New dummy!!!!!!!

[Chuck Hanger]

Can't tell you all how much I appreciate taking the time to pound a little education into my dense head.
Thanks a million,
Chuck

[Bob Noles]

Chuck,

Get yourself a good mini/midi or other lathe, the G3 chuck, and the biggest skew chisel you can find, that is all you need.

You can turn anything your imagination can congure up with just those 3 items. Alan Lacer will back me up on this as well

Now that comes to around $600 give or take. Look at all the money I just saved you


Seriously, consider a good mini and a cheap set of HF tools to get started out. You can add as your experience allows and your needs grow. The mini will always be worth close to what you paid for it whether to yourself as a 2nd lathe or to someone else as a resale. Look hard at the G3 chuck and a good grinder to sharpen with. These are pretty much the basics, all else is luxury and fun stuff.

[Jim Ketron]

Some very good advice has been given!
I started out 3 years ago with the Jet Mini and a cheap set of turning tools. soon after I purchased a few new chisels and a Oneway Talon chuck. Over the last 3 years I have upgraded to a PM 3520a lathe. And a lot of accessories that gets lots of use, and a bunch of homemade tools. I still have the Jet Mini and love to use it when I can.
My best advise I can give you is to try to buy tools only once, even if you have to wait a little longer to save up for the top quality ones! IMO you are far better off buying tools once than buying them 2 or 3 times to get the quality and lasting tools. I always say "a craftsman is only as good as his tools are"!
Buy them as you need them and try not overload yourself all at once! Turning can be a very expensive hobby, but most rewarding Have fun choosing your tools and get busy turning

[Jim Underwood]

Another vote for the Jet mini. I bought the Jet Mini last October, and can't imagine how I lived without it.

I started turning on one of the tinfoil HF jobs where the centers bowed up when you cranked on the tailstock. Was relieved to get rid of it.

Last Grizzly I looked at was at the IWF in Atlanta this August. Pushed the tailstock up to the headstock, noticed the centers were about 1/4 off, and walked away. You'd think they'd at least take the time to make sure a display model lined up.

[Frank Fusco]

Another vote for the Jet mini. I bought the Jet Mini last October, and can't imagine how I lived without it.

I started turning on one of the tinfoil HF jobs where the centers bowed up when you cranked on the tailstock. Was relieved to get rid of it.

Last Grizzly I looked at was at the IWF in Atlanta this August. Pushed the tailstock up to the headstock, noticed the centers were about 1/4 off, and walked away. You'd think they'd at least take the time to make sure a display model lined up.

That's a shame. Mine lines up perfectly.

[Chuck Hanger]

I would have to agree that the Griz not lining up by 1/2" would have to be a fluke of some kind and have to agree with you Frank that price sure is tempting. I know that 9 out of 10 suggestions have been for the Jet mini which I can buy local without shipping. Frank if I send you the purchase price (since you live so close) would you mind making a weekend trip to Ohio . Will furnish dinner and all. Still tempting though.
Thanks again,
Chuck

[Mark Pruitt]

I purchased the Jet VS mini this Summer just to have something portable. I would have saved money by going with the mini to start with. Like Dario said, it's a very nice lathe that you won't likely sell..........."when" you upgrade.

Chuck,
With what I've learned at this point, I'd pay close attention to what Travis is saying here. A mini lathe--or a "Maxi-lathe" is the name General gives theirs--is something that you will outgrow in terms of its swing and spindle length capacity, but its portability will likely always be of such benefit that you'll hang on to it even when you go Big. Frankly, everything I've done I could have done with the Rikon Mini I now own, and when I buy my PM 3520B next year I'll have many reasons to keep my Rikon as well. The point is, go with a mini; that way you spend little for the lathe itself, you're started in woodturning, and you have a few hundred to put down for tools/accessories and a few hundred more to stash for the Big purchase later on.

My two cents.

[Chris Chavis]

Chuck,
With what I've learned at this point, I'd pay close attention to what Travis is saying here. A mini lathe--or a "Maxi-lathe" is the name General gives theirs--is something that you will outgrow in terms of its swing and spindle length capacity, but its portability will likely always be of such benefit that you'll hang on to it even when you go Big. Frankly, everything I've done I could have done with the Rikon Mini I now own, and when I buy my PM 3520B next year I'll have many reasons to keep my Rikon as well. The point is, go with a mini; that way you spend little for the lathe itself, you're started in woodturning, and you have a few hundred to put down for tools/accessories and a few hundred more to stash for the Big purchase later on.

My two cents.

And a comment from the peanut gallery - as someone who just went through this. I didn't ask on the forum, but it was going through my head as I was reading them. I was dead set on getting the PM3520 and almost got one. Then reading the forum I ended up getting the Rikon mini with tooling, this and that, finishes, abrasives, sharpening, jigs, chuck, pen supplies, etc. I ended up spending probably more than half the cost of a PM but got quite a bit more ability than if I had just purchased the lathe and no accessories. Someday I will probably end up with a Oneway or a Stubby, but until then I am happy as a clam.

The lathe was the cheap part of the purchase - everything else is where there be dragons.