Looking for a lathe

[Sam Anderson]

I am a beginner and would like some opinions as to what type of Wood Lathe I should buy. I want to make crow calls, and Turkey call Strikers. Most likely no more than 8" long. Not looking for anyhting fancy and don't have a whole lot of room, want something that will sit on a bench in the garage.:) Do they make a wood lathe that has a variable speed without changing the belts.

[Jim Becker]

No question, something like the Jet VS Mini would be an excellent choice for the type of work you want to do. Quality machine and just the right size...and don't let it fool you, it can do long work, too, for furniture with the bed extension.

[Ken Salisbury]

No question, something like the Jet VS Mini would be an excellent choice for the type of work you want to do. Quality machine and just the right size...and don't let it fool you, it can do long work, too, for furniture with the bed extension.Darn - I hate to do this, (agree with Jim that is :D ), however he is right on !!. The Jet Mini is just right for what you want to do. If my Mini went up in smoke tomorrow, I would have another one in it's place before the sun went down.

[Sam Anderson]

Thanks I will check into them. :D

[Doug Jones]

I have no idea what a crow call and a turkey call striker is,, but if money is an issue, you may want to look into a "Wilton" lathe from Menards. I had one given to me and its a good entry level lathe for the pens I turn. Its variable speed and under $100. I've even seen it for $88 on sale. Comes with a 3" and 6" face plate also has the spurs on the head stock and tail stock. Also has the tool rest. Basicly its got everything a person needs to get started except the chisels.

Speaking of chissels, HF has theirs on sale for $29 again.

[Travis Lanman]

I've been wanting to pick up the Jet mini for some time now. Does anyone know where I can get it the cheapest? Thanks.
Travis

[Jim Ketron]

I've been wanting to pick up the Jet mini for some time now. Does anyone know where I can get it the cheapest? Thanks.
TravisTravis I got my lathe from amazon its not the VS but its not to bad to change the belts. It was $199 free ship but dont expect it to get there fast. It made it to my door in about 3 weeks. But it was free ship
Jim

[Sam Anderson]

Doug that sounds like what I am looking for, do you know where I can get one?

Also I bought some wood for turning and it is sealed in wax, why do they do this?

[Wolf Kiessling]

Doug that sounds like what I am looking for, do you know where I can get one?

Also I bought some wood for turning and it is sealed in wax, why do they do this?

Sam, Try The Tool Nut, it's where I bought my Jet 1642 EVS and it was the cheapest I could find. I waited until Woodcraft had this lathe on sale, then I call Tool Nut and they beat the Woodcraft price, not by much at $1700, and it also included shipping. (Every dollar counts as far as I'm concerned)

Wood is sealed in wax, anchorseal, painted or whatever to retard the drying process. This in turn HELPS prevent checking/cracking.

[Sam Anderson]

Thanks Wolf I will check into that. Good info on the sealed wax. Would have never thought of that. I see the one at menards on sale for 79.00 that is a good price, but there are no stores in my area. :( :mad:

[Kurt Aebi]

I got a mini lathe from Penn State Industries and am pleased with it. Also, the chisels from Harbor Freight are a good set to start with and after a while, you can upgrade to higher quality chisels, but only the one's you use. That way, you learn your sharpening techniques on cheap chisels rather than expensive ones.

[Sam Anderson]

I was able to get a Wood Lathe from Menards for 85.00 I had my uncle to pick it up for me in Indiana. It has the variable speed and I can't wait to try it out after my tools come in. I didn't know tools were that hard to find at Lowes and Sears :( Thanks to all for the help.

[Stefan Antwarg]

Sam,

I don't think you are going to find a whole lot of lathe accessories at stores like those. Even though they do sell lathes. You should look into woodworking specialty stores like woodcraft.

