cheap lathe or junk ?

[everett lowell]

I've been wanting a lathe for sometime now but can't afford one. I just came across this thing on craigslist-it's only about 15-20 minutes from my house. For 35 bucks I could fool around with it or is it a waste of time and $ ??? I don't want to turn myself off from turning because of a piece of junk either. any thoughts? thanks:)

[Pete Bradley]

Probably functional, but junk. Unless you live a long way from everywhere, small lathes turn up pretty regularly in local ads. I'd hold out for something a little better.

Pete

[everett lowell]

I think your right Pete, I should wait and get a real one someday!( I like to build tables, and I'm tired of tapering the legs!) Thanks for your input Pete.:)

[Jim Becker]

I agree...pass on it. And that picture of someone "turning" is really scary...the tool rest is about eight miles from the work piece...oy!

[Jon Shively]

I would buy it! Would buy it in a heartbeat!! Now I will qualify this statement by stating it wouldn't become my sole lathe or even my favorite lathe. But for $35 you can learn with this for a while and when money is available, buy a good lathe and make this your buffing station with three or more wheels on a threaded rod for an axle with all wheels so you can go from one step to another. Heck, can't even buy the motor or head for $35.

[Stan Mijal]

I had one of those about 25 years ago. AMT tools sold through Sears.

Definitely pass on this one, those chrome tubes are NOT stable and flex all over the place. The tailstock "bearing" is just that, a single ball bearing between the quill and the centering point. With enough pressure and too little lube, you can get that bearing to actually "smoke"!

Compared to the AMT lathe, a HF lathe is an Oneway!

[Chris Barton]

OK, I agree with Jon but, with a qualification. If you want to start out by learning about spindle turning (IMO the correct place to start) then, go for it. But, that's about all this lathe would be good for and not very good for that. However, you could do some reasonable spindle turning and get a feel for wheather you really like turning or not.

[Mike Ramsey]

If you would be buying it to learn on then you would definitely
learn.....that you wasted 35 bucks!

[RL Johnson]

Learning to turn should be enjoyable. Turning on a piece of junk is not enjoyable or even safe. Save you money and buy a quality lathe. Even if you decide that you don't want to turn anymore, a good lathe with hold it value and you can always sell it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I agree with RL - if you are just starting out and have bad experiences do to the limitations of poor equipment it could kill any desire you have to continue. Plus - this lathe doesn't look safe even for an experienced turner!

Pass on this particular lathe - you can find something out there that's better.

[John Hart]

I think I'd buy it for dedicated pen turning....I've spent more on bowl blanks that ended up as nothing but shrapnel and shavings on the floor. The motor looks like 1/8 or 1/4 HP...but easy to upgrade. Pen making supplies would be 10X the price of the lathe though!;) .....or more!:eek:

[everett lowell]

Yeah, I guess I'll pass on this . I agree with RL, I want my turning learning experiance to be enjoyable and safe! as usual thanks to all for your thoughts, as soon as I saw this thing my first thought was - gotta see what the boys at the 'creek think!:)

[Bill Grumbine]

I see you have already made your decision, but I have a story to tell about this model machine. I got this very same machine in 1988 as a gift. I had asked for it specifically because I wanted to start turning, and this was the only wood lathe I had ever seen. I knew absolutely nothing about lathes and turning.

As far as I was concerned, tools came sharp from the factory, and if the tool was not cutting, I needed to push harder. On my second or third piece, I was attempting to muscle the tool through the wood, and there was a catch. The tool bent into a hairpin shape, the tool rest snapped, and the wood came off the lathe at a fairly high speed. I put the lathe away and did not touch it again until 1993. While part of my problem was inexperience, this machine was so poorly built it was just one frustration after another.

At that point I still did not know much about turning, but I had quit my job to start a woodworking business. I tried to resurrect the machine, but it had so many flaws it was nothing but a frustration. I unloaded it for $50.00 and bought a Jet 1236. The rest, as they say, is history. but if I had gotten a little better advice, I would have started out on a better machine, and who knows where I would be if I had five more years of experience at this point? I am not and have never been a lathe snob, but this is one that should be meltd down for scrap.

Bill

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Everett..........Take Bill G.'s experience and mine into consideration. I had never seen anyone turn. The inmates here at the Creek decided to gift me with a Jet VS Mini after I got into a grade school shoving match with them late last fall. By watching a couple of videos by Raffan and Bill Grumbine and reading some books, I've been able to turn some satisfying projects. It wasn't until last Friday in Illinois when I visited Frank Kobilsec that I finally got to watch someone else turn. I'm convinced that with it wouldn't have happened to the level of satisfaction on my part had I been turning on something like this lathe depicted on this thread.

Take the majority advice here .....pass on it.

[everett lowell]

Bill and Ken, thanks for your advice,yes I' ve made my mind up,not to buy- and your input makes me feel that much better about it. Don't worry, when I get my hands on a real lathe, I'll be back with lots of questions, and I'll be a REAL pain in the" crotch" (pun intended) :rolleyes:

[Earl Reid]

That was my first lathe, I cut it down to 16 inches and turned some bowls etc. I gave it to my BIL and he still uses it once in a while.

Earl

[Bill Boehme]

Like everyone else, I am not terribly impressed by the lathe, but what really did catch my attention in the pics was the way that it was being used and the stance of the turner. The stance is probably a natural result of the way that the “turner” is using the machine – rest backed up all the way to the handle of the tool. And what is the heavily rusted tool that is being used in the pictures? It sort of looks like it might be a skew.

Bill