• Congratulations to Curt Vogt winner of the February 2025 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations Mark Durrenberger for "Ripples in Apple" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 24, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Need advice on lathe purchase

underdog

underdog

Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
451
Likes
48
Location
North Georgia
I've sold my old sheet metal "big lots" lathe. I'm also "storing" a Central Machinery lathe (which I've broken) and an old Rockwell Delta with a bad motor for a friend who needed to store all his machinery after he moved and lost his shop.

After the frustration of having two lathes in my shop, neither of which will work, I borrowed another friends older Jet mini lathe (1014) and immediately fell in love with it. (I had picked up some side work turning some handles for a tool maker, and had to do something! ) Granted it's a bit on the small side, and I'll never turn that 18 inch bowl that my wife wants, but it's smooth running, easy to use, and portable. The biggest thing is that it's a whole lot more fun to turn things than fix lathes.

So I have almost $400 saved up in the piggy bank and want really badly to just order one from Amazon... After rebates it's $249 (no more variable speeds for me thanks!) plus free shipping. Just can't beat that with a stick. The biggest plus is that I can return all these lathes and just start turning....

A fellow who came to repair our cabinet shop's edgebander told me I ought to buy a lathe from Redmond and Son in Atlanta, even if I had to go pick it up. That way I have a better chance of getting warranty service if something goes wrong. In addition to being a Jet dealer, they also they have some used equipment that is a possibility.

I also need to buy a chuck, and some good quality tools. If I purchase a smaller lathe it will leave me some extra to spend on tools.

So what do you guys think? Should I continue to shop for a gently used larger lathe, or just start turning?
 
Last edited:
The answer is really a question.

The real decision is how big to you want to turn. If you are happy with turning small stuff like I am with my Delta Midi with extension, then get the Jet 1014 or a Delta Midi(same size). If you are really wanting to turn large bowls, then don't bother because it will only delay getting a bigger lathe. I am not currently interested in turning anything larger than 9" in diameter, and with the extension I can go 37" long. Also the Jet and the Delta use large lathe standard centers (MT2) etc, so you're not wasting money on the accessories you buy if you decide in a year or two to go larger.

Another factor on my decision, was that the new lathe has a guarantee. If you get a larger used lathe, you don't really know what shape it is in regardless of the reason the seller gives for getting rid of it. IMHO

JimQ
 
Personally, I'd say you are spot on the right track with purchasing a mini. You might want to check the local Woodcraft (or not so local) seeing as they often have that same lathe with a bonus bed extension tacked on for free. Might even be worth the shipping if you order it on line from them. They also will often have shop or demo lathes that they will part with if you beg them nicely. The bed extension is great because it lets you use the mini for a longer spindle lathe, for which it is quite well suited. Also lets you turn deep vases.

As for picking up a large lathe, I'd tend to recommend saving your pennies until you can purchase a model/brand that has some real quality and staying power. Figgure that the $1500-2000 mark is a good one to shoot for a few years down the line. Remember, you're gonna be spending a good bit of change on solid tools and accessories so budget that in.

Watch out for the various brands of lathes you can buy that have all the same features of much more expensive lathes and appear to be a reeeeeeally good deal. The axiom that you get what you pay for is usually pretty spot on.

Good luck and welcome to the Vortex.

Dietrich
 
How about Grizzly or Shop Fox brands? They have similar sized lathes but the cost is a bit less. Do these fall under the category you just mentioned?

Thanks for the tip on the WoodCraft stores too. I'll check them out as well.

As for wanting to turn bigger... yes eventually. Right now, I'm just learning to turn, and I want to turn mostly small stuff like pens, small turned boxes, small bowls, letter openers etc. Right now I'm popping off some small handles for a guy on this borrowed mini lathe, and I'm probably going to put a big dent in the price of a Jet mini lathe. He's talking about some future turnings as well, soon as I get these finished off...

So I'm thinking of buying a mini, just because it's always good to have a small lathe you can do demos on at shows, it's easier to set up for small stuff. Eventually I may want to buy bigger lathe, and selling stuff I can make "right now" on the mini will help to purchase the larger one.
 
Ok... Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking I'll stick to the 2-300 range for right now, and that will give me a little left over for tools and accessories.

I've decided to buy the Woodcraft deal that gives you the bed extension for free. The $25.00 rebate is from Jet so I'll get essentially the same price as Amazon gives you but with the $60 bed.

I'll have to go pick it up, but I think I can handle looking around the store for a while.....

Thanks for your thoughts and tips. Gonna go order this thing now...

Jim
 
Hey Jim,

Yah, the Grizzly and Fox, along with Penn State and HF are the type I'm talking about. The machines they make are quite servicable for the price. Emphasis on "for the price." This pops up pretty regularly in threads and you tend to see a mix of folks reporting that their budget lathe works fine and folks bemoaning limitations and problems. All in all, the general concensus usually ends up in the "get what you pay for" range. That being said, if it's all you can do and you're set on bigger turnings....... Personally, I'd wait, and use other's large lathes until I can pitch out for what I really want(that's what turning clubs are for).

If ya gotta go budget, the less expensive Jet lathes seem to get good reviews in general.

I still use my Jet Mini more often than my large lathe (Nova 3000). It's more convenient and I just don't do that many pieces that require the larger lathe. An example of this is a project I'm doing in my bedroom that will require me to turn about 25-30 small pieces to mount a variety of roller shades. I'll be using the mini for the entire project as it's simply quicker and more convenient. I still use it on all small vases and bowls and many medium, as my spindle steady is not built for the Nova. Wish I had that bed extension but mine's 6 years old and I'd have to drill it out to accept it.

Good luck and enjoy,
Dietrich
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top