Jet 14-42 Pulleys

[Russell Neyman]

Here's a success story to share with Jet 14-42 lathe owners. Those are the older machines with a Reeves Drive speed control for which Jet no longer supplies critical parts. (Perhaps this situation is only temporary and the supply-chain bottleneck is the cause, but the fact is that it will be hard to keep these lathes operational without replacement parts. The two sets of pot-metal pulleys, especially, are prone to wearing out.)

One of my students came to me, frustrated, that his lathe was clanking and the upper variable speed pulley was wobbling to heck. I happened to have an old, but serviceable, set of them he could have. He installed them and also replaced a worn ball bearing, and the machine was better but still clanked. We checked everywhere, Jet, eReplacementsParts, etc,, and absolutely no one had replacement pulleys. It seemed like a lost cause.

I have long theorized that these could be remanufactured by boring out the center and installing a bronze sleeve. Well, we took them to a local machinist, and -- SUCCESS! The speed control works better than it ever has, and the tougher bronze will outlast the pot-metal that was original. So, for those of you who have a worn 14-42 don't dismay (or toss your lathe off the bridge; it CAN be fixed. The cost was $300.

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While I'm on this topic, I'd like to offer a comment about the much-maligned Reeves Drive systems. Yes, they're prone to wearing out but this can be minimized with some reasonable maintenance. Clean and lubricate the shafts often. With some greases and oils, there's a tendency to become sticky over time and collect fine sawdust, which prevents the pulleys from moving freely. This causes the belt to bind and cause excessive wear. The other pitfall is that operators try to change speeds when the machine isn't turning, placing excessive force on the pot-metal. I owned one of these Jets for a decade and turned, probably, 10-thousand items on it, so I know it's a good system. Just understand how it works and take care of it.

[Richard Coers]

You can probably use Grizzly pulleys for half that price. Personally I would not want to invest $300 into one of those lathes. They still turn too quickly to start on bowl blanks that will physically fit on the lathe.

[Russell Neyman]

You can probably use Grizzly pulleys for half that price.

Are you absolutely sure the Grizzly pulleys fit?

As far as whether the Jet 14-42 is worth keeping, yes, they are. Baseball has a statistic known as WAR (Wins Against Replacement) that kinda applies here. To purchase a comparable machine that has a speed control other than a Reeves drive you'll need to spend $2600 or more. A good, working Jet 14-42 can be had for as little as $900.

[Edward Weber]

While I'm on this topic, I'd like to offer a comment about the much-maligned Reeves Drive systems. Yes, they're prone to wearing out but this can be minimized with some reasonable maintenance. Clean and lubricate the shafts often. With some greases and oils, there's a tendency to become sticky over time and collect fine sawdust, which prevents the pulleys from moving freely. This causes the belt to bind and cause excessive wear. The other pitfall is that operators try to change speeds when the machine isn't turning, placing excessive force on the pot-metal. I owned one of these Jets for a decade and turned, probably, 10-thousand items on it, so I know it's a good system. Just understand how it works and take care of it.

I have used and advised others for over 10 years, to use a link belt on their reeves drives.
The belt does not spall off rubber debris, which would then bind up the free movement of the pulleys.
Note that link belts are directional, and use only dry lubricant on the pulley shafts.

[Russell Neyman]

I have advised others ... to use a link belt on their reeves drives.
The belt does not spall off rubber debris, which would then bind up the free movement of the pulleys.

Great advice! Spot on!!

[Richard Coers]

Are you absolutely sure the Grizzly pulleys fit?

As far as whether the Jet 14-42 is worth keeping, yes, they are. Baseball has a statistic known as WAR (Wins Against Replacement) that kinda applies here. To purchase a comparable machine that has a speed control other than a Reeves drive you'll need to spend $2600 or more. A good, working Jet 14-42 can be had for as little as $900.

I guess you haven't researched lathes that much. Here's a bigger one for $1,695. Far less than you quoted $2600+ https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...od-lathe/g0838
Or even bigger for $1975 https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...od-lathe/g0733
As far as the Grizzly pulleys, it was recommended on this site in 2014. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....Drive-Overhaul
And as far as I am concerned, $900 is about twice what a Jet 14-42 is worth since it won't go slower than 450rpm. That is just too dangerous for a student turning 13" bowls.

[Edward Weber]

These lathes are really positioned better toward spindle turning. Sure, you can turn bowls on them, but it's not an easy thing to do. High minimum speed, light weight (vibration issues) and lack of reverse all contribute to a more difficult turning experience. I taught myself to turn on one, once I upgraded, turning was more of a pleasure than a task to finish.

Don't get me wrong, I think these are fine machines, but one really needs to know what they're doing before using one, they can be intimidating, frustrating and a bit dangerous for the inexperienced turner.

Many people dismiss them, but the choice between no lathe and a Reeves drives is a no-brainer, there is a lot you can do with one of theses little machines.

Grizzly sells a Reeves Drive G0462 -16 x 46, for $825 currently (+ shipping)

[Frederick Skelly]

Thank you for taking the time to post this Mr. Neyman.