In the market for a lathe, need help

[Doug M Jones]

I'm a relative newcomer to the creek, finished some jewelry boxes (my first project) this week and trying to outfit a shop. The whole turning thing fasinates me.

I've got several questions,

1. What is a TEFC motor. Some of the lathes I have been looking at have lower HP than cheaper lathes but have the TEFC motor. Does it give more actual power per rated HP?? I'm lost.

2. I am on a budget and won't have the funds to replace a poor decision any time soon so... What lathe wood you recommend. I really like pen turning and can see myself doing candlesticks and small bowls. Would a mini-lathe work or do I need something bigger? If I buy a mini now, would the tools and accesories work on a larger lathe if I were to grow into something bigger in the future?

3. I have been looking at the Jet Mini and the price is doable, what is the true cost to be able to turn pens and small bowls etc. What doesn't come with the lathe that I will need. I don't want to make the investment in a lathe that I can't afford to outfit for proper operation. What are the hidden costs.

4. The latest ice storm broke several maple limbs of the trees in my yard. How should I cut the wood to make it usable in the future for bowls etc or is it not worth the trouble?

I did recently join a local woodworking club and they have a turning sub-club that meets monthly so I can watch and get some hands on instruction but this months meeting has been postponed due to the big storm. I got the itch bad.;)

Thanks in advance for all your advice, the creek has been an educational resource for me.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm a relative newcomer to the creek, finished some jewelry boxes (my first project) this week and trying to outfit a shop. The whole turning thing fasinates me.

I've got several questions,

1. What is a TEFC motor. Some of the lathes I have been looking at have lower HP than cheaper lathes but have the TEFC motor. Does it give more actual power per rated HP?? I'm lost.

2. I am on a budget and won't have the funds to replace a poor decision any time soon so... What lathe wood you recommend. I really like pen turning and can see myself doing candlesticks and small bowls. Would a mini-lathe work or do I need something bigger? If I buy a mini now, would the tools and accesories work on a larger lathe if I were to grow into something bigger in the future?

3. I have been looking at the Jet Mini and the price is doable, what is the true cost to be able to turn pens and small bowls etc. What doesn't come with the lathe that I will need. I don't want to make the investment in a lathe that I can't afford to outfit for proper operation. What are the hidden costs.

4. The latest ice storm broke several maple limbs of the trees in my yard. How should I cut the wood to make it usable in the future for bowls etc or is it not worth the trouble?

I did recently join a local woodworking club and they have a turning sub-club that meets monthly so I can watch and get some hands on instruction but this months meeting has been postponed due to the big storm. I got the itch bad.;)

Thanks in advance for all your advice, the creek has been an educational resource for me.

Doug,

1. TEFC...Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled........The motor should have less of a problem created by being plugged and invaded by sawdust.

2. I take it for granted you are a beginning turner. There are 2 theories on beginning turning. Start with a mini....and most will graduate to a full sized lathe. .....2nd ....Start with a full sized lathe...you can turn small stuff on a big lathe...you can't turn large stuff on a small lathe......Both have advantages. Finances is the big difference. Me...if it came to turning on a Mini or not turning.....I'd be turning...

As far as lathes.....a lot of folks here satisfied with Jet Mini, Jet Mini VS, Jet has a new larger Mini IIRC that was just placed on the market, Rikon, Palmgren.........

I have a Jet VS Mini. I use a SN2 chuck. I turn bowls, bottle stoppers, pens and various other projects on it. The SuperNova 2 chuck will fit larger lathes which I hope to purchase later this fall.

You'll need sharpening equipment....a grinder and a jig. While lots of people sharpen without a sharpening jig such as the Wolverine jig by Oneway, sharpening is important. The first lesson you'll learn is that turning with dull tools is not fun. You can build your own jig. The jig will allow you to concentrate more on learning turning skills and less on sharpening skills.

Pens....You need a mandrel, bushings, pen kits and turning tools. Regular sized turning tools work just fine for pens. The main tool I use is a 3/4" skew. You need a way to drill the pen blanks....a way to trim the pen blanks.....finishing materials.....sand paper.......

When I upgrade to a larger lathe, I will keep my smaller lathe for small projects or to run my Beal buffing system on it all the time.

Join a local club. Turners seem to be very generous by nature and are always willing to help each other with information, techniques, etc. You could very well have the opportunity to test drive some of the lathes before you buy one via club members.

A book I'd recommend that has been indispensible in my learning to turn is "Wood Turning - A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. THis book is written for the beginner and is very well written and illustrated. DVDs by BIll Grumbine and Richard Raffan are of great use in learning.

