First Lathe Recommendations

[Kurt T. Kneller]

Hi all,
Well I have been admiring all of your turning work for the past year. I am truely inspired and in awe. The work you all have shown is really incredible.
I have always been interested in wood turning and have decided to make the plunge this spring/summer.
However, I need advice as to what lathe would be the best choice for the beginner with a modest budget.
What I am interested in turning will range from pens, bowls, peppermills and eventually hollow forms etc.
I am thinking of up to $500 for the lathe. In addition I am planning to sign up for a couple of
turning classes at one of our local Woodcraft stores prior to making the purchase.
Any advice as to which lathe, chucks, tools would be greatly appreciated.

:D When I explain this to my wife I will blame you all and say it is due to the caliber of your work that I must do this and you forced me to do it! :D

[Mark Pruitt]

Kurt, you can't go wrong with a Jet Mini. There is a new model out, I don't know the model number but it has some nice improvements over the other Jet Mini (which is itself a great unit). That is the route I wish I had taken, instead of buying a full size lathe (a Jet 1236 clone) that realistically could not do anything that the Jet Mini cannot also do.

You will also get recommendations for tool sharpening. The Wolverine Jig and the Slow Speed Grinder from Woodcraft are a good combination.

All of this equipment should be within your budget, especially if you can find it on sale. I think HartvilleTools (http://www.hartvilletool.com/index.php) still has a 20% off sale but it might only be through the end of March, so that doesn't leave but a few days.

Good luck and Welcome to The Vortex!

[Brian Weick]

This may be worth looking into Kurt- ebay link deleted

I don't know anything about this item but it would be good for a starter lathe. Whatever you do - don't go the cheep way out and get a lathe from Harbor freight or something like that- very poor lathes and you will be in for a disappointment. Get something solid with some options to turn outboard and not end up dancing with your lathe all over the shop floor. Jet is another good lathe That you may be able to find around you're price range. Another important aspect is the tooling, get a good set of tools,if you go for the cheap end of the spectrum you will be doing more sharpening than you will turning.
I hope this helps.

[Kurt T. Kneller]

I have been leaning towards the Jet mini with the bed extension. I know that there are 2 models, one is a variable speed.
Would you recommend the variable over fixed speed?
Which chucks would you recommend?

[Brian Weick]

Kurt,
You want a small lathe-oh, Jet Mini would be my selection. I was just thinking range of stock and flexibility. Pens,bowls & pepper mills and that type of turning will be to wards the Jet Mini ~ "if that's all your doing" ~ keep in mind you may come up with a situation where you may begin doing larger projects and that is where you will hit a brick wall with the smaller lathes Kurt.
Regards,
Brain

[Kurt T. Kneller]

What "midi" size lathes would you recommend?
I definelty would like a lathe that I can grow into but one that would not break the bank.

[Brian Weick]

Kurt,
what are you planning on turning now, and what would you like to turn in the future? If this lathe is a "temporary" , Just "testing the water" issue ~ no I would not spend a lot of money, because if it's something that you really don't care for after trying (that I would find hard to believe- it's an addiction) you will have to sell it off and the like. If all your doing is pens and the like,size wise, then get the Jet midi, very nice lathe from what I hear. Just keep in mind- " limitations" are what will prevent you from doing things you may want to down the road and this will help you with your lathe purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/708352-JWL-1236-Horsepower-Woodworking-115-Volt/dp/B00006ANS3/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-0532069-6515032?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1175000703&sr=1-3 this is the next step up from the http://www.amazon.com/PSI-Woodworking-LCMINI2-Chisel-Turning/dp/B000KIAE08/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_b/103-0532069-6515032?ie=UTF8&qid=1175000703&sr=1-2 which has a deal right now- with 5pc tooling.
Hope this helps
Brian

[Brian Weick]

This may be worth looking into Kurt- ebay link deleted

I don't know anything about this item but it would be good for a starter lathe. Whatever you do - don't go the cheep way out and get a lathe from Harbor freight or something like that- very poor lathes and you will be in for a disappointment. Get something solid with some options to turn outboard and not end up dancing with your lathe all over the shop floor. Jet is another good lathe That you may be able to find around you're price range. Another important aspect is the tooling, get a good set of tools,if you go for the cheap end of the spectrum you will be doing more sharpening than you will turning.
I hope this helps.

