buying a Lathe Question

[Justin Leiwig]

I know most will say the JET mini is the way to go, but that kind of cash is not in the budget right now so it's out.

I should be getting around $200 bucks here shortly for a tile job i'm doing. I'm looking to buy a mini lathe to get into smaller turnings like pens and stoppers and such. I was looking at the grizzly H8259 which is their new mini lathe which looks almost identical to the rikon mini lathe. It would be $216 and some change shipped to my door. Does anyone have any experience with this lathe? I know it doesn't have indexing like the Rikon, but I think I can live without that for right now.

Or

The PSI turncrafter is around the same price. And the variable speed is in similar price range to the Rikon.

on the other hand.....

Woodcraft has the Rikon on sale for $299 til the end of October, but I would have to come up with the extra $100 bucks, plus additional $$$ for turning tools and other necessities. I just don't think the CFO (aka wifey) would be willing to part with that extra money this close to christmas.

I'm looking for honest opinions to help me out here and hopefully pick up a decent little lathe to make some neat stuff with. I'm hoping someone with some knowledge of this Griz lathe can tell me that I won't be wasting my money like if I bought one of the cheapo ones from Harbor Freight.

Thanks Guys and Gals :)

Justin

[David Drickhamer]

Here's another option. Rockler has a lathe on sale now. I bought two of these last year to be used at a local high school for a Freedom Pens turn-a-thon and they worked great.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19446&filter=33207
Happy turning
Dave

[Don Carter]

Justin:
That applies to the lathe you choose as well as my advice.;)
I can't help with the specific lathes that you are shopping for. My first lathe was a Delta Midi and I have been turning pens, stoppers, duck calls, shaving brush handles, small bowls and other small turnings. It has served me well.
I recently upgraded to a larger lathe, a Nova 1624 which will allow me to turn larger things.
Bottom line, save your money and get the best made lathe that you can afford. I hope others that have specific information will join in.:)

All the best.

Don

[David Walser]

Justin,

Consider getting the "full size" HF lathe, number 34706. It's a clone of an older Jet model and can be had on sale for less than $200. It has a 12" swing, so you can turn a bowl on it. For most things, I use my Woodfast with it's 16" swing and 2 hp motor. I still use my HF lathe for spindle turning (made a lamp base on it just last month), for pens, and for other small projects. The HF still is a valuable contributor in my shop.

The downsides to the HF are that the slowest speed is 600 rpm (which is too fast for a large blank that is out of balance) and that the 3/4 hp motor might not let you take a heavy cut. (Not being able to take a heavy cut can be a GOOD thing when you're starting out. Proper technique = good cut. Poor technique = stall. Instant feedback aides learning!) Some of the castings are a little rough, but mine turns very smoothly. It's a good starter lathe -- particularly if you get it on sale. (I think I paid less than $150 for mine 5 years ago.)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34706

Good luck.

[David Walser]

You mentioned turning tools. Starting out, consider getting the "Windsor Design" turning tool set from HF. Either the 35444 set or the slightly less expensive 47066 set will do for most spindle turning (including small projects like pens). The tools are made from good quality HSS. The finish of the tools is a little rough, but that doesn't affect the quality of the cut they produce.

Inexpensive tools make it a lot easier to learn how to sharpen your tools -- you can grind away without worrying too much about the cost. It also allows you to get the feel for the kind of turning you want to do before you start buying more expensive tools.

Links: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=35444

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47066

I don't want to come off as a big fan of HF. I'm not. I've just had good success with this particular lathe and these tools.

[Jim Becker]

I am of the mind that it's generally best to wait a little longer and save for an extra month or three to get what you really want, rather than settle for something that there is a high likelihood that you'll need to replace it "soon". That's actually more costly than getting the "right" tool to begin with.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Don't forget about the Steel City mini.

I tend to agree with Jim, save and get what you really want. But this little lathe fits your current budget, and there have many people come into the store (Woodcraft) very happy with this purchase. Granted, the belt changing isn't as nice as the Rikon, but they are both 1/2 hp. There is a difference in swing as well, but the Steel City still does well with larger blanks. Also, just about any mini will require a little more patience due to lack of power (on bowls mainly), and the larger Jet mini is the only one (I think) with a 3/4 hp motor.

Hutch

[Steve Schlumpf]

Justin - have you considered getting in touch with the local turning club? Chances are someone is upgrading and wanting to sell their old lathe. While the lathe would be used - you could get a heck of a lot more lathe for the same money. Just another option for you to consider!

[Gary Max]

Justin-- I went to Grizzly's web site and looked the lathe over----notice the motor size --2 amp---says nothing about morse taper.
I like Grizzly tools but I think you would be better off waiting.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've seen two Fisch lathes for sale on CL in the last 3 or 4 months for $150 - new in the box. I guess people bought them and never took them out. Retail is $300, but I don't know if they're available anymore. Fisch has been working on their new mini for at least a couple years now.

