Delta lathe on sale at Amazon

[David Tiell]

Not sure if any of you turners are interested, but amazon currently has the Delta 46-715 (9.8 Amp 14-Inch Swing by 40-Inch between Centers)
on sale for $393 plus shipping.


http://www.amazon.com/Delta-46-715-4-Horsepower-Woodworking-120-Volt/dp/B00005V5NM/ref=pd_ts_hg_27/002-8178200-3295248?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

[Scott Lingle]

Anyone out there have any experiences (good or bad) with this particular lathe? I'm curious as to why they are selling them at 67% off.

Thx.

[Bob Opsitos]

I have one. Not the best lathe, but good enough for that price. Had mine nearly two years now I think. I need an upgrade mainly for more swing.

Thanks
bob

[Dick Strauss]

David,
I've had mine for a few years and have had good luck with it. Others have had issues but maybe their expectations were too high for a $400-500 lathe. It is definitely not a PM3520 but IMHO it represents the best bang for the buck in the midrange category. The 3/4hp motor for the Delta is either underated or the 1/2hp motor on the Jet minis is severely overrated. The difference in power between a Jet mini and this Delta 1440 is like night and day. The Delta 1440 was definitely worth the extra $150 to get a useable swing of 13" instead of the 9" available with the Jet mini. Everything on the Jet mini feels like a toy (kind of lightweight banjos, toolrests, handles) but that is not the case with the Delta. The next step up is the Jet 1440 in the $800-900 range. It is well built from what I've seen and does have cast iron legs.

The weak links with the Delta are the thin stamped steel legs, the 500 rpm slowest speed (before the mod), and the headstock/tailstock creep issue.

All of the weak links can be corrected if you like to tinker a little. I have posted some notes about mods that will take the slowest speed down to less than 150 rpms. I've added a wooden frame (in addition to the stamped steel). I also added a balast box to add 350lbs. I am considering a EVS motor/controller swap with mine as soon as i find the right motor at the right price.

Good luck with whatever you decide,
Dick

[Kurt Whitley]

I kind of hate to post this because it does sound like others have had good experiences. I have had bad experiences with the two I tried. They were refurbished, but the nature of my problems seems more like a design issue.
I can say that when it worked, it was decent.

http://www.woodturner.org/vbforum/showthread.php?t=3211&highlight=delta+46-715

After my experience, I would recommend to anyone to either save some money and get one of the 12" swing mini's (Rikon or Jet) or spring for the Jet 14" or Nova 16".

Good luck!

Cheers,
Kurt