Sorry,
I wasn't aware about the Ebay prohibition - not a problem:)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Kurt.........First Welcome to the Creek and the Vortex! Take photographs of any money you might have right now so you can post the photos by the lathe after you acquire it. You will then have something to remind you of what it used to look like!

A mini is a good lathe to begin with. The only limitations is the size/diameter and weight of the largest thing you can turn. I turn on a Jet VS Mini with a bed extension. I've turned spindles, knobs, bonkers, bottlestoppers, pens, bowls and just recently turned my first HF using a full sized Jamieson HF rig.

A Jet VS Mini vs a non-VS mini...is it worth the extra bucks? In my opinion it is. It allows me to adjust the speed as fast as the piece of wood on the lathe will allow according to it's imbalance. When you first put a piece of wood on the lathe, often it's unbalanced. Low speed is you friend then. The lower the speed the safer and less vibration you'll get. As you begin to turn it, it'll become more in balance and then you can increase the speed which will allow you to turn it faster.....resulting in it becoming more balanced....and so on.

You use full sized tools so if you upgrade to a larger lathe later, you reuse the same tools.

I use a SuperNova2 on my Jet VS Mini and it will transfer to a larger lathe later.

I bought a Woodcraft slow speed grinder and the full field of Wolverine grinding jigs. They work well.

Go take some lessons at Woodcraft FIRST! The members who did so here have progressed faster in their turning than I. My nearest Woodcraft store is 110 miles away, the next 260 miles away.

A book I've found invaluable is "Woodturning - A Foundation Course" by Keith Rowley. Well illustrated and written for the beginner, it covers all the major aspects of turning. DVDs.....Bowl Turning Made Easy by our own BIll Grumbine and "Turning Wood" by Richard Raffan. Penn State Industries (PSI) offers a free DVD on turning pens.

Join a local turning club and I'm sure members will invite you to turn on their lathes before you buy. Thus you can get an idea of what you like and don't like.

If you are trying to turn on a budget and decide to go with a non VS mini lathe, consider the Rikon, the Palmgren. Several members here have gone that route and have been satisfied.

Good luck with decisions and your Abysseration!

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

What I am interested in turning will range from pens, bowls, peppermills and eventually hollow forms etc.



I have been leaning towards the Jet mini with the bed extension. I know that there are 2 models, one is a variable speed.
Would you recommend the variable over fixed speed?
Which chucks would you recommend?

hi kurt--

i have a jet mini. i bought in back in october 2006. it is my first lathe, and it has proven to be a good machine.

i also have a technatool super nova2 chuck. i highly recommend it.

just a few comments.

if you are going to make the items that you mention above, the bed extension, is probably not a necessity - unless you want to make some monster pepper mills.

my biggest disappointment with the mini is the diameter of bowl that i can turn. the specs say that there is a 10" diameter max. technically, this is true. but, it does not account for the height of the tool rest base being under the turning. if the tool rest base must be placed under the turning, then you are limited to less than 8" diameter. if you attempt to turn a 10" diameter bowl, you will be limited in depth, as you can only get the tool rest so close before you can no longer reach the edge of the bowl nearest the head stock.

confused?

also, the tool rest, itself is a bit short. but, i think that the new model comes with a longer tool rest - a good thing.

my lathe is the non-variable speed version. i don't miss having the variable speed. but, i do wish that the slowest speed was a good bit slower. roughing large/unbalanced blanks at 600 rpm can make for some white-knuckle moments.

the mini is great for smaller turnings and pens, however.

hind-sight being 20-20, i wish that i would have purchased a bigger machine.

if i can afford to get a new lathe, i would like to be able to keep the mini for a pen lathe.

this is how the addiction starts...

[Brodie Brickey]

Kurt,

Brian is recommending the Jet JWL-1236 this is a full size lathe that gives you a 12" swing. This means that you can usually turn an 11.5" piece if everything is round. The PSI turning set recommended by Brian is a 'mini', IMO you don't want a mini set because you'll still be turning full size pieces. The mini is for really small detail work on bottle stoppers and sometimes pens. You might need one eventually, but only as an addendum to your regular set.

Like any other hobby or sport, turning comes with its expenses. There are ways to minimize your initial costs. The slow speed grinder below is probably one of the best deals around since it comes with two aluminum oxide wheels for the price. The HF toolset below isn't the best in the world and you'll probably end up sharpening more often that with Sorby or Crown but those others cost a lot more.

