Turning size

[Jon Prouty]

Hi Guys...

I have a quick question and at first I thought it was a dumb one but now I am not so sure.

"How big are your normal turnings?"

The reason I ask is because the bigger the better right? Except, bigger takes bigger wood, more power (220) (Tim Alan OH OH OH), etc. I Recently scored some larger tree sections for my area (AZ) and after breaking them down to size I find that I can turn most of it reasonably on my Jet Mini (1014). Sue, I have to cut the blanks round otherwise my lathe would be jumping all over on me. I would love to have the new Delta (seems a perfect size for me) or even better that Powermatic (OH OH OH). More power - easier to do stuff. But.... $$$$$$$$$$$

I always thought most of the turnings I see posted are actually bigger than they really are. Pictures can be deceiving, no?

I guess I am wondering if I really NEED to save my pennies for the Powermatic full size lathe (or Jet, etc) or if I can get a Delta Middi sooner.

Will I ever turn a tree? I doubt it... Will I ever core? Eh... doubt it. Will I ever get into hollow forms and need a monster rig? I hope so, but not sure.

Will I turn 10" bowls - yes. Will I turn smaller, including pens and stoppers and the like - yes.

A 15" bowl would take a HUGE piece of wood.... I don't get many pieces that big here.

I think I just talked myself into the Delta.

Curious about how you all justified the lathe upgrade to yourselves (easy to do) or your significant other (HARD to do).

Thanks!

JP

[David E Keller]

I don't think you'll regret any type of upgrade, but there are perks to a larger lathe besides the ability to turn whole trees.

The extra mass helps with stability, and the fit and features tend to get better with larger lathes. There's nothing wrong with a midi, but there's a reason most people move up at some point.

As for the justification to the spouse... Just go buy it. If she objects, hand her the receipt and tell her to return it. That's where the mustard monster really shines... I like to see my wife try to load mine up for return!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I think you will be fine with the Delta. It has plenty of power with 1 hp for up to 12" bowls. I turn and core 16" bowls on my Nova DVR lathe and it is 110V unit. It handles everything I throw at it. As far as my other half she just says get what you need but don't ask me for a new one or that I want to upgrade in 6 months.

[Reed Gray]

After 30 years of doing concrete work, I prefer things to be overbuilt, just in case. A 16 inch lathe will cover just about anything you will want to do. Bowls bigger than about 14 inches are for big families, or people who entertain. The extra horse power and torque makes quicker work out of a lot of things, but you do have to work your way up to higher speeds. Not necessary, but nice. Variable speed is probably the best new thing for the turning world since chucks and high speed steel.

robo hippy

[Frank Van Atta]

I turn most of my pieces on a Jet 1014. They range from miniatures to 8 and 9 inch circumference pieces. I do a lot of winged bowls, and seldom have a problem with stability. If I do, then I run at a slower speed until the piece is turned into balance. I have a larger lathe that I use mainly for coring and for the occasional larger piece, which I find to be about 1% of my turnings. I find that pieces in the 4 to 6 inch diameter/height are the most common for me.

There is a lot more wood available for smaller pieces, and a lot cheaper wood if you're into exotics. Highly figured wood is also easier to find in smaller pieces.

[alex carey]

I generally do medium sized work, 8-14" bowls or vases. Every now and then I'll do something in the 16"+ range, i would love to only do large turnings, especially the really big stuff but getting a hold of such wood and handling it isn't very easy. If you don't play on going over 12" I, like reed, would still go bigger, like the 1642 jet perhaps. You can turn small on big but not big on small. I certainly love the feeling of roughing out a 12" bowl on my PM compared to anything smaller. It just makes the experience better.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I think I can do a lot on my Jet mini, it's been good to me for a number of years.
Upgrade? I'd skip the Delta and get the Jet big brother or the PM bigger brother. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than get permission. I've turned on both of those, and they are sweet.....

[Michelle Rich]

Bigger is better? You didn't ask for my opinion, but I'm sharing it anyway..No bigger is not better..small turnings with detail & precision are the lifeblood of turning. Go to any show and look at what is on the tables..90 percent would fit on a mini..Power is relative..are you a good turner or do you hack at things & force stuff? Great tool control, with sharp tools is worth one horsepower in my book. Have fun with whatever you choose.

