Craftsman Lathe

[Andy A Turner]

Does anybody know anything about the Craftsman Mini Lathe? I currently turn pens and game calls on my drill press but looking to upgrade to make things a little easier but the wife won't let me spend much money. I have enought gift cards to to Sears to buy this one without having to spend any money because I already have all the other tools I need.

[Doug M Jones]

Andy,
Welcome to the Creek,

If you are going to limit yourself to just pens and game calls it will probably be an improvement to the drill press. I looked at it on the Sears.com website and my biggest concern is the apparent lack of a morse taper. Without that you may have to buy new pen mandrels from Sears and could have problems with some pen kits. I don't know the answer, just thinking out loud. I see the Sears.com website also sells the Jet mini for about $100 more. I have the mini and if you can at all swing the extra $$ it would be well worth it. I assume you can use the gift cards online? Turning is addictive and most of us starting on a mini are soon lusting after a bigger machine. Have fun with it whichever way you go.

[Andy A Turner]

Doug. Thanks for the information. The Jet is the lathe I really want. Would you recommend the basic JET or the VS? I currenly have to change the speeds on my drill press now and it waste a lot of time.

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

I just took a look at that lathe on the Sears web site, and it looks like the old Jet Penturners lathe. It was listed at $129.99. For that price, I would suggest something like the Shop Fox mini lathe. A lot more versatile, and the same price. It's MT#1, with a 3/4 X 8 shaft, and it is about the same price as the Sears mini. Take a look before you buy:

https://toolsandmore.us/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1408

ebay link removed

This is the tool I started out with 4 years ago. It's on the bench at my Dad's house now, and still works great. It's not like a Jet, but, it's a nice little lathe for the money. Plus, it's variable speed - no pulleys to move, just turn the dial.

Good Luck,
Dan Heine

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to SMC. Andy don't waste your time with the Sears. My brother got one and the only accessories is from Sears. He took it back and got the Jet Mini VS. He has been extremely happy with it. He said he doesn't know why they sell that little one because it is a waste of time and money. At least with the Jet you can get chucks, drive spurs, etc. which are common and easy to get.

[Phillip H Smith]

Andy...

Welcome!

I, too, started out turning things on my drill press. But VERY quickly found that it was a real pain! Part of the difficulty may be my left-handedness... I found my self getting all twisted up trying to turn pens, etc.

I just looked at the Sears Web site, and the one review on their mini lathe by a pen turner wasn't very encouraging. Looks like you may have a parts issue.

If you have a bunch of Sears gift card, I'd suggest you use them to purchase the Jet mini. It promises to be a much better deal in the long run.

I have a Rikon midi (70-100) that I purchased recently on sale. It's similar to the Jet, but has a bit larger swing. My Rikon has a 6-speed "manual transmission," meaning I have to change the belt. Although the idea of twisting a dial and changing speeds has some appeal. I think -- at least in my case -- as a novice turner, stopping to change speeds is a GOOD thing because it allows me to pause and think about what's going on. That is, are my tools sharp? Maybe I should pause to sharpen. Is everything on the lathe tight and safe? Nows a good time to check. Etc.

The biggest problem with turning...as I'm sure you've seen in this forum...is the "need" to obtain other goodies. If there's a Harbor Freight near you, look to them for some inexpensive tools and supplies. It's better, I think, to learn to grind tools on "cheap" ones, then move up as your skills improve. You can also find things like calipers at HF that will work well and save some $$s.

Keep reading the "Creek"....it's been very instructive for me. And...I've found the members are quite generous with helpful advice. A really nice bunch of folks, who the the "Best Spin" on everything.

[Kurt Whitley]

Doug. Thanks for the information. The Jet is the lathe I really want. Would you recommend the basic JET or the VS? I currenly have to change the speeds on my drill press now and it waste a lot of time.

If you are certain you will stay small on the turnings, you should get the VS. If you believe you will venture into larger items, you should get the Jet 1220 (the Rikon is also a good machine at $50 less, but if you can use the Gift certificates, get the Jet).
If money is tight, go for the classic Jet 1016 mini.

The Jet VS mini sacrifices some torque to use the VS DC motor. You would never notice this on pens and duck calls, but it can start being an issue at about 8" bowls.

Although the jet 1016 mini can turn a 10" bowl or plate (which is a decent size), between having to have your blank rounded precisely and not being able to slide the banjo under the project, I would say 8" is a more practical rating for swing. The JET 1220 would probably get you to about 9.5" swing without having to deal with any special logistics.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Kurt

[Andy A Turner]

Is the Shop Fox worth the money or I should I spend the extra money and get the JET? I know I've crossed the Craftsman out of the picture now. I have to stay with something smaller because I'm only about to use the room on my workbench in a two car garge with two cars parked in it for the next couple of years until I'm able to upgrade homes and build a seperate workshop.

[Andy A Turner]

What do you guys know about the Cental Machinery Lathes they sell at Harbor Freight? My local store has a 14" x 40" wood lathe that has a 6" sanding disc, spur drive, face plate and live center on sale for $84.99. The stand is on sale for $29.99. It's 4 speed with a 1/2 hp motor.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Andy I would still get the Jet Mini. That lathe is the one the neighbor has and got so frusterated with it he hasn't touched it in a year. I would definately look at the Rikon or Jet and probably go with the Jet since you have the coupons.

[paul ashman]

I just got one of the new Jet 1220 machines, more power, bigger swing and longer spindles at about the same size as the 1014

[joe greiner]

I'd definitely shy away from the HF 14x40. Not at all robust, and the sanding disk is pointless. I bought its brother (34706) about 8 months ago - store opening special + newspaper coupon + ???, less than $200 including sales tax - and haven't been seriously disappointed. BUT, I'm pretty sure HF doesn't accept Sears coupons; that'd make the decision for the Jet easy.

Joe