Another Lathe Purchase Question

[William Young]

I am thinking of staying away from the low priced Canadain Tire lathe and getting something a little better. I am seriously thinking of this one
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._1/104-4099398-8483102?v=glance&s=hi&n=552832
so I would like to hear from anyone that is using that model. I would like to hear about all pros and cons so I can make an educated decision.
One of my main concerns is whether or not the alignment is consistently bang on with it and the amount of vibration because I have heard so much about the importance of that for turning small things like pens
The same lathe except for variable speed is $100.00 more and is not an option for me. I have been there , ... done that,... with scrollsaws and I would not get a VS tool again as long as I have enough speeds to do it manually.
I have also been eyeballing the Delta Midi-Lathe but it runs quite a bit more money and as a start up venture here, I am looking for the best bang for my buck because I realze it is going to cost a considerable amount extra just for the mandrel, and blanks (unless I make my own blanks) and pen kits and finishing supplies etc. etc.
Any and all help on this purchase will be much appreciated.
W.Y.

 

[YoYoSpin]

What is it about variable speed you don't like? I've had the JET VS in active use for 10 months now, over 500 hours of trouble-free turning, and well worth the extra 100 bucks. In fact, the JET sits next to my Oneway 12/24 (an $1800 lathe), and I end up using the JET more, as it’s so quite and vibration free. I turn all my pens and bottle stoppers on the JET. The only downside to the JET VS, is if you are going to turn anything bigger than 4-5†in diameter, the motor will bog down under moderate/heavy load. The non-VS JET model’s motor is more robust, and you won’t have any bogging down problem with it.

Just as important as what lathe you buy, is where you buy it. I like Amazon.com a lot, but you're in for a big hassle if it needs to be returned. If there is a Woodcraft store anywhere near your location, you might be better off getting one there. I bought a Delta lathe at Woodcraft several years ago, and after 11 months of hard use, the motor burned out...it was replaced, with no questions asked. It's also helpful if you can kick the tires so to speak, and see what you're buying first hand.

Here's a handy link that might help if you do get a chance to evaluate lathes up close: http://www.yoyospin.com/lathe/

 

[melchioe]

That's the lathe I use the most for pen turning. (I also have the Jet Mini pen Lathe (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000C6DYL/qid=1089665880/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2_etk-tools/102-4337479-2877708?v=glance&s=hi&n=228013) which is similar to the one you were originally considering.

The mini pen lathe is OK, but lacks torque. It catches more often, and makes for a slower turning process (and for my speed - slow - minimizing the time I spend on one pen can make me much more productive. Nowhere near Ed D (YoYoSpin) speed, but I get more out with the 1014.

The 1014 is nice - always good alignment, nice and solid, and runs quietly enough that my wife, who is a noise freak, can't even hear it while running and turning. (She can hear the refirgerator start in the kitchen in the middle of the night with the beroom door closed).

I'd have to echo YoYoSpin's comments about the pain of changing speeds - I change speed for CA finishing, and it's a chore moving the belts (no matter how easy the Jet propaganda says it is . He also mentions using something like this as a starter lathe with an eye to getting a better one if the whole thing plays out well, which I think is a good idea.

The 1014 will give you a little more versatility than the smaller one - the small one is really restricted to very small work like pens and keychains, while I have successfully used my 1014 for bed spindles and evena nice lamp (I got the extension bed to take it to 40").

The 1014 is certainly a nice little lathe, but I am seriously considering moving up to another one - you get what you pay for... (usually)

I'd also say I agree with Ed (YoYoSpin) about patronizing local businesses as opposed to mail order, and add that shipping costs for ehavy items like lathes can often eat up the small price advantage mailorder (or weborder) gives you.

 

[William Young]

Thanks guys.
I hope we get a few more pro's and con's on that lathe.

Yoyospin;, I beleive you anwered your own question when asking what I dont like about VS when you said

*The non-VS JET model’s motor is more robust, and you won’t have any bogging down problem with it.*

At least that partly answers it for me. The other part of it is that the $100.00 US for the VS works out to about $135.00 with exchange and I still have to pay 14.5% taxes on top of that so your Yankee $100.00 dollars works out to about $154.57 for my Canuck dollar eh ?
It takes me less than 10 seconds to manually change speeds on my Delta P-20 scrollsaw so if the Jet lathe is anywhere close to being that user freindly I will be more than happy. The $155.00 saved could be well spent on turning tools and/or mandrels and other pen making supplies. Also, those variable speed modules are beastly expensive when they malfunction and I have heard of many doing so although not on Delta or Jet products recently so perhaps they have them better figured out.
I will also be turning some small segmented goblets and bowls like I used to on my full size lathe when I had it. It had VS and a 1/2HP motor and was quite gutless. So the extra power of the non VS model will be to my advantage.

