Hello from Florida!

[FLFireLT478]

Good morning,

I just wanted to stop by and give a little introduction - My name is Ken and I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I have yet to turn my first pen as I don't, as of right now, own a lathe however that is going to change in the very near future. I have done some other woodworking mostly on the scrollsaw, however penturning has really caught my attention and is something I would love to start doing. I joined this great community to try and prepare myself and learn as much as I can. While not messing around in the shop, I keep busy with my wife and two teenage children. I work for a County fire department and I am happy to say that I am 5 years out from retirement! Then I hope to have much more time to give towards my hobbies.

The two lathes I am looking at are:
SHOP FOX W1704 1/3-Horsepower Benchtop Lathe
or the
WEN 3420 8" by 12" Variable Speed Benchtop Wood Lathe

I think these are both basically the same lathe, just branded differently, however if anyone has any advice about either of them I would love to hear it.

I look forward to "meeting" everyone and can't wait to dive in! Enjoy your weekend.

Ken Treffinger
"FLFireLt478"

 

[Jim15]

Welcome Ken.

 

[JimB]

Welcome from western NY State!

I'm not familiar with the lathes you mention but 1/3 HP is very low. It won't be a problem if you only turn pens and bottle stoppers but if you start to turn small bowls you will probably find it underpowered. The other lathe has Variable Speed but you need to look to see what they mean by that. Some manufacturers consider a belt changer to be Variable Speed.

Look at the Jet and Rikon lathes for comparison.

You might want to do a search on here for those lathes. I believe they have been mentioned before.

 

[rholiday]

Welcome from South Carolina.

 

[tomtedesco]

Welcome from Colorado.

 

[MRDucks2]

Welcome aboard from Indianapolis!


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[magpens]

Hi Ken, and Welcome to IAP !!!

I have been turning pens for 8 years on a small metal working lathe very similar to the one that Grizzly and Harbor Freight sell for around $500. . It is extremely easy to use, and offers quite a few advantages over a wood lathe, in my opinion. . Check it out ! . LittleMachineShop sells an even nice small metal lathe for a little more and they also sell many useful accessories.

 

[FLFireLT478]

Welcome from western NY State!

I'm not familiar with the lathes you mention but 1/3 HP is very low. It won't be a problem if you only turn pens and bottle stoppers but if you start to turn small bowls you will probably find it underpowered. The other lathe has Variable Speed but you need to look to see what they mean by that. Some manufacturers consider a belt changer to be Variable Speed.

Look at the Jet and Rikon lathes for comparison.

You might want to do a search on here for those lathes. I believe they have been mentioned before.

Hi Jim. Thank you very much for the information. I see you are from West Henrietta. That is near my old stomping ground. I moved to FL from Honeoye and went to school at MCC. I actually used to work at Marketplace Mall!! I miss WNY very much. Love the change of seasons and the cooler weather. Hopefully soon after I retire we will return to the area. Thanks again for the welcoming and the information.

Ken

 

[FLFireLT478]

Hi Ken, and Welcome to IAP !!!

I have been turning pens for 8 years on a small metal working lathe very similar to the one that Grizzly and Harbor Freight sell for around $500. . It is extremely easy to use, and offers quite a few advantages over a wood lathe, in my opinion. . Check it out ! . LittleMachineShop sells an even nice small metal lathe for a little more and they also sell many useful accessories.

Thank you! I appreciate the information.

Ken

 

[kruzzer]

Welcome Ken from Fort Myers

 

[SpecialV4213]

Welcome from Jacksonville!


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[Ligget]

Welcome from Scotland!

 

[Loucurr]

Welcome from central Florida