I got gifted by the inmates here last year with a lathe and tools. My shop was and is still about 10 days away from being finished. I turn and smile a lot. It's an addiction ........a turning project is almost instant gratification!
Good luck with your decisions!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Hi Doug - I second everything Ken stated and also add you will need some sort of dust protection/collection. Most people don't have a problem with the dust in the beginning but over time it can develop into a concern.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Doug I am a relative new turner of a little over a year. I can't answer #1 but for #2 and #3 yes a mini would do just fine. If I were buying today and starting I would get the new Jet mini 1220. That would hold you for some time unless you get the itch to turn big. This one will turn a 12" bowl or just a little under. As far as hidden cost you are going to have to have some turning tools. Most get them from Harbour Freight. They can be had for $35. You will probably want a chuck if you do bowls. You can get a chuck from Grizzly for $45. I have 2 of those and 1 of the $99 chuck which is a better chuck. I still use them all the time even though I have a couple of the $200 and up chucks. These are not the best chucks you can buy but will get you started. If you want to turn pens go to Penn State Industries website as they have a free DVD. They also have several lathes of which the Turncrafter Pro. Several on here have them. I would still probably go with the Jet. I have the Rikon which was $250 and it will turn a 12" bowl. I like it a lot. That should give you some idea of what your are looking at. To turn pens you will need mandrels, bushings, finish, etc. You will need a sharpening system such as the wolverine to keep your turning tools sharp. You will probably like the rest of us keep the mini lathe when and if you get a larger one. I did and use it for polishing plus smaller turnings.

For #4 I would cut the limbs or logs into 4' lengths. Then if you have no anchorseal to seal the ends I would use some old latex paint you might have around the house and paint the ends to seal them. Then when you are ready cut them into bowl blanks. The paint keeps them from drying out to fast and cracking.

You would be wise to go to the turning club meetings. You will gain a load of knowledge from them. This and what Ken gave you above should give you a idea of what you need.

[Neal Addy]

Welcome to the vortex, Doug.

As you infer, there are MANY accessories to throw money at. The lathe is only part of the total cost of turning. In the case of a mini it is a small part. That said, you can get started with a reasonable setup for under $500 (assuming everything is bought new, cheaper if you go used).

The absolute essentials are:

1) The lathe itself (obviously)
2) Safety equipment - Don't skip these. Faceshield is #1. Dust protection is a close second. Throw good lighting and comfortable floor covering into the mix.
3) Tools - Broad subject. Depends on what you want to turn but there is a general list of 'must-haves'. Skew chisel, roughing gouge, bowl gouge, spindle gouge, parting tool, and scraper(s) are usually at the top of this list.
4) A good sharpening system - Most folks like the Woodcraft 8" slow-speed grinder and a Wolverine sharpening jig.
5) Supplies - Sanding supplies, finishes, etc.

From there it depends on what you plan to turn. You mentioned pens so you will want to look into pen mandrels, bushings, kits, etc.

Most lathes come with a drive spur and faceplate so you can get by without a chuck, but they sure come in handy if you want to get into bowls.

The Jet mini lathe is a jewel. It makes a great lathe to learn on for a reasonable price. Many folks here started on one and still have it after upgrading to bigger iron. Don't let the term 'mini' fool you. It is a serious, good quality lathe that will carry you a long way. You can do some very fine work on it.

Just my $.02. Hope that helps!

[Doug M Jones]

I don't have a drill press yet. (On the list but wasn't a high priority). Can you drill the pen centers without one?

Also, what is an indexing lathe? Is it worth extra $$

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Doug,

You can certainly drill pen blanks without a drill press. You can do it on your lathe but it's cumbersome. You can drill it with a hand drill but I'd want to make a jig.

An indexing lathe has a set up where you can stop and lock the turning project at specific angles. This would come in handy say if you wanted to drill hole in a pen blank at specific anglular intervals around the blank and fill them with a filling material and then turn. You could do the same thing with a bowl.....drill holes say every 15 or 20 degrees...fill it with say stone dust and clear epoxy or super glue and then turn and finish.....embellishments.....can also be used say if you are turning table spindle and want to mount a router jig to the lathe and plane a flat surface on the leg at 120 degree intervals for a 3 leg table or 90 degree interval for a 4 leg table. Handy indeed!

[Dario Octaviano]

You can't go wrong with Jet mini...VS if possible.

