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Jet 1236 Lathe

William Young

William Young

Joined
Dec 14, 2004
Messages
254
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Location
Wynndel, British Columbia, Canada
Website
www.picturetrail.com
I have a Jet mini lathe now and I'm having a ball with it but would like to upgrade somewahat to do some bigger stuff and also have a little more power.
I was in USA today buying an extra faceplate and some more turning tools and a diamond hone and accessories etc and while I was there I was eying up an new 1236 on the floor. Looks like a fairly well built lathe for its price range and it has a $100.00 factory rebate offered. Is that lathe classified as entry level or intermediate. I dont especially like the variable speed on a lathe but since there is no option to get the same lathe with a manual step pully system , I could probably get used to it. Does that Reeves drive stytem rob much power from the 3/4 HP versus if it was manual speed change? Does the Reeves drive stand up well?
Keep in mind that it will not be used for production work. Just as a hobby lathe. I really cannot afford much more than the price range of this lathe so please dont try to talk me into a professional series lathe which I know would be better but I also cannot afford.
I am interested in hearing all pros and cons of this particular model and anything else about any other lathe that you feel would be better than it but in the same price range.
W.Y.
 
I'm personally not a fan of the Reeves drive. It works really well but has the added problem that it can only be adjusted while moving. I have a tendancy to forget to turn down my lathe speed until about 2 seconds before it goes dancing across the room so this worries me. The variable speed, however, is kinda nice, especially on the super low end.

The other little piece to add is that the 12" swing isn't that much larger than what you've got on the mini (8"). I'm guessing that, if you start turning larger, you're going to want a 14 or 16" swing pretty quick for those salad bowls.

The last bit to throw in is that I'm finding 1hp to be pretty underpowered for anything over about 12" diameter (I'm turning aroung 15" pretty regularly) so more is better when power is concerned. The torque required for a long, clean cut on the outer edge of a larger piece is pretty huge.

Hope this helps,
Dietrich
 
1236 sturdy lathe

Yes, I would conider this lathe to be a low end beginners lathe but with that said. I have seen many high end turning produced from this lathe. I bought ine for my father a number of years ago and it still works great. I also turnon it regularly when I'm in his company. It is not my oneway 2436 but then again it doesn't carry the price tag either. Many members of the local turning club have this lathe and as I said produce work I would be proud to say I could do on my oneway. Don't expect hog off the material that a heavier more powerful lathe can and if you are fustrated by speending more time truing up and balancing your stock this lathe will be fine. My major comment would be to be honest with yourself and identify the type of turning you intend to do. If bowls larger than 10-12" are what you intend to do then this lathe is not the ticket. As far as the mechanical variable speed system on this lathe I think it works great. I have never heard of any probles with this lathe.
 
jetlathe1236

You might look at the Harbor Freight and Grisley lathes. They are almost identical to the jet lathe that you are asking about. I suspect they are manufactured by the same chinese factory that make the Jet Lathes. Members of our club swear that they are the same machine. Just a thought.

Mark from Pineville, MO
 
Thanks to all who responded to this. I also put the same question on another turning forum and some thought I am not making a big enough step up from a 10" to a 12" one.
Then I did a lot of investigating into clones of some of the bigger brand names.
To save myself some typing I will paste below here what I posted on that other forum. I am not really interested in turning anything larger than 12" and at the same time, this 14" lathe should allow me to keep within my price range and have somewhat more versatility than I have with my mini lathe.

*Quote*
OK..Thanks again for all the replys and suggestions..
I agree that going to 14" would be more of a benefit than just up to 12"
After doing much invesigating with brand names and clones of them I I have come to the conclusion that I might order one from BusyBee in Canada. It is on sale and I have already got a shipping quote. It can be seen at this address by clicking on wood lathes and then on model B2338
http://www.busybeetools.com/
I have been talking to them and I have been assured that it is a full 3/4 HP motor . It has a heavier stand than what the 12" ones have and it has a 43" bed as opposed to a 33 1/2" bed on the model down from it.
The price at $425.00 Cdn is equivalant to $347.00 US at todays exchange rate.
I have bought tools from BusyBee in the past and have never had a problem with their service.
I fully understand that I wont have the power of the big boys and I will have to take lighter cuts on larger bowls etc. That is not a problem. I am not into production. But where the 14" will be advantageous is that I can now make a larger compression chuck than I have on my mini lathe and be able to comfortably turn the bottom of some pretty decent sized bowls, platters etc.
If I dont hear anything real contrary to my way of thinking on this I may just go ahead and order this lathe. Next problem is to re-arrange my little shop and try to find room for a 213 lb x 43" lathe.
W.Y
*end of quote*
 
Mr Young,

If you are absolutely sure that a 12" swing is enough, then I URGE you to give serious thought to a Oneway 1224. Everyone I know who has either the 1224 or the 1018 is absolutely tickled with their choice. They are SMOOTH and reliable. Yes, there are cheaper lathes that "will do the job", but why not get an excellent lathe that you will enjoy.

Many of us are retired and sorting through what we wish to do with our time. There are two disparate approaches. One is to keep growing in some area. The other is to simply "run out the clock". Keep growing, get the 1224. And enjoy it for many years. 😀 😀
 
Thanks Ray.
I realize that it probably cant be used in the conventional manner for a vaccuum chuck because of the drive unit in the way but there are vaccuum chucks available that can be used on some very high priced and high quality lathes that have an enclosed head stock .
With that said, I am not interested in vacuum chucking at all. I am not that big into turning and the price of the vacuum system either conventional or in closed head lathes is not in my budjet or my plans although it would be nice to have if I was a more dedicated turner and didn't have so many other methods of woodworking on the go.
When I said I'm not into production I meant not on a very big scale at all. Turning for me is an enjoyable change of pace and because I sell most of what I produce my turnings are just something to offer more variety as well as for making more give away gifts to freinds and family. .
Gotta have someone to give all the practice pieces to. 😀 When sales of some items are up, they are down on others and vice versa.
W.Y.
 
For what it's worth, I've had the Jet 1442 lathe with the Reeves drive for about a year now and have not had any problems with it. Yes, you do have to remember to change speeds while the machine is running, and sometimes it is easy to forget. The only time I have had a problem was in going from turning pens to a bowl. I have also found I can turn off the lathe in a hurry. It has a one horse motor and seems plenty powerfull for what I turn. I find bowls larger than than a 10 inch opening are difficult to chuck when turning the bottom. I use the Cole jaws on the Supernova chuck and that is about the limit. I only turn segmented bowls and find I need to grip them well when turning the bottoms, hence the size limitation. I am sure you will be happy with whatever choice you make, there will always be a better machine than whatever you or I buy. Like you I am a hobby turner and will get enough pleasure out of this lathe to justify the decision. Actually, I already have.
 
William:
I, too, started with the Jet Mini and later added a 1236. I love the Mini but wanted something a little larger and didn't want to invest a lot. Got a good deal on a used 1236. It has the same #2MT and 1x8 thread headstock as the Mini so all my chucks and centers fit either (I kept the Mini). The variable speed works fine for me as well. As long as you get a good deal on the 1236 you can always recoupe a lot of the cost by selling it to buy up later.
Jerry in Georgia
 
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