I agree and would also prefer to deal locally but for some reason or other , Jet tools are not all that popular in Canada. There are outlets in a few major cities across canada but nothing within at least a seven hour drive from wher I live. With the price of gas these days, that works out to another hundred bucks on top of the price of the lathe or I could take the shipping route but that would also be pretty steep with shipping charges the way they are.. The Jet model I am considering from Amazon comes with free shipping and a $25.00 discount off of their price.
Thanks again ... your suggestions are always welcome.
W.Y.

 

[woodman928]

Have you looked at the General mini its a nice solid looking little lathe and made up there in Can. I know its the one I would go with. I have a General table saw and cant wait to add a 8" jointer a friend of mine bought one(jointer)and said it the smoothest running machine he ever owned.

 

[William Young]

Hi Woodman;
I totally agree that the General would be an awsome lathe. I just called my nearest general dealer in Kelowna this morning (6 to seven hour drive) asking about that one . It weighs 106 lbs and looks like it is extremely well built when checking General's website
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/25100anfea.html
But at $449.00 plus 14.5% taxes , I am looking at $514.00 before either pick up or shipping. Hopefully somewhere down the road if I get proficient enough with turning with something like the Jet lathe, then the General would be one to really consider.
W.Y.

 

[Scott]

Hi William,

That Jet Mini is an excellent lathe! I actually bought the larger Jet 1236 first, then later bought the 1014 when I wanted a lathe for the basement in the cold Winter months. I never touch the 1236 anymore (wish I could sell it!). The 1014 does everything you need for a small lathe. I think it is made better than the larger 1236, too! Changing belts is not hard. If you get this lathe, you will be glad you did!

This being said, I sold my little Jet 1014 a while back, and bought the new Jet 1014VS. It is, in my opinion, even better than the original! It is quiet, strong and reliable! I've never bogged it down, but if I did, I would adjust the belts to give it more power at lower speeds. I don't doubt that I will eventually bog it down sometime, but I used to be able to bog down the regular Jet 1014, and I can even bog down my Oneway 1224 occasionally! Of course it's my fault since I get a little heavy handed at times! ;-)

But I do highly recommend the Jet mini! It is a great little lathe, and to get one better, it would cost quite a bit more! Oh, and when I bought the VS version, I ordered it from Amazon, and there have been no problems!

Scott.

 

[William Young]

Thank you all for your responses.
For better or for worse , I went ahead and ordered the 1014 this morning. At $199.99 less the $25.00 discount offer and free shipping, my card has been billed for $174.99. I am sure I could get my money back at that price easilly if I ever decided to upgrade to a more professional make or model.
So I will be anxiously awaiting delivery so I can be a happy camper... er .. turner[]
W.Y.

 

[Charlie in Garfield]

Hi Bill;
Congratulations, now you will see what it is like to turn and realy get something in return. Like I said befor for the money you could not have done better.I know you will enjoy this leath.I just love the way it runs so quite and smoth even when roughing out a blank. I turned a small bowl tinight out of a ooold piece of hhhard oak, no chater or boging it down, but then I'm not to aggresive of turner.
Just Charlie

 

[William Young]

Hi Charlie. Glad to see you made it to this site.
Between your advice and that of others here , I am glad I decided not to get the el cheapo lathe that I was first considering.
Now I am patiently waiting for my lathe and supplies to come so I can get right at trying some pen turning.
In the meantime I will spend lots of hours checking out back posted messages here to hopefully get clued in to what I can expect and hopefully avoid making some of the mistakes that surely will happen at start up.
W.Y..

 

[Bev Polmanteer]

Hi Bill, The Jet that you have questioned is the one I bought in February and it is wonderful. Right out of the box, no problems, heavy enough motor to turn antler and all the woods I have used. [8D]
I have made over 100 pens now and it is great. I set the belts on next to the fastest speed and have not touched them. You may want to if you turn something that may burn but it only took a few seconds the first and only time I did it. So I don't think not having the VS is going to be a problem for you. Another thing that I can't live without is the drilling center vise(pictured in the Penn State catalog, and other places). I waited quite a while to get it because it was another $50 but believe me, I wish I had gotten it at the beginning instead of fighting trying to drill those blanks in the center! Enough of my chatter, good luck in your decision.

 

[William Young]

Thanks Bev;
With the help of many here it looks like I have made the right choice.
I was talking to someone else just the other day that uses one speed most of the time on his lathe . That drive system will be the least of my worries because I use the same system on my industrial quality scrollsaw.
I just noticed that this is your first post on this site. WOW ! ! over 100 pens already. That's great. Keep up the good work.
W.Y.