Jet 1642 1 1/2 hp Versus Jet 1642 2hp= Amazon.com....going crazy?

[jcooper]

Hello everyone. I'm new here to these forums, been turning about 3 years now. I am also looking into buyng me a new lathe . my Jet mini with variable speed has served me well (and i know still will for years to come) but now i am looking into buying (after doing all the research and homework) a Jet 1642 1 1/2 hp lathe which is on Amazon for $1720. HOWEVER...as of TWO days ago, the 2 hp version, which was originally $2000 on amazon is not $1620. CHEAPER THAN THE 1 1/2 hp!!! Gee am i confused now . does anyone know why it would be cheaper?? my only guess was that scince it is 230v (and the 1 1/2hp is 115v) that perhaps there isnt that many people that have 230v wired in their shops and thus not many people are purchasing the lathe. i dunno? if it is cheaper as Amazon proclaims, i would love to get it. Problem is that i dont even have electricity in my shed yet. and i'm not sureif my shed (being over 200 yards from my house) would even be capable of recieving 230v from such a distance, let alone how expensive that would be!.
I do have a barn less than 150 feet from my shed that already has 115v wired. the barn, of course then being wired to my house. so im wondering if it is even reasonable to get 230v wired to my woodturning shed. Any help on this matter is greatly appriciated!!

 

[Frank Kobilsek]

Happy with 1 1/2 HP 1642

J
I have had the 110V 1.5 HP version since August 2004. I like it and haven't stalled it out yet. My biggest piece so far has been a wet piece of willow 14" dia by 15" tall.

In your part of the world I suspect I would choose the building with the best heater. It was Zero here over the weekend and my hands and knees just plain hurt today, still haven't thawed out, my little gas heater only gets the job done down to about 20 degrees F. Worse part is I wrecked more projects in the last two days than I have in the last year. Oh well still better than work.
Frank

 

[Steve Worcester]

The 1.5HP is probably going to need a 20amp 110V circuit anyway which most homes use 15A as a standard. Not always as simple as changing the breaker, as it takes a larger guage wire as well.

I would talk with an electrician friend first. My guess is they are running the electricity from the house to a breaker box in the shed (shop, barn, etc). If that is the case then you could simply run a new circuit, providing there is space in the breaker box and the main circuit can support that much of a concurrent load.

 

[underdog]

If you have the service...

Then I'd get the 220 model. Especially if it is cheaper.

For one thing you can run smaller wires out to the shop, which is obviously less expensive. The higher potential will allow for the higher resistance of the smaller wires.

The other thing is that 220 motors generally last longer and run cooler.

This is the way it seems to me....

 

[jcooper]

Jet lathe

Underdog, you say for 220v it requires smaller wires thatn 115v? also...the lathe is 230v, so does that mean i need to get 230v wired to my shed?(whats the difference between 230 and 220?) and if the 220v wires are smaller...is it cheaper to install? thanks buddy. btw, looks like amazon doesnt have the 2hp anymore. they probbly sold em like hot cakes once they lowered the price that much, still it might come back. so the question of the day in my situation is 115v or 230v (220?). Thanks guys

 

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

You can take that price to www.Toolnut.com and get even a better deal!

 

[Steve Worcester]

Underdog, you say for 220v it requires smaller wires thatn 115v? also...

(whats the difference between 230 and 220?)

I don't know if it requires smaller wires, but 220 carries power on 2 wires as opposed to a power and a neutral on 120V.

Some manufacturers show 220,230, 240 as the same, in reality, 230 IS different, but 220 is the common. 240 would be double amperage 120, but you will need to check code in your area.

 

[hcbph]

Regardless of what you get for a lathe, run 220 v to your shop. Take it to a panel there and use the panel to break down the circuits as you need them. I'd plan for at least 50 amp minimum, for that, talk to an electrician.

As far as the lathe itself, I have the 220v version of the Jet 1642 and love it. I looked at both the 110v and the 220v models and chose the 220. Pulls lower amperage, smaller wires, and bogs down less than a 110v would. I've turned a piece of 8" x almost 60" oak so far, and it did the job very nicely. You'll notice I've turned beyond the 42" length, well I also got the 18" extension for it and it works well.

How that helps

Paul

 

[pencheff]

What a deal!

...as of TWO days ago, the 2 hp version, which was originally $2000 on amazon is not $1620.

And as of right now the 2 HP 230 volt Jet 1642 model is unavailable on Amazon. Grrrrr! I would have snapped that up!

 

[jcooper]

yeah i just saw that. sorry buddy🙁 and the 1 1/2 hp model is still "temporarily out of stock", has been for ages...hope it comes back

 

[Richard Baker]

JCooper,

The 1642 ESV-2 (2 hp., 220 volt) was indeed $2,000 on Amazon, but they had a $150 discount coupon deal that started 1-2-06 and lasted about a month. Ordered mine on 1-3-06, so I got it for $1,850. Am loving it so far.

As mentioned, if you’re going to run wire to the shed or where ever, absolutely run a 220 volt circuit, which will be two “hot†wires AND a neutral (ground) wire. In general terms power is equal to the current multiplied by the voltage (IE). If you have an electrical load (lights, motor, what ever) that requires 2200 watts and is supplied by a 220 volt circuit, the current will be 10 amps. If the same load is supplied by a 110 volt circuit, the current will be 20 amps. Now assuming the insulation is adequate, the wire itself doesn’t care what the voltage is. What it cares about is how much current it has to carry. If the electrical load can be supplied with 220 volts instead of 110 volts, then the wire only has to carry half as much current. So a given wire size can supply twice the load at 220 volts that it can at 110 volts. Or a smaller wire size can be used for the same load at 220.

Howcum? The wire has resistance (R) to carrying current, which causes a voltage “loss†from one end of the wire to the other (IR), and generates heat in the wire (IIR). Higher current in a given wire causes more voltage loss and generates more heat. Larger wire has less resistance, so for a given current (I), it has less voltage loss and generates less heat.

Hope this makes sense and is helpful. EE’s don’t jump on me for over-simplification.

 

[woodwish]

I bought the 2 hp 220 model a little over a year ago, and really love it. 220v just makes more sense. I did all my own wiring in my shop so it really wasn't a problem. Without really making this overly simple, the higher the voltage the smaller the wire can be for the same amerage. That is why the lines that come into you neighborhood are very high voltage and must be stepped down with transformers to serve individual homes. There are some technical reasons why we use 110 throughout the house and only 220 for certain uses but it goes beyond what we need to discuss here.

Enough rambling- my advice is the 220 model but wire your shop for 220 even if you get a 110 model if possible.

 

[hockenbery]

16" Jet vs the 20" Jet Powermatic

The 16" is a nice machine, a shrunk down version of Jet's 20" Powermatic

Jet hasn't sold too many when it was priced $400 less than than their Powermatic. Most people choose to spend the extra $400 for the Powermatic.

At $1600 it is now about $900 less than the Powermatic and Jet should sell a bunch at that price.
In my opinion it is the nicest lathe under $2000

Few people turn bowls bigger than 14" which makes this machine a real nice machine for the average turner. It is pretty easy to add a platform accross the legs and weight it with a few hundred pounds of sandbags. This will give it the stability to turn 14" bowls.

Happy Turning,
Al