Ready to put medium size lathe in shop....

[Denny Rice]

I am ready to put a medium sized lathe in my shop, not wanting to spend over 1200.00 dollars. Have seen the Jet 14"x42" 1442VS at Woodcraft and on Amazon.com for 899.00 and Amazon will ship free. What do you guys think?:)
It seems to get good reviews on Amazon. Anyone own one?

[Bob Hallowell]

Denny, I don't know much about that lathe but I would post it in the turners forum. I think you will get more responses. If you buy a lathe "welcome to the vortex". You might not know it now but the thing you call a table saw will soon be called a high price bowl rack;) .


Bob

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Denny....With your permission I'd be glad to move this to the turners forum where I think you'll get more replies.

[Al Wasser]

I have had the 1442 for about a year and 1/2. My list of complaints about it are few for what I do. You probably need to think thru what projects you want to do, but unless you want very large bowls I think the 1442 should serve you well. Realize also that regardless of the lathe you choose, you are looking at a large expenditure for add-ons such as chuck, turning tools, etc. These don't need to be bought all at once however and some tools you can make yourself ----- Enjoy

[Gary Keedwell]

Denny....With your permission I'd be glad to move this to the turners forum where I think you'll get more replies.
I think threads about buying a lathe are great right here in THIS forum. I have been thinking about a lathe for a long time and for some reason I never think of going over to the lathe forum to check it out. I bet that there are alot of conventional woodworkers like me that are on the fence and interested in posts about taking the plunge.:) Just my 2 cents.


Gary
Edited: apparently they moved this to the turning forum as I was typing this post.

[Tom Steyer]

Denny,

For what it's worth, if you can bust your budget just a little, you might want to consider the JET 1642 EVS 1.5hp. Much more lathe for the money - big increase in power, bigger swing, heavier construction in headstock, tailstock, banjo, plus 0-3200 variable electronic speed control. I think they are about $1,300 now. I have the 2hp version of this lathe and really like it. I think it is a good performance/price combination.

[Dan Forman]

If you can wait until mid November, Woodcraft will have a sale that will bring the Jet 1642 down to $1287.50, after rebate and WC gift card. Check with your local store if you have one.

Dan

[Jim Kountz]

I got an email the other day from Woodcraft and they have the Nova 1624-44 on sale plus they were throwing in a free bed extension (or maybe it was half price I dont recall honestly) . I dont know alot about these other than what I saw at the store but they seem really nice and also they are variable speed down to around 200 rpms. I have learned from this forum thats desirable in a lathe especially when you're turning larger items. Check it out.

[Jim Underwood]

How about the Nova 1624?

[Bill Bolen]

I bought the 1442 in April of this year and have turned “a bunch” on it. It has done a great job for me and I have nothing but praise for it. The only hiccup I’ve had involves the positioning of the motor. I wish Jet had mounted it to the rear as Delta did, rather than facing the “front”. I rough turned a 12” X 2” deep platter. Six months later I took the platter out of the brown bag to find the shoulder for the rebate cracked. I tried to mount the platter to turn away the shoulder and add a tennon but the platter hit the motor and wouldn’t allow the remount. I just turned a spindle extension and was on my way. I would defiantly buy it again as I love the swivel head for turning bowls or hollowing. And Jet service has just been great. Can’t say enough about them or their product!
If the price were the same for the 1442 and the 1642 I would “probably” go with the 1642, but just barely. And only then for the extra 2” swing.
Bill

[Neal Addy]

I drive a 1442 and am very happy with it. IMO it's a best-of-breed in full-size lathes for under $1K. It has enough power for what I turn, the sliding/pivoting headstock is nice, it has decent weight (with the cast-iron legs), and solid quality construction.

The only complaints I've seen mentioned are:
1) Reeves drive,
2) Some say the motor gets in the way (this hasn't been a problem for me),
3) Others say the speed handle gets in the way (again, no problem here),
4) Lowest speed is 450 RPM (this one I agree with).

That said, if I had it to do over again I'd save a few extra bills and go for a 1642. Aside from the extra 2", the EVS drive, reverse, and lower speed range (0-3000) would be really nice.

Just my $.02.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would take a look at the 1624 as it is $1099 with a 20" bed extension. If you can wait I would definitely look at the Jet 1642 1.5 hp if it goes down to less than $1300 on sale. Both would be good buys and the lathes would serve you well for some time to come.

[Denny Rice]

Thanks for the info guys......I think I can wait till mid-Nov and see what Woodcraft oes with the Jet lathes.....:D

[Steve Kubien]

I will second (or third or forth) the idea of a Nova 1624. I love mine and the only upgrade I see would be to a Powermatic, large Oneway or one of the epic lathes (Robust, Serious, VB, Stubby etc). I've turned 20"+ wet maple bowl blanks on it all the way down to slimline pens. No complaints.

Cheers,
Steve Kubien