Which new Lathe to get Small or Midi??? and couple of questions

[Clarence Martinn]

Thinking of starting to make and possibly sell, Wood beer mugs, Wood Wine Goblets and , yes, fancy Wood Rings ( Oh, how did I get talked into make Wood Rings ???? )

So, I got a few questions:


1. Which brand of Wood Lathe is best for this smaller items ? Want Variable speed drive. Never liked manually changing the belt for different speeds.

2. Are those Wood Rings profitable to make and sell ?

3. How many of them can one expect to make, on an average, per day ? ( Talking the Rings)

4. any tips or tricks, to make this a good business?

[Richard Coers]

Here's a list of questions right back at you.
1. What is your budget?
2. Do you want this to be your last lathe, or just a start and an upgrade is in your near future?
3. Do you have 220v circuits in your shop?
4. What lathe do you have now?
5. Have you looked at Etsy and looked at competitors pricing and shear number of turners already doing that?
6. Is this a full time business or a part time endeavor?
7. Are you making rings on a stainless steel liner, or just wood rings?

I'd expect to get a ring done every 30 minutes. Most woodworking businesses have a big overhead, and usually charge over $100/hr shop rate. To make your rings profitable, you better make more than 1 per hour. You can't make many in advance, unless you plan to stock inventory in a lot of sizes. I don't know anyone who drinks from wood mugs, or wood wine goblets. So I expect they will only be gift items. I also believe that serious wine drinkers want to smell and look at the wine. Can't do that in wood. I would not advise considering a business without having a business plan, and that includes volume numbers. Tips? Exceptional photography for a website and a super strong social media presence. A woodturning business is incredibly hard to be successful at due to competition. Limiting your product line to mugs, goblets, and rings will be extremely difficult.

[Robert Hayward]

In Richard's post above his last paragraph contains very wise words of wisdom. Mull over those words very carefully.

My suggestion if you are looking to make a little extra money and occupy some time would be to see if your local Walmart is hiring greeters. Or some other such endeavor then enjoy your woodworking/ring making as a fun hobby. Maybe even sell a project occasionally.

As an example pictured is a project of mine recently finished. A neighbor asked me if he could buy it for $50 and was serious. When I told him I had almost that much in it in just sandpaper, glue and finish alone he refused to believe me. The vessel is 11" wide and 9" tall by the way.

[Randy Heinemann]

There are a lot of small lathes on the market. I started out with a Nova Comet II which is a midi lathe with 12" swing and 16.5" between centers (extendable with a kit to 42"). These days, the Comet II is a little pricey, much moreso than when I bought it about 6 years ago. What you buy depends upon whether you think you might move to pieces with larger diameters or longer spindle turnings. I found the Comet II with a 3/4 HP motor to be adequate for bowls up to 8"-10" but beyond that it was questionable. I don't do spindle turning.

As others have said, it's extremely difficult to make money selling wood pieces of any kind, so keep your day job to test out the market.

If I were you, I'd find an inexpensive small lathe that suits your current needs and test out your idea; maybe even used. That lathe may serve your needs for awhile. At the point you feel you are successful you may want to consider buying a new lathe with larger capacity for the future. Or, you may find that you are doing just fine with what you bought. Given your needs, I would think either a mini or, maybe preferably a midi (to give room for some growth in your turning) would work for you.

After checking I found nothing less expensive than $350 without a stand for an Excelsior from Rockler. Maybe you could find a used mini or midi lathe that would serve your needs to start, especially a good idea and less of an investment, to test out your plan.

[Greg Parrish]

Robert, beautiful piece. I'd say if you include the materials, finish, glue, sandpaper, your time and artistic value, he was off by at least 50 to 100 times.

A neighbor asked me if he could buy it for $50 and was serious. When I told him I had almost that much in it in just sandpaper, glue and finish alone he refused to believe me. The vessel is 11" wide and 9" tall by the way.

The Nova Comet is a nice little lathe. The Laguna 18/36 is a nice lathe. I've owned both of these and can attest first hand. If I were buying a new lathe today I'd probably look towards my last lathe purchase and focus on Vicmarc, Oneway, Robust, or similar, but for a starter the small Nova or Smaller Lagunas would be just fine. Anyway, good luck regardless.

[Paul Williams]

I would pass on the mini lathes and look for a midi. I have been turning on the first version of the Delta 46-460 since the year they came out. It has a bad reputation because of the cheap unsealed switches and poor customer service for parts, but it still is capable of turning a 12-inch bowl or a wooden ring. I have turned many of both. I think a midi will give you a lot more options and fill your needs for many years. I would worry that you would outgrow a mini unless you only want to turn pens, rings and ornaments.

I agree with what has been said about trying to start a wood turning business. Doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a try, but don't bet the farm on it.

