Does the mini lathe go out to pasture?

[Richard Link]

So I just made the plunge directly into the abyss and bought a Powermatic 3520B. Got the monster unpacked and set up over the weekend and, after I get this new hernia fixed (kidding), I am ready to turn. Here's a question, though. Should I retire my trusty Jet mini lathe or keep it for smaller items? Its a bit of a pain since it doesn't have its own dedicated bench space, its not variable speed, etc....

Is there an advantage to using the smaller lathe for smaller items (i.e. pens, wands, etc) or do you experts just turn everything on their main larger lathe? For example, my daughter wants a wand for her halloween costume and so that is project #1. Would you all turn that on the mini (assume it fits) or just go ahead and run it on the big lathe (kinda anxious to try it)?

Do you expert turners with big lathes keep a mini around for small projects?

Thanks for the input on this extremely basic question.
Rick

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Richard....I know a lot of turners that started on a mini..progressed to larger lathes and retained the minis....for smaller items...and for doing demos because of the portability.

I plan on retaining mine when I upgrade........the demand for demoing bonkers is unbelieveable!:eek: :rolleyes: :D

[Marc Martindale]

Another reason many of us keep the mini is to be able to leave the Beal Buffing wheels on them.

[Richard Link]

Thanks Ken. Sounds like I'll keep the little guy around then. At the current time, the only thing I could reasonably demo is how to turn it on, though (LOL). My turning skills have progressed to that "dangerous but not yet competent" phase that involves various things flying off the lathe to imbed themselves into walls, ceiling, shop apron, misc fleshy parts, etc. Maybe someday I'll be able to stop wearing body armor to turn..... If I tried to teach something to someone on the mini lathe, I'm sure the AAW rapid response SWAT team would drop from a hovering helicopter and cuff me.

However, given the amount of grunting necessary to set up the 3520B, I don't see any travelling in its near future.

Cheers.

Rick

[Richard Link]

Now THAT is frankly brilliant. Why didn't I think of that....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Another reason many of us keep the mini is to be able to leave the Beal Buffing wheels on them.


Now THAT is frankly brilliant. Why didn't I think of that....

Duh!......me too!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use my midi to turn pens, mini birdhouses and finials for other turnings. Just a whole lot easier to work with the small stuff on the small lathe.

[Sean Troy]

I'll always keep my Jet Mini. I use it for collars for hollow forms, pens, finials and my 10 year old daughter likes to use it.

[Patrick Taylor]

KEEP IT! For kids, visitors, road trips, small items, leaving a small item on the lathe while you work on another piece, demos, exclusive for buffing, exclusive for drilling pen blanks, and when friends come over. :D

[Rich Souchek]

Rick,
If there is no good realson to pass it on, keep it.
That said, The PM3520B works wonderfully with small turning objects like pens, wands, collars, etc. But it would be wonderful to have a 2nd lathe free to make the collar for a HF without removing the original from the headstock to turn the collar. Or to make and fit a jam chuck on another lathe without unmounting the original on the big one.
In fancy (NOT there, but trying hard....) closed pens, it would be nice to turn a final (sp?) without removing the cap section already in the chuck on the main lathe.
Enough?
Rich S.

[Jason Clark2]

I kept my Jet mini after acquiring my 3520B. I continue to use it to turn pens and other small objects. I also retained it because it still accepts all of my 1X8 threaded faceplates and chucks.

Jason

[Jim Becker]

Keep the smaller machine for portability and for convenience when you want/need to turn something quickly while another project is already on the bigger machine. There actually have been a few times that I wished for a second machine!

And yes, the buffing angle is also a very good point! ;)