Jet 1236 Lathe

[William Young]

I hope this is not off topic in a pen turning forum.

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.

 

[DCBluesman]

Before realizing that I did not have enough room for the 1236, I did some research. A fairly thorough review can be found at http://www.newwoodworker.com/jwl1236.html . This guy also has another link to a "Tips" article. I hope this helps with your decision, Bill.

 

[William Young]

That was great info Lou. Thanks a bunch.
I am still open for comments both ways on that particular lathe.
W.Y.

 

[Scottydont]

Tom hintze always does nice and objective reviews IMHO. If you are looking at that caliber of lathe, let me share my thoughts. The Jet 1236, the Grizzly G59579 and the Harbor Freight 34706-5VGA are almost identical. I can't prove it but after looking at all three many times it's like comparing a Chevy truck to a GMC. My guess is that they have the same manfacturer cast the lathe beds and contract the build of the motors etc. They all more or less have the same specs otherwise. Let me say that I used to own the Grizzly but sold it to to space issues. I loved it. now for my opinions on each of them. All use stamped metal stands that don't contribute to the dampening of vibration as well as most5 people would like. Many as I did added a shelf to the stand and added sandbags or concrete blocks to give it more stability.

Keep in mind these prices don't include shipping.
1) Jet 1236 - Nice fit and finish. Too high of a price given the next two have the same features. $499 at Amazon.

2) Grizzly G5979 - Nice fit and finish. Like the metallic green paint. $295

3) Harbor Freight 34706-5VGA - So-so fit and finish. Ugly flat green paint. $279. I know folks who waited for this model to go on sale and used an online coupon to get it for as low as $169.

In all three cases I would replace the junk tool rest with a chrome rolled steel one. I did and loved it. If I were to do it again I would get the Griz but if I could get the HF for $169 i would reconcider it.

 

[William Young]

Scott;
I fully agree that it seems aparent that the same basic lathe comes out of the same factory. However one must be careful. It is not color alone that separates them. I notice in Grizzy's site that they have a 1/2 HP motor on theirs While Grizzly has the 3/4 HP motor like Jet . I beleive BusyBee in Canada has the same lathe but their site seems to be down at the moment to compare.
Canadian Tire in Canada (dont let the name fool you you. They are BIG in tools with the Mastercraft name) have the same lathe. Beleive it or not, that was my first lathe about three years ago and I kept it a very short time. It only had a 1/2 HP motor at that time and all the handles were soft pot metal and kept stripping. I see now that the have it listed it with a 3/4HP, 6.6 amp motor but the same yellow colored cheap handles. Whether or not 6.6 amp relates to a full 3/4 HP, I am not sure. Canadian tire warrants theirs for three years.
I'm still comparing the differnt brand names of the same basic lathe.
Thanks for the heads up on the Harbor Freight and Grizzly ones.
W.Y.

 

[bnosie]

Hi William,
I have a Jet 1236 and really like it. It is, however, an entry level lathe, and I don't think it is that big of a step up from the Jet Mini to justify the price. Any of the other brands either. If you want to upgrade from the 10" swing of the Mini, I would go for a bigger lathe. Like a 14 or 16" at least. Just my opinion, but that Mini is a great lathe, and I think you would be disappointed in the relatively small move up to a 12". And with the bed extension on the Mini, you can turn a longer spindle than on the 12" lathes.

 

[William Young]

Thank you all for the comments.

Lou I emailed the fellow last night that wrote the article that you provided the link to just to thank him for the info. Here is the reply he just sent me.

*Bill,
My 1236 has been a workhorse in the shop. I use it constantly, have been for almost three years now and aside from replacing the belt, I have had no problems with it.
I'm glad my site was of help!*

With that said, and with all the clones available at a much lower price, I may just look for a clone of one of the larger models and see what I come up with there. Sometimes buying by brand name alone can be costly compared to the alternatives.
Like some have mentioned here and in another forum , I may be wise to go more of a step up than what I am presently looking at.
W.Y.

 

[William Young]

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

 

[Charlie in Garfield]

Hi Bill,
Do not worrie,where there is a will there is a way,even if it is wrong. LOL. Good Luck.
Just Charlie

 

[Tom McMillan]

I just got my new Grizzly catalog---and, it appears there have been some changes to their lathe lineup. The G5979 isn't in the catalog now (I did go to their website and it's still listed there). They show a new lathe which is 14 1/2" by 43" (G0584) with cast iron legs---so it's heavy--it's listed as 1/2 hp---listed at intro price of $349.95.