Riser on a Jet Mini?

[Patrick Taylor]

Has anyone ever tried putting a riser on a Jet mini lathe to get a couple more inches of swing? I know that the bearings and spindle have weight limits, so one would have to be careful to not overload it. Also, the tailstock would need the same riser, which seems difficult. What are the other potential problems?

[Keith Burns]

The problem is this Patrick, you want a bigger new lathe !! Your best bet is to just bite the bullet and got get !!

[Patrick Taylor]

The problem is this Patrick, you want a bigger new lathe !! Your best bet is to just bite the bullet and got get !!

Busted! :o SWMBO says that the garage can not be my permanent shop, and that I need to build a shop before I buy my "lifetime" lathe (not that I'm complaining because I've got a mostly-green light on both... :D ). I'm just trying to squeeze out a few inches of swing while I figure out how to get a new shop built.

[Dario Octaviano]

I don't think it will be worth to modify it.

Your other problem will be power/torque....1/2 HP is not much.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Dario. I think you would have problems.

[Jim Becker]

I think this is less an issue of problems than is it expense. I checked into putting a riser system on the OneWay 1018 I used to own...it was doable and I even found someone who had already done it...but it would have cost many hundreds of dollars for parts with the precision necessary to do the job. The headstock is relatively easy for many lathes...it's the tailstock that's very tricky.

You can turn a lot of really fine stuff with the 10" swing you have between now and when you can build your shop. And if you have a hunk of something that's too big to fit, networking with other local turners (such as through your local AAW chapter) might be a solution to getting some time on a bigger machine when you really need to.

[Lee DeRaud]

The headstock is relatively easy for many lathes...it's the tailstock that's very tricky.Maybe machine down a Jet 12XX tailstock to fit the Mini's bed? (The one thing I could see taking a lot of time and effort would be finding that odd drive belt in a 2" longer version.)

If you only need 2" or so more swing, the baby Rikon has been out long enough now that used ones might be available.

[Dick Strauss]

Isn't the Jet 1220 12" mini out yet????

[paul ashman]

Hi,
I picked up my new 1220 lathe last week at a Woodcraft in Mobile, AL.
I really like having a full 20 inches of room on a midi lathe without having to add the extension. Coupled with the larger motor and 12" swing, I am sure that it will be a very popular lathe.