Wilton Lathe users?

[redfishsc]

I'm eyeballing that lil bitty Wilton lathe. Looks like it would make a nice apartment pen maker. For a hundred bucks, it looks like a well made machine.

Anyone here have one that they like? Is it precision enough for pens? Does the 2/5 hp motor have enough power? Is a 12" capacity enough for the pen mandrels of the various pen suppliers?


I know the correct answer will come back to "save for the jet" which I'll eventually do (Jet or Rikon) but for the meanwhile this Wilton looks pretty useful. Right now I have nothing other than a mis-aligned and always mis-aligned Shopsmith (it misalignes itself halfway through every pen: precision it is NOT).

 

[Randy_]

I have seen quite a few posts by Wilton owners who are very satisfied with their lathes!!

BTW, what is an "apartment pen?" []

 

[penbros]

u buying from menards? that would be a perfect lathe for an apartment. i always think that any lathe is good if it gets the job done. put a wilton next to a jet. look the same huh.
u should always buy the lower priced lathe till u find that your lathe will not get the job done and then up-grade, so you wont find out that you didnd need the expensive model when the cheap one would do as good of a job. go for the wilton![]12" is more than big enough and 2/5 hp is fast enough. my floor lathe is 3/4 hp and goes 2,540 rpm or more i forgot i usually turn pens at 1,500 rpm.as long s it goes at least 1,500 rpm it is great for pens.

 

[timdaleiden]

Originally posted by redfishsc
<br /> Looks like it would make a nice apartment pen maker. For a hundred bucks, it looks like a well made machine.

For the price, it is a great machine. I had to replace the live tail center after a lot of use, but other than that, it has worked fine.

As far as making pens in an apartment...good luck with the dust situation.

 

[DWK5150]

I have one and have had it for about 1 1/2 years now. Hasnt let me down yet. Its a descnet lathe I feel for the money as it is a variable speed and its large enough to where you can do small bowls and such.

 

[blodal]

I have been using mine for about 3 months now. No problems. The only complaint is that it doesn't have a handle on the head stock to turn the shaft manually. This would help when sanding with the lathe off.

The motor has plenty of power.

 

[penbros]

hey if u read lathe-question it sounds like u would get a real great deal. theyre talking about 650 dollars for a mini lathe! outrageous. my floor lathe only cost 200 dollars. bargain shopper