Jet (JWL 1014) mini lathe

[Brock Jones]

Hi,
Just getting started, Does anyone know anything about hte Jet "JWL 1014" Mini lathe? It has good weight for a small bench top, Would it be ok for a new guy?
many thank
Brock

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Brock, thats a very nice lathe--solid feel and nice adjustments. My wife, Katherine has one and uses it to turn pens and small bowls. The only draw-back is its size--you can't turn a very large blank on it. Even with the bed extension I think it only has a 28" capacity. I built a cabinet for it and Katherine weighted it down with "her" tools so it is rock solid.

[Michael Cody]

Hi,
Just getting started, Does anyone know anything about hte Jet "JWL 1014" Mini lathe? It has good weight for a small bench top, Would it be ok for a new guy?
many thank
Brock

Another vote yes and don't let the bed extension issue give a second thought.. you can easily home engineer a bit more space by mounting the bed extension seperate from the lathe and get all the length you need .. it's not hard at all. The non-vs model for 199$ is a steal and the VS can be had for 274.99 delivered from Amazon if you use the 25$ off coupon and free shipping...

[Andy London]

I just purchased this unit for my son a week ago, it is one sweat machine. Seems to be very well made, no vibration and a good price....

Although I had a large lath for 5 years I don't consider myself a turner, I've used this little unit a few times and am really impressed with it.

Andy

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Hey Michael, thats a good idea. I wanted to make a couple of porch rockers and was trying to figure out how to turn the rail for the back.
I figured I'd need about 42" between centers. Thanks!

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I bought the non vs model from Amazon for $199 minus the $25 discount and free shipping. Great deal.

[Dick Parr]

I got one a couple of weeks ago and am having lots of fun with it. Well built little machine and smooth running.

[Ken Salisbury]

Hi,
Just getting started, Does anyone know anything about hte Jet "JWL 1014" Mini lathe? It has good weight for a small bench top, Would it be ok for a new guy?
many thank
Brock

The Jet mini is a great starter lathe. I bought mine several years ago even though I already had a larger lathe. I have turned somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 to 2000 pens on it since, along with other stuff including small bowls. It is still going strong - never had a problem with it.

If it disintegrated tomorrow I would run right to General Industrial Supply and buy another one - except I would get the VS version. :D

[Jim Becker]

I hadn't turned on a Jet mini until this weekend when Noah brought his over for he and Tom to use during the classes I was teaching. It's a very heavy machine for the size. I was quite impressed. It's smooth and quiet, too. I also would recommend the VS version for a lot of reasons, both functional and for better safey on some operations. Sometimes just a few RPM can make a big difference when it comes to vibration, etc., too.

[Ray Dockrey]

I have had mine for a little over a month. I absolutely love it. I went from a big lathe to it for the time being and it was a worth while investment. I have the VS model and I would highly recommend it. Like Jim said, a few RPM's one way or the other can really make a difference when a piece starts to vibrate on you. Good luck in your decision.

[Brock Jones]

Many thanks to all. You helped me make up my mind, think I will go with the vs.
Thanks again to all.
Brock