[Jeff Nicol]

Jon, As people get into turning and their skills increase the desire to do bigger, wilder, crazy or just to be able to try something new pushes most to upgrade the lathe they start out with. Most keep the original lathe and get a larger one and both or in some cases all the lathes will get used. I have 3 and I use them all, it is nice to have more than one turning going at once or to have different parts going at the same time. If you plan on betting a bigger lathe or even just want one, but the money, space or other things don't allow it now get the small lathe and begin your journey into the vortex and the sucking wind of the vortex will drag you into the giant rabbit hole we all have dropped into!

One can never have to many tools!

Jeff

[Harvey Schneider]

When I upgraded from a table top midi, I went to a Jet 1642 (1.5 hp). I considered smaller, but these are the things that pushed me to the bigger lathe.

1. You cant turn a 12" bowl on a 12" lathe. Unless your blanks are well trued up and centered you will need about 3/4" allowance for off center error when roughing.
2. If you work from rough cut wood, (I'm not all that skilled with a chain saw) The blank will be off balance and you will need the extra mass to keep the lathe stable as you true up the blank.
3. With rough cut wood electronic variable speed is a very nice feature to have. This was especially true before my confidence grew and I felt comfortable with that chunk of tree spinning in front of me.
4. Even at 12", lack of torque will be frustrating if your lathe doesn't have enough.
5. Even if you doubt that you will need the capacity of the larger lathe, I guarantee that if you don't have it some project will come to mind that requires it. I never thought that I would need the 1642's length until my wife asked me to make table legs.

I have no regrets going to the larger lathe. There are times when I consider if I should have gone even larger, but never if I should have gone smaller.
Harvey in Southbury, CT

[Matt Hutchinson]

Hi Jon!

My "regular" turnings range in size from bottle stoppers and coffee scoops up to 22" diameter bowls. I happen to have a machine that can handle the large stuff because it was a purchase of opportunity and I wanted to do big work. But big work doesn't mean better work. And when it comes to selling, people generally won't pay for what larger work is worth. I enjoy making big stuff cuz it's fun. I currently don't sell those pieces, but I would like to.

I guess what I am saying is that there's no need to go with a big PM unless you really think you're gonna use the capacity. From what you've said I think the big 16" swing variable speed Jet and the NOVA lathes may be more than enough to meet your needs. Both have plenty of power and swing, and they are at least $1200 less than the PM.

I agree with what others have said too. Tool control (technique), creativity (artistic vision), and execution (quality) are most important. A large capacity lathe is a means to an end. If that "end" is who you are as an artist/woodturner then go for it, but don't feel pressure to do large work just for large work's sake.

Hutch

[David DeCristoforo]

For me, it's all about the piece of wood. Smaller pieces = smaller turnings. I have a number of "big chunks" but they are all "green" and need to be dried before I can finish turn them. In the meantime, I have a lot of smaller pieces so that's what I'm doing while I wait. I have had my old 12" Delta lathe rockin' on several occasions but I have come to realize that, while you can turn small stuff on a big lathe, you can't turn "big stuff" on a small one. I would love to have a "mini" as a companion to my 12 inch machine but I would also love to have a big "bowl" lathe too. Would three be enough?

[Scott Hackler]

From my personal experience I can say that the Nova 1624 I bought was a wise choice. I turn pens, ornaments and finials with no problem. I have also spun a 15 1/4" half log or two. If I would have bought a Midi I wouldnt have had that choice. This lathe has been a great tool and I can recommend it as a good above entry level choice. Speed changes (belt changes) only take me about 30 seconds now, so its not really too bad.

Now that I have some time and turnings under my belt, I find my eyes wondering to a Powermatic or Oneway and such ....and wonder how nice the varible speed, extra power from a 220v, larger swing capacity and shear mass of weight to keep the wobble down... would be. When income tax returns come around again, I will probally concider an upgrade. (nice but not nessesary!)

[Frank Van Atta]

Bigger is better? You didn't ask for my opinion, but I'm sharing it anyway..No bigger is not better..small turnings with detail & precision are the lifeblood of turning. Go to any show and look at what is on the tables..90 percent would fit on a mini..Power is relative..are you a good turner or do you hack at things & force stuff? Great tool control, with sharp tools is worth one horsepower in my book.

Well said - I couldn't agree more.

[Andy Hoyt]

Going to bigger turnings is a natural desire and progression. This was indeed the case for me.

To do so meant a bigger capacity machine. Done and bought.

But I discovered, as Michelle mentions, not everything needs to be huge.

But then I discovered the real advantages of a larger machine:

Elbow room
Weight
Versatility
Piece of mind