Good luck

Stefan

[Sam Anderson]

Stefan,
Thanks for the information. I have a set of tools now from Sears. I can't wait to try this wood lathe out, but I want to do it safetly and have a little information on what I am doing first. I will be turning square wood, I am assuming I use the tool that has a rounded point to get started, I have no Ideal. I have had this wood lathe for two weeks and it's killin me. Can anyone that can give me some pointer? Thanks

[RANDY PAULK]

Sam, I Am Not One To Reply To Many Posts, I Am Mostly A Lurker; However, I Know A Little About This Subject And Would Suggest You Contact Your Local Chapter Of Wood Turners, Tidewater Turners Of Virginia, And Get Help From One Of The Local Turners. Their Telephone Number Is 757-426-2238. If You Are Not Careful, You Can Get Hurt And Worse Yet Take Months To Gain Any Expertise. With The Help Of An Experienced Turner, You Will Start Much Quicker And Your Lathe Won't End Up In A Garage Sale. Your Experience With The Lathe Will Also Be Enjoyable, Rather Than Stressful.

[Jim Becker]

Sam, I agee with Randy. Your local AAW chapter is the best place to go for mentoring.

[Sam Anderson]

Thanks Guys. I will give that a try. Only problem is my lathe is back in Tennessee and I am here in Norfolk. I will retire out of the Navy in a year and have moved the family back home. Hopefully someone will let me come over and watch them turn a couple of Items.

[Jim Becker]

Sam, you can find the local chapter of the AAW wherever you happen to be by going to the AAW web site (http://www.woodturner.org).

[Sam Anderson]

I found them Thanks!! Looks like I miss the picnic they had yesterday :(

[Sam Anderson]

Has anyone seen this video, I just bought it, maybe it will help me out.
Turning Wood by Richard Raffan.

[RANDY PAULK]

Sam, That Is A Good Video And Will Help You Better Understand Woodturning; However, You Would Be Wise To Get Hands On Experience With Someone Before Trying To Use Your Lathe. I've Seen Too Many People Get Off To A Scary Start, Which Caused Them To Abandon The Lathe.

[Jim Becker]

Has anyone seen this video, I just bought it, maybe it will help me out. Turning Wood by Richard Raffan.
Raffan is one of the "masters" and certainly has several of the better videos out there. But all the videos assume at least some familiarity with turning, so I still concur with Randy...get together with someone who turns to cover some of the basics. And make sure you have all the safety and sharpening gear you need before you even turn on that lathe for the first time with wood mounted and tools in-hand.

[Sam Anderson]

Will do, I have been woodworking for 25 years and I know how dangerous a Wood lathe can be, we lost a guy in shop class when I was in Jr High, he was turning a bowl and it came loose and hit him in the head. We never used that wood lathe again. Safety is always number one with me. I will see about getting some pointers from someone who knows what they are doing before I attempt it on my own. Thanks for all your help.

[Sam Anderson]

Just got back from the local Wood Crafters and they offer a 3 hour class on Basic Wood Turning so I am all signed up. Thanks for all the help guys :)

[John Shuk]

How about Raffan though? Talk about economy of motion. That is a guy that would be good at anything he wanted to do. I love his videos. Good Luck at Woodcraft. I took a class there and it is the best "TOOL" I have invested in hands down.
John

[Dale Thompson]

Will do, I have been woodworking for 25 years and I know how dangerous a Wood lathe can be, we lost a guy in shop class when I was in Jr High, he was turning a bowl and it came loose and hit him in the head. We never used that wood lathe again. Safety is always number one with me. I will see about getting some pointers from someone who knows what they are doing before I attempt it on my own. Thanks for all your help.

Sam,
I disagree with the safety issue on a lathe. Except for a shop vac, it may just be the SAFEST tool in a shop. Common sense says that you wear a face shield and stay away from loose fitting long-sleeved shirts. A HS experience is not always a great way to judge tools or their safety. I will NOT expand on that statement. ;)

Whatever, the grinder that you will use to sharpen your chisels is FAR more dangerous than your lathe. If you have ever seen the results of a wheel "exploding", you will know what I mean. Always let it get up to full speed for a few seconds before using it and ALWAYS wear a face shield!!

As an aside, most folks give up on turning for one or both of the following reasons: Sharpening tools and using the skew. Make sure that your classes focus on the former and give you "hands-on" experience with the latter. Personally, I like the "Raffan Grind" (radius) on my skews.

Dale T.

