How much to spend for a lathe?

[Rcd567]

Sorry, I know this is a common question here from newbies I'm sure but I've looked around and googled names of lathes that alot of you guys are talking about and they are in the thousands of dollars. (Holy Smokes[:0] ) Just to turn out a few pens?

I'm obviously new and thought I'd like to try my hand at this. Let see....maybe a couple hundred for a lathe, 50 -60 for some tools, pen parts and wood. Maybe $400 for start up.

Anyone else out there like me, or does everyone drop a few grand to start? [B)]

Not trying to be a wise acre, just trying to get a feel for it. I searched lathe and came back with like 750 hits. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[rtrimyer]

I have a mini jet that is not variable speed, saw something like it at Harbor freight for $99.00 or so, if you go with Harbor freight just make sure that you can get a mandrel for it, not sure if it is morse #1 or 2 or something completely different. If you check ebay and craig's list for your area you can probably get a jet, I like mine and have seen several others with them as well. I only paid $125 used for mine. I started by using my shop smith that I bought for $500, still use the shop smith for other things just needed something that was smaller for pens though.

Thank you

 

[Tom McMillan]

I know a lot will recommend the Jet--which I'm sure is a good lathe. I've worked of late mostly with the Grizzly mini and now the Shop Fox Mini lathe. I prefer the Shop Fox over the Grizzly---since the Shop Fox has a through center at headstock and tailstock to help with knocking out tooling. It has a #1 morse taper---but, it hasn't been a problem for me to find good accessories for this size lathe. There are other similar lathes for a little less--I think I ended up paying around $140-$150 with shipping for the Shop Fox.

Oh, as an aside---I've made a whole lot of pens. But, for the past 2 plus years I've turned mostly miniature turnings (small vases, bowls, etc.)---and now those have totalled over 2,500 in number and counting. I've given the Grizzly and the Shop Fox some hard usage.

 

[les-smith]

You might look into the Wilton mini lathe. That's what I use and I think the quality is good. It's an electronic variable speed, no changing belts at all. Amazon sells it for around 100.00 dollars and sometimes they offer free shipping. WMH Tool Group owns Jet, Wilton, & Powermatic so the lathes have some of the same qualities.

http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/Products.aspx

Also, there has been a lot of talk about the Wilton lathe on the Sawmill Creek forum so you could probably go there and do a search and get some more opinions on the lathe. That's how I found out about the lathe.

 

[Dario]

I love my Jet mini. Here is thread that might help you choose. http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22261

For pens, note that accuracy is very important. While you can get a much bigger lathe for the same amount you would pay for a Jet mini (esp the VS)...the quality might not be the same.

You certainly can start with your budget but my advise is to get the best lathe you can afford now. The accessories you can add/upgrade easier later.

For pen blanks...shoot me an email when you are ready and I will send you a package for free.

 

[DaveM]

I have used the Jet mini at a friend's place, and it is a good lathe. I happen to have the 1336, that was in my Father's shop, but I turned a lot of other things before doing pens. I turned smaller furniture parts, turkey calls, shaker pegs, toy parts, fishing lures, weed pots, and many other things, so the larger lathe is not just for pens. The larger lathe is a bit more stable, and vibration free too, as it is much heavier. Mine is also bolted to some big chunks of wood, and has a shelf attached to it. This adds even more weight, and also raises it up to a comfortable working level for me. (At 6'7", I like my lathe HIGH) The great thing about the Jet mini is that it had standard spindle threads and morse tapers, so it is easy to buy chucks, tailstock centers, and drives for. This is probably the most important thing to look for when buying a new lathe. The #2 MT seems to be the most universal for smaller lathes. I know with a quality tool, even if you upgrade later, your smaller lathe will serve as a useful backup, or be worth a fair percentage of the original price to apply to the new machine.

Good luck, and welcome to the addiction, I mean hobby of penturning!

Dave

 

[toolcrazy]

There is something else you might want to consider. Is the only thing you are going to be turning is pens? I found that when I got into turning bowls once I got deeper into turning. And I'm glad I bought a little better lathe. I have the jet mini also, with the variable speed. Buying a better lathe to start with will be cheaper in the long run because you don't have to buy another later. Even though would be nice to have a second lathe for a buffing station, I wish I did.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

You can't go wrong buying a Jet mini or even the new Jet 1220.
I believe you can get away the first day with about $400-$500.

After that, the lathe becomes the cheapest investment in the shop

 

[Fred]

Decide what it is you plan to be doing about five years from now. If you truly have a love for turning wood then you might want to consider buying a larger lathe ... or buy a good name brand smaller one and plan on selling it as the need to upgrade approaches.

The JET VS mini lathe ($600+ complete) is just that a mini lathe and many of us out grow it's capabilities in short order. The mini is a great starter lathe and one that can expand a bit as interests change. Buying a larger lathe like either the JET 1632 ($1700+) or one of the Powermatic giants ($4300+) would give you a lathe that should last you a lifetime.