[Randy Johnson]

I’m just starting to get interested in turning myself. I’ve owned a Delta midi lathe for a few years but until very recently it saw minimal use. I fear to say that the bug has bitten and I will be making a HUGE jump to one of the really big lathes – hopefully within the next year.
One of the reasons the Delta saw so little use for so long was that even with the lathe there were a lot of things needed to play with it that I didn’t have. I turned a few powder horn plugs (all it was used for) with just bench chisels and a set of chisels designed for carving gun stocks. When the interest started to kindle I went to the nearest Woodcraft and bought a set of Sorby chisels designed for a midi lathe. They are great for small turning but even the little Delta has a ten inch swing, and human nature being what it is, I kept upping the size of the pieces I was turning. The midi lathe chisels are not quite as impressive when you start to turn bigger chunks of wood.
Since I’m trying to come up with several grand for a new toy, shelling out around four or five hundred bucks for a starter set of full sized GOOD quality chisels would have been a setback. I decided on the short-term solution by getting some old Craftsman tuning chisels on Ebay. I recognize that they are not the highest quality, but on the other hand I don’t think they are the lowest quality either. Grandpa’s circa 1952 Craftsman tablesaw was no PM 66 but the furniture it produced is spread from Indiana to Texas. The thing about the chisels I got is that they ARE useable, and they cost less than two top-of-the-line chisels from Woodcraft or Lee Valley.
Most of those who choose the start small and work your way up approach to buying lathes will probably be faced with having to dispose of what they get between the midis and what ever monster they are finally satisfied with. Only the fortunate few have shops big enough for a lathe collection. Reasonably good chisels on the other hand can still be useful after they are replaced FINE chisels. Like I say, I’m very much a newbe at this turning thing but it seems common sense that learning to grind a new shape or simply sharpening an existing one is better done on something that costs a lot less. That said, there is a recurring auction on Ebay selling a set of turning chisels for under ten bucks. I’ll bet that in a good light you can still read Pepsi or Budweiser on them. I wouldn’t have them for the cost of shipping. There is such a thing as TOO cheap.
The money you save by getting used chisels starting out can be put toward a good chuck. Back when I used the lathe in shop class decades ago everything was between centers or mounted on a faceplate. Even with the little turning I’ve done the last couple of weeks I can see a real need for a chuck.

[Bill Turpin]

Get a VS lathe if at all possible. The additional $ amount is small for all the benefits. Beginning turners will often turn at NOT the best speed because it is so troublesome to change the belt. With the VS it is very easy to change speeds and therefore allows the beginner to learn what proper speed does for the quality and ease of turning! My large lathe is VS and my wife's mini is not. The lathes are in different buildings. I have seen her, multiple times, struggle with the improper speed. Retro-fitting for VS is about 2/3 of the price of a new lathe, but the manufacturer does not have a VS kit.! Join a local club and the AAW.

Bill in WNC mountains

[John Hart]

There's too much good advice above to add to...so I'll just say, "Welcome to the Abyss!!!":)

Oh....and get that wood out of your yard before some Turner shows up with a pickup truck and steals it!!:D

[Gordon Seto]

Doug,

You got very good advice already.
Basically, you got what you paid for. Don't make your decision based on the size capacity of the lathe. You can do a lot of beautiful things with a mini lathe. A good, bigger lathe is more versatile but costs more. IMO, a big lathe with high mininum speed, not enough mass is dangerous. If you have to chase around the lathe won't make your new hobby enjoyable.
A Jet mini would do most things very well within its capacity. It has a very good track record. If the turning bug bites you hard, most likely you will get a bigger lathe. Most of them like their mini so much, they keep theirs. The Jet mini is so popular, but you don't see many of them in the used lathe market.
Jet mini is not the best mini lathe available; but you would have to pay 2~3 times more to get that slight better performance.

Gordon

[Mike Kenney]

id just like to say that im new also and im very interested in getting a lathe and wanted to thank all of you for the great info. You basicly answerd all my questions

P.S ill let you know when i make the leap

[Doug M Jones]

The turners group of the local woodworking club I joined a couple of weeks ago met in a members shop yesterday afternoon for a session of small turnings. I got to see a Delta, Jet and Steel City in action and saw beautiful things made on all 3. One of the guys graciously gave me a blank and walked me through all the steps of turning a pen and then gave me the pen to take home. Way cool !!!! Guess what I'll be showing everyone at work today. I got to work on the Steel City and it was a nice machine but the Jet and Delta seemed very nice as well. The gentleman who let us invade his shop had a Oneway big lathe that he uses to turn some wonderful items. Great way to spend a cold snowy afternoon.

Gotta go, I need to search the net for a lathe.