First Lathe

[Edward Weber]

Let me add a little bit more,
Reeves drive get a bad reputation for a couple of reasons.
One, they usually have a high minimum speed, starting at say 400rpm, too fast for roughing out larger diameter items like bowls.
Two, no reverse, this is more of a problem when sanding items on the lathe
Three, maintenance, if you don't maintain them properly, they will fail and can be difficult for some to repair.

IMO, this doesn't mean they're a deal breaker. if the choice is between no lathe and a reeves drive model, I'll choose the reeves drive all day. My starter lathe (which I still have) not only taught me a lot, but also produced a fair amount of good work before I upgraded.
If this is a first or starter lathe and you're interested in spindle work.
I suggest, get the reeves drive for less money and start turning. When you're ready to upgrade, there are always options.
If you're waiting for the perfect deal to come along, you might be waiting a while.
good luck

[Chris David]

All: My search for my first lathe continues. The two we discussed earlier were sold before I had the guts to pull the trigger. Something just came up for sale in my price range that caught my attention. It is a Walker Turner L1152. It has #2 morse taper centers. Spindle is 1" O.D with 12 treads per inch, right and left hand threads, and has a 5/8" hole through its length. 15 1/2" over gap, and 12" over bed. It does have a reeves drive. Do you think this would be a suitable machine?

If the reeves were to give me too much trouble, I would have no issues dumping it and putting in a 3phase motor with a vfd for speed control.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I turn a few bowls, but my love is spindle turning. Bowls and large diameter spindles require slower speeds than most Reeves drive lathes can supply. My Delta 46-525 only gets down to about 240 rpms. still too fast for large diameter work. Some of the old Delta floor models do have gap beds for minimally larger face work, like platters. normal spindle work can be done just fine on an old belt hopper lathe. A buddy still uses an old 10 inch cast iron Craftsman from the 1930's or 1940's, and he uses it almost every day for spindle work in his business.

I hate to see a person by a beginner lathe that will not do want he needs once he gets started. Some go out and buy $2,000 lathes that turn out to be more than they could ever use, some buy little 8 x 10 mini lathes and out grow them in about a month. It isn't just the lathe, the chucks, chisels, abrasives, finishes, shop supplies, etc. Over the weekend, I noticed that my 100 ft roll of 1 inch wide 400 grit emery cloth was almost gone. Time to reorder. A lathe is just the weight, that starts you on the long down hill slide, accumulating extras as you go. A slippery dark slope .

Some turners are involved in a tool escalation. Accumulating every new tool and accessory that comes along. I have been guilty of it. It is as though we are all just one more tool away from turning greatness. Some where in the after life, a group of old style bodgers is laughing hard. wood still spins and chisels still cut like they did a millennia ago. They turned out beautiful works, with out all the fancy advances.