If you get a Jet Mini either variable speed or the standard (and check with you woodcraft, some of them were selling their old jet minis they were using for classes at a discount so they could change to the new VS model) you will get a real workhorse. Just about any school that teaches woodturning has the jet mini. Its reliable and solid, you can do a lot with one. Turn pens, mugs, peppermills, goblets, chess pieces, bottlestoppers, small bowls, dishes, baby rattles, jewelry, ornaments, segmented bowls, boxes, bird houses, tops, wands (Harry Potter is coming in July), etc.

Yes, you're limited on size, but do you really want to put a large piece of wood on the lathe for the first time and have it fly off and hit you? It would be better if the first piece to hit you was small.:rolleyes:


Harbor Freight - Item #: 47066-4VGA - HSS turning tools 8 piece (spindle turning) $36.99
Faceshield & protective glasses - This is a must. Any welding shop will have one for probably less than WoodCraft.

Above is the basic minimums. Below are nice to haves that you will acquire over time:

Self centering chuck - there are a number of different choices. A chuck that uses a single key instead of two tommy bars to tighten will allow you to easily hold the piece while tightening the chuck. I've only had one type, so others can speak to the best deals.
Sharpening Jig - I have a wolverine and it is more or less the standard.
WoodCraft - Item #: 144290 - 8" Slow Speed Grinder
Bowl Gouge - 1/2" or 3/8" basic when used with your spindle gouge from the initial set will allow you to do most things.

On the lathe side, Jet and Nova in the lower price range are the best. Delta should be avoided (bearing issues) they make great tables saws, but they don't have it down on the lathe side.

The AAW probably has a woodturning chapter near you (http://www.woodturner.org/community/chapters/members.pl?submit=Chapter+List) they can be a great resource for experience and instruction. If there is a woodcraft near you there must be at least one turning chapter in the area.

There are also some great videos out there that you can rent from SmartFlix that are all how to based. Bill Grumbine has two videos out that will entertain and educate on bowl turning. Richard Raffan has a number as well for more spindle based projects. Raffan has one that's available on NetFlix.

As you sit down and add all this up, depending on lathe and chuck you could be spending as much as 1k easily. This is the danger of woodturning. If you are mechanical/welding inclined you can make your own tools getting the high speed steel (M2) from Enco or someplace and making your scrapers and parting tools. Then the only thing you'll need to purchase are the bowl gouges going forward.

Once you have the lathe and a basic set, you can turn all the scrap stock you can get your hands on. Those pieces of 2x4 that the construction site throws away because its 4" long? That's your new snowman or christmas tree. Practicing your spindle turning to start will make your bowl turning later a lot easier.

[Dario Octaviano]

It depends on what you want to turn.

I started with Jet 1236...having the belief that more is better. While it is true, better quality is more important when you turn small oblects especially pens since they have kit parts that must fit perfectly.

I bought my 2nd lathe...a Jet mini VS and loved it...a lot more than the 1236. When I upgraded again, the mini stayed and I sold the 1236.

However, if you want to turn bowls, vase, hollow form, etc...then bigger lathe is better. Do pay special attention to the slowest speed it can run on.

[JOHN VITOSKY]

I would choose the jet 12-20. 3/4 hp 12 inch swing. Nice lathe. Brand new from Jet. 299 @ woodcraft. Something to think about.

[Mark Pruitt]

I would choose the jet 12-20. 3/4 hp 12 inch swing. Nice lathe. Brand new from Jet. 299 @ woodcraft. Something to think about.
Kurt, the lathe John is mentioning here is the one I was referring to. $299 is reasonable; any discount off of that would be a no-brainer to me.

[Dale Gregory]

I have a Rikon which would be another mini lathe option. Some folks had a bit of trouble with them early on, but mine has been very good. 12" diameter max. Can add on extention for longer spindle work. Easy to adjust belts with slow speed being in the around 480 rpms if I remember correctly. Indexing, shielded motor, 8" tool rest. If you wait another week, I saw in a flyer that Woodcraft is going to be running them on sale for $199. which is a good price for the lathe ($50 off). I would think it would be comparable to the new Jet mini, and $100 less. Another option worth checking out.

Dale