So, I messed up! The wife saw the turner's forum.

[Jose Kilpatrick]

Specifically, a beautifully crafted vase. And said "Is that made of wood?"
and I reply "Yes. It's built on a lathe, it spins wood and you use chisels to carve the wood away as it spins"
and her reply is
"That sounds similar to pottery"

So, now she wants me to buy her a lathe and some turning tools. I've been literally begging for a new bandsaw for over a year, and all of a sudden her desires trump mine.

So, lets get down to brass tax.... What am I looking at cost wise to acquire a lathe for the wife to get her turning desires out of her system?
(Who knows, maybe she will stick with this, unlike, Design school, oil painting, pottery, piece work, massage school, knitting, etc)

[Bob Hallowell]

Your looking at a never ending money pit, but you will love it and so will she. As a plus a nice bandsaw is a big help to a lathe.

Bob

[curtis rosche]

are we assuming that you turn also? the cost depends on how much you want to spend and what size you want to turn. you can get a mini lathe that can do up to 10-12inch bowls from any where from 100$-400$
tools, are a big factor, you can get really exspencive ones or really cheap ones, cheap ones can be around 30$ a good set of hss steel tools is about 80$ but worth it, then there are specilized tools for 100$+ per tool
then there are chucks, anywhere from 130$-over 1000$ depending on size and maker
plus the obvious wood, and finishes.
you could get a bigger lathe that could do some serious turning from 1000$-13000$ depening on size and maker, most around here are under 3000$

if you are trying to get a band saw a bigger lathe might be the best way to get it as long as money allows. then instead of buying her wood, just go out and find some logs, let her try to cut them to fit on the lathe, with a hand saw, then tell her how much easier it would be with a big band saw.

a good place to start to look at prices would be penn state industries, ebay is a great place to look for things, probably the cheapest, either that or craigslist

[Bill Bolen]

Yup,,,as soon as she turns her first piece she will be hooked. And if you turn green you GOTTA HAVE A BANDSAW! Sounds like a plan in the making.Quality Mini lathes in the $300 range..Bill..

[Bernie Weishapl]

I was going to say the same thing Bill did. You cannot have a lathe without a bandsaw.:D:cool:;):rolleyes: If you are not sure she is going to stick with it I would start with either a Rikon or a Jet 1220. Both are 12" swings. I have the Rikon and it has been a good little lathe and have made some 8" wide by 11" long Hollow Form vases with it. I have turned some 11" bowls with it. Mind you it is no Nova DVR XP or Jet 1642 with 2 hp motors but with light cuts will do the job.

[jason lambert]

Yup use the argument you need to get a bandsaw to resaw the lumber so you can turn it. It is a must have tool. Also you can tell her you can then get green wood from any tree that is cut down and resaw it for the lathe so you don't need to buy wood thus saving money.

[Jose Kilpatrick]

I like that argument...
"Sure, I can get a lathe and have you turning bowls in no time, but 'we' would have to buy a bandsaw first so we would have a way to prep the wood for turning."
This may be my ticket to get that bandsaw afterall.

[Bob Hallowell]

I like that argument...
"Sure, I can get a lathe and have you turning bowls in no time, but 'we' would have to buy a bandsaw first so we would have a way to prep the wood for turning."
This may be my ticket to get that bandsaw afterall.

Ataboy throw her some woodworker logic!

Bob

[Barry Elder]

Why not let her use your lathe?! After all, you just admitted that she comes first! You can be patient and teach her all you have experienced. Ah, the joys of wedded bliss!! (Tongue in cheek!)

[David Wilhelm]

The bigger the lathe the bigger the bandsaw........... what came first the chicken or the egg......... the blank or the bowl......... but don't let her do too much reading. Some of us don't have bandsaws......... Could be a good time for a new chain saw. or a truck to haul the wood in as well. Or maybe you need a boat so you can go fishin while she's taking over your shop??? Curtains and carpet look great in a work shop. Then you can get that nice big DC to help keep it all clean, again while you are gone fishin. The way I see it, this can be a huge advantage if your thinking is correct. If she does in fact get bored later on and give it up. You'll have a new truck and boat. Some killer fishin stories to tell and one really fine well furnished work shop. The best part of it is none of the expence will be your fault!!! Dang you are one lucky guy.

