Jet, Rikon, or Rockler mini/midi lathe?

[Steve Gehres]

Hi folks.

I'm brand new to turning and have a basic question I need help with. I've snooped a bit through the threads and I'm still no further along...

What lathe should I buy for pens, small bowls, etc???

Rikon 70-100 12" x 16" - $249
Jet JML1014 10" x 14" - $199
M-Power 1018 10" x 18" (Rockler) - $159

And for this instance, let's say they all cost the same. (And, full disclosure: I just bought the M-Power but I don't think I made the right choice.)

Which will I be happiest with in the long run?

Thanks,
~Steve

[Mark Pruitt]

I don't think the Rockler will disappoint you; I would choose the Jet between those three. The Jet Mini has a solid reputation and is a proven performer. I have no experience with the Rockler but generally hear good reviews.

But I should also say that my opinion is strongly affected by an experience with a Rikon Mini that turned out to be a complete lemon. The Rikon Mini gets good reviews as well, but my experience was bad enough to steer me away from any Rikon products for a long time, maybe permanently.

BTW, Welcome to SMC! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

[Jeff Myers]

I'm biased as i have the Jet and love it.
Have turned enough pens/pencils/bottle stoppers and confetti lamps in
past year to sell at craft shows to hopefully buy my dream full size lathe,,
just haven't decided yet which one that'll be....PM 3520,Vega,Stubby or
Robust.
Won't get rid of the Jet mini though,,,it's a work horse for the small stuff
(and doesn't complain too loudly when you max out it's 10" swing either).

[Steve Schlumpf]

Just wanted to Welcome you to the Creek!

I think you made a wise choice in getting a lathe - any lathe! Just remember that the lathe will be the least of your expenses.

Have fun with it, ask lots of questions and if you can - get with a local turning club. Spending time with an actual turner will save you a lot of time and money!

[Neal Addy]

For what it's worth, I'm told that the M-Power is made by the same folks that make the Jet.

I'm like Mark when it comes to looking at track record. The Jet has a long-standing reputation for quality. The other two are still relatively new and may be great lathes, but only time will tell.

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

I too woul lean towards the Jet. But, I would wait about 3-4 weeks for the new Jet 1220 mini lathe to come out. It;s supposed to be the same 12" x 16" as the Rikon. According to what I have seen on this board, Woodcraft will offering it at $199 in the very near future.

Good Luck,
Dan Heine

[Bob Hallowell]

That's simple none of them for alittle more $299 and free shipping you can get the palmgren 15" swing and a full horse motor. on amazon. I bunch us us got them and love them.

Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

Yep I agree with Bob. Love mine Palmgren made lathe and also love the little Rikon. Haven't had a dimes worth of trouble with the Rikon. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the above. By the way welcome to Creek Steve.

[David Little]

I bought the Jet 1014 just before Christmas and really like it so far. I was tempted by the Rikon because of its larger size, but some of the comments on this forum raised some questions and the salesman at the store, which sold both, recommended against the Rikon. Satisfaction with a tool of any kind really gets back to expectations. In this case, the Jet seemed to be the "least risk" choice, but I'm sure I could have done any of the same basic opertations on the others as well.

[Gordon Seto]

A famous turner reported in another forum last year that he purchased 5 Jet minis and 5 Rikon minis in his teaching studio. The 5 Jets were going strong and the 5 Rikons were falling apart. In a teaching environment, the lathes are usually subject to rougher usage. For weekend users, it may take longer for the problems to pop up.

If you want the 12" swing, at least I would waiting for the Jet 1220 and compare.

Gordon

[Dale Gregory]

:confused: Interesting, the saleman where I bought the Rikon (Woodcraft) said he recommended the Rikon over the Jet. He said the Jet was a fine proven machine, but the features and 2" increase in diameter and length of turn made the Rikon a better buy. Only takes a second to change pulleys, shield over the motor, indexing, spindle lock, and on and on. I guess it depends on who you talk to. I did hear that Rikon like other brands had a few problems when first placed on the market, but I was told they had resolved those issues. On the other hand, I'm now thinking about the Palmgren as it appears to be even a better buy for the money;) . Something to consider! Welcome to the Mill, and hope you have a good grip on your wallet, it's only just beginning:D

[Terry Bigelow]

O.K. guys, about this Palmgren. Is that a good deal or is it a get-what-you-pay-for thing? I recently borrowed my dad's Rikon mini and made my first turnings (some handles). I must admit that I wasn't really wanting to get into turning(yet another woodworking hobby and tool to go with it:rolleyes: ) but after a few go's I think I'm in trouble! Anyway, I like the Rikon but after seeing the Palmgren I'm wondering if I'll end up wanting it after using the smaller Rikon. I saw the previous thread around x-mas when a lot of you got one, now you've had time to work with it what's the verdict? Thanks for your opinions.