I don't think there are many Fisch owners on this forum, but I really like mine. I decided to keep it when I got my PM, to use just for pens and other small items. If they ever come out with their new VS version, I might even upgrade.

Now if I could just get time to actually turn something. Too much going on lately...

[ron hossack]

I was in much the same quandary as you when I was looking to buy a small lathe and didn't want to wait until I had more $$$ saved.

I ended up getting a Pioneer Maxum 10'' x 18'' Variable Speed Lathe for $200 and have been very happy with it.

When I bought this lathe they offered a free 21" bed extension and that is what put me over the edge.

http://www.pioneersi.com/product.htm?pid=577277

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Justin,

Someone mentioned the Morse taper on the lathe.

Get one that has a #2 Morse taper. Reason.....that is the most commonly used size. Then your accessories will fit when you upgrade. If you are like most of us, you will upgrade to a larger lathe.

The expense in turning is in the tools and accessories. 2 maybe 3 years ago, the idiot turners here gave me a new Jet VS Mini and tools. I think I ended up with about $1100-1200 worth of lathe, chuck, and tools. By the time I upgraded last year I had spent another $3000 buying accessories. Because they were smart enough to buy me a lathe with a #2 morse taper, I was able to move everything over and use on the new PM3520B I bought. I did have to buy an $18 adapter for the chuck to fit and a $70 2nd tool rest for the HF but everything adapted.

Keep in mind you will need sharpening tools...a grinder, a jig set. You can free hand sharpen but it is an learned skill. Learning to sharpen and turn simultaneously would be a pain and could cause someone to not enjoy either.

Good luck!

[Justin Leiwig]

Justin,

Someone mentioned the Morse taper on the lathe.

Get one that has a #2 Morse taper. Reason.....that is the most commonly used size. Then your accessories will fit when you upgrade. If you are like most of us, you will upgrade to a larger lathe.

The expense in turning is in the tools and accessories. 2 maybe 3 years ago, the idiot turners here gave me a new Jet VS Mini and tools. I think I ended up with about $1100-1200 worth of lathe, chuck, and tools. By the time I upgraded last year I had spent another $3000 buying accessories. Because they were smart enough to buy me a lathe with a #2 morse taper, I was able to move everything over and use on the new PM3520B I bought. I did have to buy an $18 adapter for the chuck to fit and a $70 2nd tool rest for the HF but everything adapted.

Keep in mind you will need sharpening tools...a grinder, a jig set. You can free hand sharpen but it is an learned skill. Learning to sharpen and turn simultaneously would be a pain and could cause someone to not enjoy either.

Good luck!

Good advice so far guys. The lathe does have a #2 on the head and tailstock. I checked before here is the spec sheet http://www.grizzly.com/images/specsheets/h8259_ds.pdf

I haven't been able to find pricing anywhere on the steel city lathe at all. Rockler does send me lots of coupons all the time. I wonder if I could use one of the 20% off coupons for the little excelsior lathe?

To me they all look like they are made on the exact same casting line. The only one that looks different is the Rikon, and that looks like it only adds the indexing head.

I could always get the non vs now and upgrade to the vs that PSI sells in a year or so to get the speeds down right?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yes, you could upgrade to the VS speed.

Keep in mind one thing though. Get a lathe with the lowest speed. My Jet VS Mini turns at 500 RPM IIRC. WAY TOO FAST with an unbalanced bowl blank on them and it would be a maximum diameter of 10" on that lathe.

So.......#2 Morse Taper and slow speed are the 2 most important factors when looking at a mini or midi lathe........IMHO

[Bob McClurg]

I agree with Mat and Jim. But DO NOT buy too cheap on the lath and/or the tools. Otherwise you fall into the CHEAP Hole - thinking you don't really like turning wood when it was not all your fault. If I were you - I wait, save my money, join a club, and find a mentor. Lots of times, a mentor will allow you to turn at his/her shop. Once you produce your first bowl, platter, etc. than you can show your Budget Chairwoman - look what I made just for you. Don't think it's time I brought a lath...........

[Justin Leiwig]

I agree with Mat and Jim. But DO NOT buy too cheap on the lath and/or the tools. Otherwise you fall into the CHEAP Hole - thinking you don't really like turning wood when it was not all your fault. If I were you - I wait, save my money, join a club, and find a mentor. Lots of times, a mentor will allow you to turn at his/her shop. Once you produce your first bowl, platter, etc. than you can show your Budget Chairwoman - look what I made just for you. Don't think it's time I brought a lath...........

It's been recommended to me to join the woodworking club out of Columbus. They have loaner lathes that I could use to try my hand. It's an hour drive each way, but it may be worth it.

As far as turning something for the wife and her agreeing to buy the lathe...well the day that happens will be a cold one in h e double hockeysticks. She's much more a fan of metal. specifically metal that is shiney and gold colored.