[Bill Bolen]

David! Your logic is impeccable!..Bill..

[Mike Peace]

Locate a class to send her to. Who knows, maybe she'll decide she does not like turning. I am assuming from the question that youare not a turner? Maybe the two of you could attend the same basic class. Then see where it goes.

[Paul Engle]

Tread very carfully my friend , " Spousal satisfaction " can be .... spendy:eek:, do not lie to her, the previous suggestion to get with a club and take a few lessons first is an excellent way to start .... 'cause once bitten .....you're done.:D

[Scott Conners]

I think a perfect starter lathe for her would be the Jet 1014VSi ($329)or similar (non variable speed for $249). It plus a decent set of tools ( Harbor Freight, $40) and a few other accessories will get you started.
The only tools I'd add to the set is are a good fingernail spindle gouge (Sorby 3/8", $44 or so) gouge and a bowl gouge (
$50+). A chuck is very useful but not necessary ($130-250+).
The other thing you'll need is a way to sharpen tools - if you already have a bench grinder, they work great, especially a 1750rpm w/ 8" wheels. You can also use a wet grinder system or a belt sander to sharpen. I'd suggest using a jig system(Oneway Wolverine for grinders, $200 or build one of wood/metal yourself), but if you are coordinated and don't mind practicing on cheap tools, they can be sharpened freehand.

Sanding and Finishing is a whole other setup, but I assume you have some idea of what is involved in those aspects if you already work wood =)

I hope that's a useful quick synopsis, you can definitely buy in for less money but if you do stick with it these are all tools worth owning that you won't have to replace immediately and they will hold more resale value than non-name brand stuff, which I find useful as I often upgrade/change interests.

[Fyrman Dave]

" Spousal satisfaction " can be .... spendy:eek:
And the lack of same can be more so...:)

[Gary Max]

It could be worse----SWMBO has a new bandsaw and has her own lathe.

[Bruce Pennell]

As a friend once told me marriage was the most expensive year of his life. Cost him $300K for one year. Seems like a lathe, bandsaw, tools and grinder is a cheap deal to keep the wife happy....Check out deals on Craigs List, bandsaws and lathes come up all the time....Good Luck....Bruce

[Russ Sears]

It could be worse----SWMBO has a new bandsaw and has her own lathe.


Hope she ties that hair back near the lathe!

[Gary Max]

Yup ---she wears it up anytime a machine is running----I talked her into the pic--:)

[Jim Heffner]

Specifically, a beautifully crafted vase. And said "Is that made of wood?"
and I reply "Yes. It's built on a lathe, it spins wood and you use chisels to carve the wood away as it spins"
and her reply is
"That sounds similar to pottery"

So, now she wants me to buy her a lathe and some turning tools. I've been literally begging for a new bandsaw for over a year, and all of a sudden her desires trump mine.

So, lets get down to brass tax.... What am I looking at cost wise to acquire a lathe for the wife to get her turning desires out of her system?
(Who knows, maybe she will stick with this, unlike, Design school, oil painting, pottery, piece work, massage school, knitting, etc)

If she doesn't know anything about some other woodworking techniques,
tools and their uses.....probably won't stay with turning for very long
in my opinion. When she finds out about preparing blanks for turning,
doing glue ups for segmented pieces and the like, she will probably tire of turning in a short time. If she has you to do all the "prepwork" for her,she will take to turning pretty quickly and stay with it as long as you are doing the hard part! Jim Heffner

[Alan Huey]

Never ending cost if she get's hooked....But, you need to be able to make her turning blanks for her (to save money in the future), so gotta have the bandsaw too.:D
You never know, you might just get hooked yourself..
Good Luck

[Gary Max]

Oh ---don't forget this one----that blank you can't find---SWMBO knows where it's at----:)