[Ron Kerpsack]

I was in the market about a year ago and was trying to decide between the Jet and the Rikon. I went to the local Woodcraft and played with both. I bought the Rikon because it was a bit stronger and had a little better feel to it. Fit and finish are about the same on both. I bought have used the Rikon to turn pens and small bowels, bottle stoppers and just make sawdust with. If I had to buy another small lathe it would be a Rikon. Hope this helps

[Bob Hallowell]

Terry,
As I told you on the neander forum turning is addictive and yes the palmgren is worth twice that price. I had an older grizzly that retailed for $300 and I would not put them in the same league.

It has a longer bed more swing 15" and more power plus it's low end speed below 400rpm. great lathe!

[Terry Bigelow]

Thanks Bob.

[Keel McDonald]

Just bought the Rikon before Christmas. Absolutely no problems. I think you could find things about any tool that could be made better, but I have no concerns with my Rikon.

[Steve Gehres]

I picked the Rikon. Picked it up last night and my first impression on taking it out of the box and cleaning it was WOW! The fit & finish is WAY beyond what the M-Power had, Not to mention the extra capacity and features.

Then, I checked the centers for alignment and my stomach sunk. The tailstock base has some side to side play in the bed. I can line up the centers, as long as I wiggle the tailstock and lock it down when the points are pointing at each other. But that's not gonna be possible once I have some wood between them. Also, the drive center that came with it is not straight. I can get two live centers to line up and rotate 'true', but when I rotate the spindle with the drive center in the drive center point turns circles around the tail center point.

What do I do about this? I can buy another drive center, but the play in the tailstock base is going to be a problem. Do I need to return THIS lathe also? At this rate I'm going to lose interest before I even turn my first project... And I've already spent over $1000 in a complete set of chucks and jaws, mandrels, drill chuck, project kits, finishing supplies, turning tools, blanks, etc! When you welcomed me to the forum, you said to watch out for the money pit that will come next. I guess I should have mentioned that I always seem to do things backwards!!! I guess it's time now to do what I should have done in the first place. Find a woodturner here in the Grapevine TX area that wants to visit my garage and put my training wheels on. :cool:

Before I go, I want to thank y'all again for the warm welcome.

Help! I'm going crazy! :D :eek: :D
~Steve
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Spunky-Monkey Woodworks
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[John Hart]

Hey Steve...Welcome to our little abyss!!!

I'm wondering...How much play are we talking about on the tailstock? And, where is that play? Because my headstock rotates, I'm rarely aligned perfectly...But when I have a piece of wood on there, I just spin it up, find the center of the wood, put a little dimple in it, and then bring the tailstock up to the dimple.

As far as the drive center...for what it's worth, I don't use mine. Come to think of it...I don't know where it is!:D You might just want to exchange it.

[Steve Gehres]

Hi John.

Thanks for the 'welcome'.

If I checked this correctly, it looks like I'm off by 0.022" at the base of the tailstock. And that would be dramatically increased as to the length of any stock that would be in there.

The tailstock seems to be anchored in the middle by the round piece of metal that gets tightened up in the 'ways' of the bed when you crank the handle down. And the entire tailstock swivels corner to corner. What I just did was put a 0.011" feeler gauge in the gap between the front right corner bottom edge of the tailstock base and the edge of the bed 'ways'. And I also was able to slide a 0.011" feeler in the gap at the rear left edge. Since I'm sure I'm not using the correct terms to explain it, I'm gonna post two pics I just took of the feeler gauges. The 1st is of the front of the tailstock, the 2nd if from the rear.

Anyway, if I'm interpreting this correctly, if the live center point was directly above the front edge of the tailstock base, there would be a 0.022" deviation at the tip as I swivel the entire tailstock left to right. My math education was way to many years ago, so I can only guess what the deviation would be at the headstock if I had a 12" pen mandrel between the centers...

~Steve

[Steve Gehres]

Hi folks. Did my thread get lost in the shuffle? I really need to know what to do about this new lathe...

Thanks,
~Steve

[Neal Addy]

Hi Steve,

That just doesn't sound right. I gotta think its a quality issue. You can't turn like that.

I would take it back and compare it to others in the store. Don't mess around with it and void the warranty. It's not worth it. WC is usually good about helping out with this kind of thing.

If they can't help you fix it or if you find the other Rikons do the same thing then ask about swapping for a Jet 1220. They may or may not have them in stock yet.

BTW, there's quite a few turners here in the DFW area. The local area club is Woodturners of North Texas. You should make a point of going to the next meeting. They meet on the last Thursday of each month.

[Bob Noles]

Steve,

You left one out of the picture.... look at the Jet 1014 VS. The varialbe speed is a great feature and worth the extra $. It is the one I am currently driving and I have no complaints at all.