New Lathe

[jimmyz]

My Delta longbed is making headstock noises, so I think it's time for a new lathe. Lots of options!

I want to turn pens, stoppers, ornamnets, small bowls and vases, but also be able to turn a say, 11" or so bowl from solid or green wood.

I've looked at the Jet 1221vs and Rikon 70-200, but I'm concerned about being able to turn the larger bowls.

 

[Charlie_W]

Not sure of your budget but I would suggest taking a serious look at the OneWay 12/24.......or larger!

Edit: If you can go and test drive one somewhere, that will tell you the most.
Check with local clubs to see if you can find someone with one you can try.

 

[JimB]

IMO, those lathes are not for the size bowls you want to turn for many reasons.

- Your blank would need to be already round so you can start with 12".
- the banjo would get in the way.
- your tool rest will not be able to come out far enough to turn the outside of the bowl.
- the vibration from the spinning wood will cause problems because the lathe is not heavy enough. Large bowl blanks, even when well centered create a lot of vibration. The lathe will shake and walk.
- at 1HP, the motor is under powered.

You may be able to do it but you will probably not enjoy the experience. It could also become dangerous.

Just my opinion.

 

[jimmyz]

Let me expand the topic to ask if anyone out has a Grizzly lathe. What do you have, what do your turn, and are you happy with your lathe?

 

[JimB]

I have a Grizzly and a Jet. The Jet is a 1014vs. I use it to turn all small items.

My grizzly is the G0462. It is a full size lathe but is a reeves drive. I use it for everything that my Jet mini can't handle. I turn all my bowls and platters on it. It has a big enough motor to handle any size blank I have mounted on it. The biggest downside is I wish it had a slower speed for when I turn larger, out of balance bowl blanks. My work around for this issue with large blanks is to take the extra time to first cut the blank round on my Bandsaw and then take the time to ensure it is mounted balanced on the lathe to reduce vibration. Notice I said balanced, not centered. There is a big difference.

 

[MTViper]

I have a Jet 1642 VES. I've had it for nearly 8 years and I love it. It does everything you want a lathe to do and does it at a reasonable price. When I was shopping, I went for the biggest lathe I could afford. Give it a look and see if it fits your criteria and budget.