HELP!!!! Which lathe should I buy?

[BOB BUCHANAN]

I can pick up

a brand new Jet-1236 3/4 HP for $349.00
or
a slightly used Craftsman 15 inch 2 HP for 300.00

What do you think?

[TYLER WOOD]

the new jet!!!!

[Alex Cam]

Bob,

I've turned on the Jet 1236.

The 1236 is a nice lathe -- plenty of power. The legs are worthless, and vibrate a lot unless you put some weight on there. I have a hard time believing that it's 183 pounds, though. I'd actually consider taking it off the legs and building your own stand.

I have a Palmgren sitting in a box in my garage, so I can't comment too extensively on the C-Man. Assuming it's the same parts-list as the Palmgren, I'll say that it's not a 2-HP lathe. Looking at the kW output of the motor, it's a solid 1 HP. And the Palmgren is built like a Panzer tank. I'm very, very impressed with the machining and finish on it. Please note, though, that Palmgren claims they build their C-Man units to a different spec than their own. So look before you buy.

[Tom Jones III]

Where can you get that deal on the Jet? I've used one in a bowl turning class and it is fine. Alex is correct about the legs, but there are plenty of examples on the net about how to fix that.

[BOB BUCHANAN]

There is a local place here in phoenix that has the lathe for 1/2 off, regular price is $699 soooo they are selling them for $349

[Paul Engle]

I got a 1236 Jet and the legs are ... are .... hmmm of no value unless you weight it wayyyy down. I bolted mine to bench , bench to wall and floor , works welll in limited shop space , I bought so I could swivel away from wall to do larger stuff as bench is narrow against the wall. I like it but wish It would go lower than 500 rpm's. look around for one with lower speeds as the blanks get bigger, it rumbles pretty good , you may well wish it was slower...:D

[BOB BUCHANAN]

I went with the Jet! The guy that was selling the craftsman hemed and hawed. The local place here (pay and save) has them for $349 + tax.
Unfortunately the lady at the store on Indian school rd. told me that the store on bell has 2 of them in stock. After a 35 mile drive i found out that they haven't had any in stock for 3 months. The manager of the store, Jim (a very nice guy) called the other store on Elliot and Preist (another 30 miles away) and reserved one for me. When I got there they broght it out to the truck and loaded it for me. I just got it home haven't even unloaded it yet.
On the way home I found a large mesquite tree that the landscapers had just cut down. Bonus!!!! free wood

Thanks Jim for the help!

[Paul Engle]

Cool gloat Bob. I wish the landscapers would cut down a mesquite tree around here .:eek: my jet is hungry for mesquite, the last I had I used to smoke some pork chops and ribs ... nutin like mesquite in the morning ...:D

[Mark Pruitt]

Bob, to stabilize that lathe, cut a piece of plywood to fit over the bottom stretchers, and put bagged sand on it. Four bags will give you 240 lbs of extra stability at the base and will help that lathe spin almost anything you can mount on it.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Congrats Bob!!

It's a Jet and...:cool:
that's a Mayo...:D

Owner hemed and...:mad:
Owner Hawed...:mad:
No to the C-man...:p

It's a Jet and... :cool:
that's a Mayo...:D

Welcome to the "Mayo-Lite Team"!!!:D :D :D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Bob! A new lathe and free wood on the same day......Life doesn't get much better than that!:rolleyes: