Mini and Midi Lathe VS full size Lathe :

[Clarence Martinn]

Ok, I got 3 Wood Lathes..

Two Wood Lathe are 12x 40 with 1/2 HP motors. The 3rd Lathe is 38 inches between centers with a 15 inch swing. Been looking at the Mini and Midi Lathes to replace the old Ryobi Mini Lathe that bit the dust years ago. Yes, at one time , I HAD 4 Lathes !

So, what can these new Mini and Midi Lathes do, that my full size Lathes can't do ? What is a good one for under a Grand ?

[Thomas Canfield]

I will speak to the Rikon 70-220 VS that I have. It has 1 HP motor, 3 pulley speed range for the VS motor and forward/reverse, and 3.5" quill travel for boring and range. It does not have the bed length of your existing lathes, but adequate for most bowl and smaller hollow forms. The banjo is solid and 1" post for strong support. The speed range will go down to about 250 rpm for out of round items when minimum rpm on the existing is likely 500 to 600 rpm making unbalanced wood difficult if not impossible to handle. Short list, but the newer lathes are definitely a step up and worth considering. I had a Jet 12-36 and turned on the Harbor Freight knock off. No comparison for quality. Do need to get a solid mount for a midi lathe and not the rubber feet supplied.

[Richard Coers]

A few years ago, I was turning jewelry and around 100 Christmas ornaments a year. The small lathe has a faster cycle time to shut it off, inspect the work, and snap it back on again. For me it's a comparison between my Delta Midi and a Oneway 2436. So not a direct comparison for your situation.

[Clarence Martinn]

A few years ago, I was turning jewelry and around 100 Christmas ornaments a year. The small lathe has a faster cycle time to shut it off, inspect the work, and snap it back on again. For me it's a comparison between my Delta Midi and a Oneway 2436. So not a direct comparison for your situation.

Now, that sounds like something I wanted to do !! How well did the Wood Christmas Ornaments sell ?

[Guy Donham]

I have a Nova 16 inch and a Jet 12-20 VS. I use the Jet more than the Nova even though the nova is bigger. The Jet 12-20 is a very heavy lathe compared to other mini midi lathes. The ways are quite wide and quite thick. They have a VS motor that works well and is reversible for sanding. I have had a Nova 12-16, Jet 1014 VS, HF 12016. I buy basket case lathes and fix them up painting and replacing bearings and so on and selling them. I bought t he jet to fix up and sell but I have just kept it. I love the nova but for most projects the Jet works well and is on a PortaMate roller base and is easy to move. I have a Nova Titan II on the Nova lathe but also have a Supernova chuck on the Jet so all the chuck jaws I have will fit on both of the chucks. I have bought lathes with the Nova G3 chucks and they are ok but the SuperNova is much better and if you buy new not much more expensive. The Jet 1220 is around $800.00 retail and you can find it cheaper if you shop. Since I have used and owned a lot of mini midi lathes I can say the Jet is a great lathe. Nova makes a new 14-20 late that looks good on paper but I have not been able to use one but the smaller 12 inch Nova is a really great lathe. Lathes need a good base and I have bought several Wen lathe stands on Amazon for just over $100;00. The Wen has great fit and finish and is the exact same thing that Rikon, Nova and several others sell for 200.00. Grizzly also makes the same stand and extension so buy a Wen stand on Amazon.

[Stephen White]

I will speak to the Rikon 70-220 VS that I have. It has 1 HP motor, 3 pulley speed range for the VS motor and forward/reverse, and 3.5" quill travel for boring and range. It does not have the bed length of your existing lathes, but adequate for most bowl and smaller hollow forms. The banjo is solid and 1" post for strong support. The speed range will go down to about 250 rpm for out of round items when minimum rpm on the existing is likely 500 to 600 rpm making unbalanced wood difficult if not impossible to handle. Short list, but the newer lathes are definitely a step up and worth considering. I had a Jet 12-36 and turned on the Harbor Freight knock off. No comparison for quality. Do need to get a solid mount for a midi lathe and not the rubber feet supplied.

I just started out with this one and added the 20" extension and it with the floor stands came in just over a grand. I saved a hundred since the Rikon extension stand was back ordered and used the WEN MIDI extension stand instead. They are twins so it works fine. I'm new to this but looks like I could add another extension to the end and get another 20" if I needed to. It does top out at 12" dia though so there's that.

[David Walser]

For 90+% of what I turn, a 12" swing is more than adequate. There are a number of reasons for this: First, I live in Arizona, where large wood is scarce. I can get it, but it's a lot more effort than in much of the rest of the country. Second, I don't sell my work. My beautiful bride will use and display my work, but she only has room for so many large bowls and platters! Besides, I find I enjoy turning smaller items -- boxes, treen ware, ornaments, etc. Such items are easier to store and display, and they make good wedding gifts. I have a stash of pizza cutters, ice cream scoops, and pepper mills I made a few years ago. Whenever we're invited to a wedding reception, my wife buys something from the couple's registry list and includes one of my hand-made items. Pretty soon, I'm going to have to make some more pepper mills because those are now in short supply.

My current primary lathe has a 20" swing -- not because I found the 16" swing of the lathe it replaced in adequate. My 16" Woodfast, made in 1998, had a short bead. I bought the PM3520 to replace the Woodfast because I desired more room between centers and the stability of a large lathe. The Woodfast gave me stability, but not much room between centers.

[Richard Coers]

Now, that sounds like something I wanted to do !! How well did the Wood Christmas Ornaments sell ?

I'm sorry I missed your question Clarence. I'd sell about 50-60 ornaments at a month long holiday show at the local nature center. For about 10 years, selling bird house ornaments with a plastic cardinal on the perch was like shooting fish in a barrel. I'd sell another 10 fancier ones at a local art gallery, and give away another 10 or so. I haven't had a good show at the nature center in many years. My wife always reminds me that everyone that ever came has, or has given away a lot of my ornaments as gifts. I had people tell me they are in Japan, Germany, and all around the United States. It was a great run. I never charged more than $25 for the bird houses. I made buckets of parts at a time, I could make an ornament in about 15 minutes.