[Jim Becker]

Except for a shop vac, it may just be the SAFEST tool in a shop.
I have to respectifully disagree, Dale. The lathe is inherently just as dangerious as any other tool due to it's nature of spinning a mass at what can be high speeds very close to your body. Don't underestimate the damage it can do to you physically even though it doesn't have a spinning blade! The real danger with the lathe is that one can easily be led into a false sense of safety. That alone means that one has lost respect for the tool for an instant or some series of instants and that is when accidents can happen. We all are succeptable to that, just as we are with our table saws, band saws and...very sharp hand chisels.

The safest tool in your shop has got to be "you".

[Dale Thompson]

I have to respectifully disagree, Dale. The lathe is inherently just as dangerious as any other tool due to it's nature of spinning a mass at what can be high speeds very close to your body. Don't underestimate the damage it can do to you physically even though it doesn't have a spinning blade! The real danger with the lathe is that one can easily be led into a false sense of safety. That alone means that one has lost respect for the tool for an instant or some series of instants and that is when accidents can happen. We all are succeptable to that, just as we are with our table saws, band saws and...very sharp hand chisels.

The safest tool in your shop has got to be "you".


Jim,
I've got to stick by my guns on the lathe being one of the safest tools in the shop. :(

With that said, you are absolutely correct when you point out the dangers of, "a spinning mass at what can be high speeds very close to your body". That is one of the reasons that I STRONGLY advocate electronically variable speed lathes. When a person has to manually change speeds, human nature, being what it is, will have a tendency to "skip" a change or two - VERY BAD!! :eek:

Lastly and most importantly, your phsychological statement regarding the "loss of respect" for ANY tool (power OR manual) strikes a chord with which I can find no fault. :) Folks should remember that a tool has NO respect for YOU. Therefore, you must have DOUBLE respect for IT!!

Granted, a sharp skew or gouge shaving a smooth bottom on a bowl or rounding a nice bead on a spindle can easily lull you into a "ten-foot tall and bullet-proof" mentality. However, Jim, don't pick on the lathe. Think of ripping 300 2x4s on the table saw or cross cutting 200 4x6s on the SCMS.

Worse yet! :mad: Grab a chunk of Oak and manually hold it on the drill press to drill only "one" 2" hole. :eek:

Thanks for your excellent reminder on, "Respecting Tools". Wake up or get out of the shop!! :D :D

Whatever, Jim, your reminder to respect EVERY tool is great! :) Thanks!

Dale T.

[Arvin Brown]

Get the $199 Jet and the $20 router VS connector that Rockler sells.

However, I purchased a VS Grizzly for $139 and am very happy with it.

[Jim Becker]

We'll have to agree to disagree, Dale. While there are a lot of tools in the shop that can injure you, particularly from slicing off some part of your flesh, only a kickback from a table saw compares to the type of fatal accident that can happen with a lathe when something "lets go". At any rate, this has been a good dialog and I hope everyone takes care, uses safety items and as we both agree, respect their tools to a high level.

J

[larry merlau]

mr becker just a quick question in reguards to bill grumbines picnic, is it mainly for lath workers? i looked at the old pics and saw lathes running but that was it . is it just for the pros? or is open to the beginners too? tried writing him but got no reply thanks for your help in this larry

[Jim Becker]

mr becker just a quick question in reguards to bill grumbines picnic, is it mainly for lath workers? i looked at the old pics and saw lathes running but that was it . is it just for the pros? or is open to the beginners too? tried writing him but got no reply thanks for your help in this larry
The Five Barns Picnic is for woodworkers of any type--same goes for Terry's event. While there is certainly a strong representation from spinny-enthusiests, most of us also do flat work. Bill also does both...his furniture is outstanding. Turning does lend itself to these events as it's easy to do demonstrations in short periods of time. But that's not universal. Hand tools, boxes and other things also can be effective in that respect. But most of all, it's the social aspect that's wonderful. You get to chat face to face with so many folks, many of which you know "online" through forums like SMC. That's a real treat. And then there is the wonderful food...

I hope to see you there!

[Sam Anderson]

Had my first class last night and it was awesome, 3 hours sure went by fast :( we did a candle stick out of walnut, didn't look nothing like it was susposed to but. But it's mine and I thought it looked pretty good. Thanks for everyones help.