligned with the headstock. Very important.
- (I'm sure I will think of more as soon as I hit "post"!)

One thing to remember - you can always turn very small things on a big lathe but you can't turn big things on a small lathe. Another thing - if you buy a good lathe then decide you'd rather take up golfing instead, you can always sell it to one of the many people who bought the wrong lathe and are ready to move up. :-)

Good luck! I suspect you will love turning!

JKJ

[George Troy Hurlburt]

Fine a used Shopsmith that's what I started with in 1980. I still have it and use it for a lot of other purposes.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Izzy, I think the Atlas sounds ok for a first lathe. I started on a Delta with similar features. If the price is right, it will get you started.
As you figure out what you want to do, you are likely to want more features, but if the Atlas price is good, you can probably resell it for the same price.

Most people find it easy to go jump completely into turning, it's really fun! If you decide you mostly want to turn pens you can upgrade to a lathe really good for that. If bowl turning becomes your new love you can upgrade to that. In any event with turning clubs, your own lathe and classes you'l? get to use many different lathes so you'll know what you want when you decide to move up to a more sophisticated machine.

Have Fun!

[Marvin Hasenak]

I love the old iron, I would jump at a chance for an old Atlas, but that is me, I have been turning wood long enough that I can make it work for the jobs I would want to do with it. As a beginner that won't apply to you, it takes some experience to get around not being able too use modern chucks and other goodies that you might want in the future. But you do have an advantage over most in that you operate metal lathes, you can make the tooling to fit the lathe. Making my own special tooling is as enjoyable as the turning itself. You also probably understand the operation well enough that you will be able to get past the accessories limitations better than the average new woodturner.

Base on the info and my assessment of your knowledge of metal lathes, I say if the price is right go for it. If you feel it is a good deal then you can't go wrong, I wouldn't go overboard on accessories that don't work on up to date lathes, I would struggle with the basics and see if it really is my thing before spending much more money.

[David Linnabary]

I still have the Atlas 7122 for spindle work, the spindle is a 1 inch 10 tpi not a common size but not prohibitively. Oneway supplied my adapters. Not much of a powerplant and undersized for any sizable bowl work.

Nice solid little lathe but I'm partial to old iron :)

David

[Jimmy Edwards]

Don't buy until you have seen and turned on a bunch of lathes of some club members. In all probility the first lathe you buy won't be your last. My advice is think big early.

[Stefan Saal]

Actually old machines are better than newer ones, if you ask me. Weight is very important. So I like a lot of cast iron under a lathe, to hold everything down when a big chunk wants to vibrate like crazy at the start. I still have the old Blount lathe I bought 35 years ago, and it was 70 years old then (a leather belt type job, babbitt bearings, use it all the time). It came with plenty of useful tooling, tool rests, mandrills, centers, several dowel cutters of different diameters (more useful than you'd think!), etc. Paid $500 all told. I'm a teeny weeny bit concerned that the Atlas might be undersized (or underweight).

Here is a link to its instructions and parts list, btw (always worth studying before a purchase/inspection): http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/51/727.pdf

Also, a reversible motor is pretty useful if you want to turn bowls. Does the Atlas have a reversible motor?
Anyway, I think for garden variety spindle turning you'd be fine, but I'd hate to spend too much more than $300 for what you are describing, unless it really just seems super-duper, like a real solution. Trust your instinct.

[Izzy Camire]

Thanks to everyone that have taken time to help me out here.

It seems from the responses that some are saying get the Atlas and others think I should wait and look for a more modern machine.

Some info on the Atlas. As was said the spindle is 1" X 10TPI so an adapter would be needed. I don't know the HP on the motor but it is a Craftsman and the owner thinks it is reversible. The lathe itself weighs 115lbs and from looking at the pictures I would say the bench would not weigh more than 75 pounds. As I said before the swing is 12" and distance between centers is 36".
My thoughts on the Atlas. I have a soft spot for old machinery heck I have a planer (Little Giant) that appears to be from around 1870 or so. I think it would be good for doing spindle work but not so much for bowls. I think the motor may be a bit underpowered. A few years ago he rebuilt the machine and he says it has new bearings. I would check them with a dial indicator anyway. I am concerned that it is too light at less than 200 lbs. for machine and table. The man selling is 85 years old and doesn't want to sell his equipment but time is catching up with him. He values his machine more than I do as his price is $595. I feel it should be priced at $300 or so.
Going into this I had been thinking get a general purpose lathe into my shop and I would find things to use it for. I tend to work that way if I have a tool available I use it. I am feeling more and more that I should wait at least a week to look at the Atlas so I can think more on things. I am feeling getting more information and visiting with locals who turn to get a better feel for what I want to do may be a good thing.
Thanks to every again for their input.

[Reed Gray]

I think I paid $350 for mine, and it isn't worth any more than that. For just a few dollars more, you can get a good mini lathe with variable speed. The Buck Brothers tools are okay, but don't add any value to the lathe. They are low end quality. Mine was on a stamped sheet metal stand. I built a heavy bench using some glue lams about 2 by 12 wide for the top, and for a shelf. Much heavier. A new or used mini lathe would do best on a bench.

robo hippy