Happy springtime neighbors!

[brad hays]

Thanks for reading.


Anyone have an opinion on the Delta 46-460 midi-lathe for turning something as heavy as a 8 in dia and 16 in long resin stabilized piece of wood? A small log basically. It's 1 HP and with the extension will have a 42 in bed.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DELTA-21-5-in-x-34-5-in-Variable-Speed-Wood-Lathe/4743323

[Tim Elett]

My first see if I like to still turn lathe was similar but not this one,I made a 12 inch segment bowl and a few other things,keep in mind you need lathe tools, a way to sharpen them and dust collection is nice for sanding.If this model is a reversible motor that helps with sanding. It didn't take long for me to get the up grade itch.

[Frederick Skelly]

For me, $700 is a little too expensive for a "get the job done,, I'll upgrade later" sort of tool. But I sure understand if your store credits are driving that decision. If you are able to pay cash for this, Harbor Freight sells a decent starter lathe that you can buy for under $400 with a 20% off coupon - or look at used lathes. (I bought a used HF lathe for $150.)

Glad you've got something to sell. Best of luck!
Fred

[Dan Hunkele]

I have the Delta 46-460 and love it. I believe it is a better option than the Wen. I've used it for quite a few years trouble free. It is quiet and strong.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-12-1-2-in-Mini-Wood-Lathe-with-Variable-Speed-46-460/203313763

[Tim Elett]

I have made some nice things on small HF lathe.

[David Walser]

Brad -- A lot depends on what you're planning on turning. In terms of quality, I'd rank the Delta and Nova lathes above anything from Wen. In terms of capacity, with a 14" swing and 20" between centers, the Wen has the rest beat. If I needed the capacity, I'd go with the Wen. If I didn't, I'd go with the Delta or Nova.

Note: I've never seen the Wen lathe. I didn't even know they made on that size. It may be a very good lathe. My concerns about quality have to do with Wen itself. Wen makes some innovative tools at attractive price points. However, they have earned a terrible reputation for client service after the sale. Buying through Home Depot or Lowes might insulate you from some of Wen's worst behavior.

[David Bassett]

If this is being driven by the store credits, never mind. But I'd consider the Rikon 70-150VSR and the RIkon 70-220VSR lathes at this price point. They are both well known and receive good reviews.

While the Wen sounds good on paper, I've never heard of anyone having seen one, let along used one. I certainly wouldn't trust it without at least seeing it in person. (Test the locks, range of the tool rest, eye-balling the swing over the tool rest, test the tail stock quill for wobble at full extension. Better to actually turn on it.)

I'm not familiar with the Delta, at least it isn't an unknown quantity.

PS- not cool changing the link once the thread is going. (Adding another one, sure. But making a follow-up post with the new link and more questions is probably better, because a lot of people read only the new posts and are unlikely to see your first post edit.)

[Richard Coers]

Some people have had a lot of issues with the control board. There is speculation that the ones having trouble use the lathe to it's max with turning heavy bowls. I think that theory carries some merit as I have never turned a bowl on my 46-460 and have zero issues with the control board. The 46-460 got a bad rap early with designing the switch on the back side of the headstock and they had a very high rate of shipping damage. Amazon stopped selling them because of the high return rate. That is now referred to as a Phase 1 lathe. They redesigned it and then people started having trouble with the potentiometer and control board. Delta had zero parts support in the early days and quite a few people considered they had a boat anchor because there were no replacement parts. Today they have parts support, but parts are extremely pricey. If you really push the machine, you may have issues. But as mentioned, I have had zero problems since the early days of Phase 2 machines.

[brad hays]

Thanks for all the direction everybody. Since my original question I've gone through a change in direction. Eventually talked myself into the Jet 1221VS, but then I discovered these duplicator devices. Since that's exactly what I'll need for my production I figure I better go ahead and figure that in the whole deal too. Problem is most of these duplicator systems mount under the track and require the motor to be either behind or to the left. The Jet has it's motor underneath so I'm not sure I'll be able to get a copy system to work with it.

Any suggestion for a lathe / duplicator system that's not the $370 one at Rockler?