Starter lathe

[Ron Wooden]

I found a jet 1014vs with stand and 4 jaw chuck dir $400. Is that a decent starter lathe??

[John K Jordan]

I found a jet 1014vs with stand and 4 jaw chuck dir $400. Is that a decent starter lathe??

That lathe is excellent for starting, and probably well worth the money if it's in good shape, especially with the chuck. I have larger lathes I use regularly but I have two of the Jet minis for the portability or if I have extra turners visit. Mine are older models and not vs.

It's not a powerful lathe but fine for both spindles and small bowls. Some people use them exclusively for turning pens, bottle stoppers, lidded boxes, handles for ice cream scoops and such, game calls, and almost anything else you can thing of that's not too big. This girl is putting a beeswax finish on a rolling pin she just made.

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I carried one of mine to a bookstore when the Harry Potter books were being released and made magic wands. Good clean fun!

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And if you move up to a bigger lathe in the future, you can easily sell that one. Or keep it for a spare!

JKJ

[Robert Henrickson]

I started with a Jet mini, one without variable speed, and used it for several years. I long ago moved on to bigger lathes, but I've kept the mini to carry to demos. I last used it for an on-site demo a couple months ago.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Welcome!
What John said. I also has 2 Jet Minis. I use them all the time. I also have a big lathe, but the minis are the best for turning pens and such. Would be a real spectacular deal if they throw in a few tools too. When you do upgrade, keep it to turn pens and such. And you will outgrow the mini.

[Don Jarvie]

Yes it is. The stand is worth 175 it self so 225 for the lathe is a great price. The chuck is ok. It’s probably a nova midi which came with the lathe st some point as a package deal. You need 2 hands to tighten or loosen it. It will do.

I have the same lathe, stand, etc and still use it for pens and smaller items. I got a PM 3250b since I wanted to turn bigger stuff.

If it checks out buy it. It’s a great deal.

[Ron Wooden]

Thanks for all the replies. I did get the 1014vs and have been turning with my old crappy craftsman tools that were given to me. The lathe seems to stall very easily and I’m wondering if it’s just my tools being dull and will it work better with a new set of carbide tools.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for all the replies. I did get the 1014vs and have been turning with my old crappy craftsman tools that were given to me. The lathe seems to stall very easily and I’m wondering if it’s just my tools being dull and will it work better with a new set of carbide tools.

The tools need to be sharp sharp sharp! That can make a huge difference. When I first started turning I paid someone to sharpen my tools since I didn't know how to sharpen them. This way I knew that the tools weren't the cause of any problems I had! (And let me see what properly sharpened tools looked like and how they cut.)

That model of lathe lets you move the belt to different pulleys, right? Using the pair of pulleys with the largest diameter pulley on the spindle and the smallest on the motor should give more torque but a lower speed.

What are you are turning that stalls the motor? If the tools are sharp and used with light cuts, the motor should not stall.

The Craftsman set of tools is actually not bad, at least the HSS set I bought about 15 years ago. I still use the parting tool, the skew, the spindle gouge, and occasionally the round-nose scraper. The diamond parting tool is my favorite for some things - I feel fortunate to have found a second one!

I didn't see where you mentioned your turning experience level. If new to turning, getting some help sharpening can help a lot. I strongly recommend against getting started with the inexpensive flat-topped carbide tools. They are super easy to use but are fairly crude and don't always leave a good surface like a sharp gouge or skew will. I know a lot of people use them and that's fine, but some get get started with them, turning by scraping, and never learn to use the better tools and end up having to sand a lot. If you want proof of this, go to a woodturning symposium and see how many of the pros are using these carbide tools.

If you want to get a carbide tool to avoid sharpening for now, I'd recommend looking at the Hunter tools - the cutter is different than most, cupped design, extremely sharp. I use them a lot to complement other tools. Instead of sharpening you replace the cutter - my first one lasted a couple of years. My favorite is the small Hunter Hercules: https://huntertoolsystems.com/product/1-hercules-tool/ I buy them with no handles and make handles. The Hercules and some others can be used either as a scraper or as a gouge. These won't replace a skew chisel or a spindle gouge for detail in tight places, but the surface you can get in the "bevel rubbing" mode is incredible. I have examples that needed only very fine sandpaper (400 grit or finer or even no sanding). John Lucas has some Youtube videos about turning with some of the Hunter tools.

If you are new to turning, a good thing to do is attend a turning club. Most have people experienced turners willing to mentor and help you get started. You might mention where you live - perhaps someone nearby will read this. If you happen to live in East TN, come visit! There are lots of videos you can watch, but a warning - some are worse than bad. It would be terrible to learn bad habits from the start. A turning class or a private instructor is a far better way to get started. I learned much of my woodturning from a couple of good books.

If you are new to turning and intend to stick with it, a good set of conventional tools is probably worth getting eventually. I personally like the the Thompson tools, made of exceptional 10V steel. If you want to be able turn everything, get a 3/8" spindle gouge, a 3/8" bowl gouge, a 3/4" skew chisel, and a 3/4" scraper. (I suggest not getting a bunch of expensive tools at once, but maybe one or two and learn to use them before getting more. You can do almost everything with the tools you already have if properly sharpened.) Either way, a bench grinder with something like a Oneway Wolverine and a Varigrind jig will let you sharpen like a professional.

JKJ

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I have two sets of old craftsman tools. One given to me from an estate and the other I purchased new about 1970. I turned for a year and then stored them away until I started turning again two years ago. Those craftsman tools are my favorites. Yes I have several "modern" tools. Yesterday I even used an ancient carbon steel scraper that I had laying around from a flea market buy. The modern tools are nice and certainly are better steel, but they are the more modern configuration gouges and more difficult to sharpen than the old Craftsman. The old Craftsman tools can sharpened freehand in a few seconds without fancy jigs. I think some turners get obsessed with "tech" tools. While some have advantages, wood has not changed. It spins and is cut whether the tool is bronze age or space age.

[Thomas Canfield]

Thanks for all the replies. I did get the 1014vs and have been turning with my old crappy craftsman tools that were given to me. The lathe seems to stall very easily and I’m wondering if it’s just my tools being dull and will it work better with a new set of carbide tools.

I had the direct belt 1014 and then got a 1014VS. The VS has less power but versatility of the variable speed. You can also add reversing ability to the VS fairly easily. I attended a couple of day workshops taking my VS but opted to turn on one of the belt adjust for power during class. Sharp tools really are required and light cuts. Sharpening and tool control will make you a better turner instead of brute power and dull tools.