Either way you go, your first pen will cost you about $900+ or so. Each additional pen will bring the cost down a bit... We all have been there and I for one would not have it any other way.

Go to the local Woodcraft or Rockler and spend the day talking with the guys there. Talk with customers and see who is doing what with what. Take a turning class or two and see whats in the shops. Be sure and ask questions and look around very carefully. Cheers to you and best of hunting ... []

Buy the best you can afford and grow into the hobby. Unless you have a small fortune to spend, then if you do go all out and get the best of everything and post your gloats on the Forum so the rest of us can be blue in the face with envy.

 

[Randy_]

Within the past week, there has been a Delta midi on eBay for $129 + modest shipping and on Amazon.com for $149 + free shipping. If you are reasonably sure that you will only be doing pens and other small projects, the Delta will serve you well for two lifetimes. It may not be the best lathe in this size range of lathe; but it is a long way from being the worst. At that price, you don't have a lot invested if you decide to upgrade in four or five years and it will make a great back-up or buffing station.

One thing you need to consider is the issue of a VS or a non-VS lathe. VS lathes are about $100 more expensive that their non-VS counterparts. You will find the VS users strongly in love with their machines because of their perceived greater convenience. The non-VS crowd will tell you that changing speeds on the non-VS models is very easy after a little practice and that $100 can be better spent on other tools. I happen to be a non-VS owner; but will tell you that a recent poll here showed that the VS model was the favorite by about 8 to 1.

There are a lot of guys here who have deep pockets and will be recommending some high dollar rigs and that is fine if you can afford it; but many folks do extremely nice work with more modestly priced equipment when budget is an important consideration.

 

[ctwxlvr]

to answer the question get the most accurate lathe that you barely cannot afford. a good guess for start up basics is around a grand.

 

[Rcd567]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Am going to look around especially at this Jet type so many of you speak of.

Spent all day in KC at Arrowhead with my boy. We saw our first pro game. Vikings fans...they lost of course but hey, glad I finally went to a game.

In two weeks I'm flying my mother to San Antonio to see her great grand children. She has terminal cancer and is just barely well enough to go. I've got a brother-in-law whose got a small lathe, he's mostly a carver so I'll look at his, but he's way out of my league money wise.

I really do appreciate your time in answering my post. Oh, and not sure it's possible, but am going to try to turn some nice wood rifle cartridges which I can either engrave or get engraved for some of our local Servicemen through the VFW club.

Thanks again.
Bob

 

[kent4Him]

My recommendation is to go to ebay and craigslist and look for a used Jet. Bid low and see what you can get.

 

[alamocdc]

Bob, Fred was dead on. But it's a hard thing to know. Many have gone into penturning and expanded into other turnings that require a larger or better lathe than they started with. Countless others have decided that turning isn't for them and tire of it w/in the first year. So how do you know? I'd start by taking some turning classes at your local Woodcraft (or any similar store that offers them) to see if it is something you really like. You'll know fairly quickly if this is something you will like. Many of us become seriously hooked the first time we produced something tangible (pen, etc.). If you don't have a local store that offers classes, find a turner in your area and see if they'll teach you the basics. After deciding that this is something you will be committed to, buy the best and largest lathe you can afford. This will save you several hundred $$ in the next few years. DAMHIKT Using the sources already posted can also save you money by allowing you to obtain equipment (often an entire turning package) from someone who decided that turning isn't really for them... or from someone who has decided to upgrade to something larger. Just my two cents.

 

[richstick1]

This weekend I got a bowl turning lesson from a turner in my AAW club, turned on his Oneway 2436. (His PM3520 is setup for just his vacuum chuck system!!!) I have a Jet Mini. I went back to it with a SERIOUS case of lathe envy. While I think the Jet Mini is a great lathe for the money - keep in mind that you may very well want to turn more than just pens at some point. I'm going to start saving my pennies for a bigger lathe - probably the PM3520B. I'll keep the Jet for sure though. My other recommendation would be to NOT buy a "mid-level" lathe. For example, a non electronic VS lathe with a 12" swing. You can buy a smaller lathe for pens, or a bigger lathe that will do anything - but try to buy in the middle, and you will be stuck with a lathe that is hard to re-sell, is overkill for pens, and not adequate for bigger work.

 

[rherrell]

I have the Jet 16/42 and love it. Like Fred says,it should last a lifetime. Buy the best you can afford.

 

[Rcd567]

Thanks for all the replies. I have a few more questions. Is the Jet Mini Lathe 10"x14" big enough to make a few 6" - 8" bowls? Or how about a 3" ball? (Christmas tree type ornament)

Sorry about all the questions, I'm a newbie[)]