I have only turned three cups, but lots of wine glasses. A wine glass with two interlocking rings on the stem makes a great wedding gift. To my knowledge only one of my wine glasses has ever been used for wine. The couple were thrilled to see it and immediately poured a glass and used it for the rest of the reception.

[David Walser]

Clarence -- You've already received some good advice. Here is my take on your questions:

For kinds of things you've indicated you'd like to make, any of the mini or midi lathes would suffice. My recommendation is look for a used Jet mini lathe with either a 10" or 12" swing and electronic variable speed. Jet made a lot of them and they are considered to be good quality. However, they hold their value very well, so it may take a while for you to find one in good condition for a price that you find fair. For a new lathe, I agree with the models already mentioned (Laguna and Nova). Allow me to add two additional brands for your consideration: Jet and Rikon. Jet still makes and sells a lot of mini and midi lathes. They are still very good quality. For a number of years, I thought Rikon's 70-150VSR was a bargain. A good lathe with a lot of features. It's still less expensive than some of its competitors, but not quite the bargain it used to be. You can definitely spend more. For example, Powermatic makes a midi lathe (14" swing with 19" between centers), but it will cost more than twice the price of a the lathes we've been discussing. It's a better lathe. Only you can determine if it is worth that much more to you.

In general, I would stay away from the 'house brand' lathes. Most of these are clones of the original Jet mini lathes. You might get a good lathe going this route, but the quality of the lathes tends to vary substantially from one unit to the next. (It seems that they are made in several different factories in China. A stores shipment may contain units made in several of those factories.) Finally, retail stores have a history of switching suppliers of their house brand lathes fairly often. You could easily end up with an orphaned machine with no replacement parts available. (Even though these are all basically clones of the same design, the parts are not always interchangeable.)

As for your question of whether you can make money selling rings and other small items. Some people do. Most don't. A more realistic expectation is to be able to sell some of your work, but not for enough to cover your costs or your time. Still, that's better than most hobbies. Some people make a very good living playing golf (the same is NOT true of woodturning!). Most duffers never make a dime, but they still enjoy playing golf. With woodturning, you might be able to cover the cost of your materials (and, if you're really lucky, you might do even better than that).

[Reed Gray]

I have called myself a 'semi pro' turner for years. I was able to support my hobby and pay some bills, but didn't try to make a living at it. That would have taken all of the fun out of it. I did a number of craft shows, and they were fun, at least most of them were. Part of the reason I never went pro was because I am a lousy salesman. It is not too difficult to support your hobby through selling your stuff. Those that are full time pros have their own tool lines, videos, travel a lot to do demonstrations, and sell their work. You have to be able to run a business to do all of that, along with being able to do the work.

As for lathe, go used for your first one. Mini lathes used, at least as I remember it, to be the lathes 12 inches and under. Still are to me. Mid sized lathes to me are the 16 or 18 inch lathes. Big lathes are 20 inches and over.

For me, basic utilitarian bowls and plates always sold well. When I started, an 8 inch bowl would take 45 or so minutes to turn. Now, I can turn one in under 5 minutes. Sanding still takes far more time, like 15 minutes, depending on the wood...

robo hippy

[Eric Cothern]

I have the Nova Comet II for a few years and it is what got my foot in the door in wood working. I like to brew beer and I have done been successful at turning and selling beer tap handles. I have not made any in a few months but with plenty of scrap walnut cutoffs from making tables I am planning on cracking out some soon to list on the home brewing forum I am part of.

[Richard Coers]

I have the Nova Comet II for a few years and it is what got my foot in the door in wood working. I like to brew beer and I have done been successful at turning and selling beer tap handles. I have not made any in a few months but with plenty of scrap walnut cutoffs from making tables I am planning on cracking out some soon to list on the home brewing forum I am part of.

Clarence hasn't been back since the first post.

[David Bassett]

Clarence hasn't been back since the first post.

But he has 279 posts, so not one of the once off flybys. He probably just moves at a different speed and will be back eventually.

... 4. any tips or tricks, to make this a good business?

I just noticed FWW is starting a new Blog series: Crafts fairs: What to know before you go

This, and the future posts in the series, seem like the practical advice you're looking for.

[Clarence Martinn]

Got the Sears 15x 38inch wood lathe. looking for something smaller, to do smaller projects

[Clarence Martinn]

There is also a craft store in town, that sells fancy cutting boards for GOOD MONEY! Might look into doing that too!

[Dwayne Watt]

Got the Sears 15x 38inch wood lathe. looking for something smaller, to do smaller projects

You don't need a smaller size lathe for smaller items. You may need small / different chuck jaws depending on what you might be attempting to make. I have what is probably considered a midi lathe (14" x 24") plus an 18" bed extension. The extension allows me to get the tail stock out of the way for bowl work without removing it from the lathe. I doubt I will ever use the potential 42" length between centers but table legs are a possibility with this arrangement.