CL find, price too high?

[Ken Kimbrell]

Been looking to buy my first lathe, my experience on turning is zero and my budget is rather limited so I've considered the cheaper options like HF and Craig's list for lathes and found this on CL:

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/tls/2513324633.html

Everything here is brand new, never used and purchased in June of last year. I intended to take up woodturning as a hobby, but have never gotten around to it. It is time to get this out of the garage.

- Shop Fox W1752 Mini Wood Lathe - 6 speed, 1/2 horsepower

- PSI Woodworking Midi Lathe Chisel 6-Piece set (includes 5/32" diamond parting tool, 1/2" round nose scraper, 3/4" spindle gouge, 1/2" oval skew, 3/8" bowl gouge, 3/4" roughing gouge, and carrying case)

- Homemade lathe stand

- 2 nice wood blocks for turning into small bowls (I can't remember what types of wood they are)

He is currently asking $280.00 but may go a little lower.
Is this a decent lathe and is the price close to being reasonable?

Thanks... Ken

 

[Daniel]

Just a very fast search of the net turned up this.
http://www.amazon.com/SHOP-W1752-Mini-Wood-Lathe/dp/B001R23TD0
I cannot say anything as to the quality of a shop fox.

 

[PenMan1]

For not much more, you can get a new Ricon Mini with full warranty.

 

[tim self]

Cheapest I just found was $235 plus shipping. With the tool set maybe $50 more. Low ball him and see what you can do. Price is fair IMO. Buying it new yourself, it comes with a 2 yr warranty and the customer service is great in my experience. (I started on the smaller Shopfox. Used it like a workhorse.)

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Thanks for the replies Guys.

My searching is showing some of those same results, so his price is starting be less appealing considering that it would be an 'as is' kind of deal with no warranty.

Tomorrow we are set to meet up at his house so that I can take a look at it... maybe he will be willing to lower his price a little more so that there would be move value for my money.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-x-33-3-8-eighth-inch-wood-lathe-with-reversible-head-34706.html

Find a 20 percent off coupon, and it'll be 200 bucks - leaves a lot of room for accessories!

Andrew

 

[bitshird]

I own a shop fox W1758 and believe me, I'll never have another piece of their crap in my shop again. go with Rikon - Jet- or even Harbor freight, their 12 inchx33 is only about 225.00 brand new and is a far better lathe than any thin Shop fox makes.

 

[Brooks803]

That is a pretty nice stand it comes with. Just be sure to plug it in and make sure it runs. It looks like it's belt drive so ask to change the speeds to see how it's done and to make sure all the gears work properly. Listen to it running to make sure the bearings are good. See if he has any other accessories that goes with it. Most lathes come with a drive spur, faceplate, live center, and knock out tool. If it doesn't look like a perfect deal, you might be better with another choice. The Rikons are good and like Andy said full warranty (and best customer service I've delt with). Good luck!

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Thanks for all of the replies.
The more reading and searching I do the less attractive this deal looks... with some coupons the HF lathe seems to fit my budget and needs lots better.

 

[PaulDoug]

I had that model HF lathe for several years. It's a very good starter lathe at that price, especially if you can get another 20% off. It only has two minus' that I found, 1, the low end speed it 500 or so rpm. This is workable but it is nice to have a slower speed. 2, no hand wheel. I made a hand wheel for mine. But I had to fasten it to a face plate which put it on the front of the headstock.

 

[Woodlvr]

I have about 4 or 5 20% off coupons for HF and I could mail you one or email if it would work, should you need one. Wood magazine had one in their last issue I believe.

 

[bensoelberg]

+1 on the JFK lathe. I've been using it for almost a year without any major complaints.

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

I have about 4 or 5 20% off coupons for HF and I could mail you one or email if it would work, should you need one. Wood magazine had one in their last issue I believe.

Thanks Mike.
As it stands now it's looking like the HL lathe will be my choice. Thanks for the mention of the Wood mag, just checked my copy and found the coupon.

 

[steeler fan1]

Ken,

Not trying to add to your confusion but you might checkout the Excelsior lathe. I got one from Rockler a couple years ago. Its been a good starter lathe for me, no problems. I think I payed around $250, that included free shipping and free bed extender.

Isn't this fun?:biggrin:

Carl

 

[sbell111]

I had that model HF lathe for several years. It's a very good starter lathe at that price, especially if you can get another 20% off. It only has two minus' that I found, 1, the low end speed it 500 or so rpm. This is workable but it is nice to have a slower speed. 2, no hand wheel. I made a hand wheel for mine. But I had to fasten it to a face plate which put it on the front of the headstock.

As I understand it, it also has the tendency to want to 'walk' unless you build a 'weight shelf' for the stand.

As for the handwheel issue, remember that the HF 34706 is a clone of the Jet JWL-1236. As such, you can use the handwheel for that lathe. Jet's part number is apparently 708344 and should cost you about $20 shipped.

 

[Ken Kimbrell]

Ken,

Not trying to add to your confusion but you might checkout the Excelsior lathe. I got one from Rockler a couple years ago. Its been a good starter lathe for me, no problems. I think I payed around $250, that included free shipping and free bed extender.

Isn't this fun?:biggrin:

Carl

Yes, it is Carl.

I've always hated to buy something and then discover later that some other thing would have been a better choice.
Plus... I'm always wanting to get the best value because 'you get what you pay for' but at the same time I'm really a cheapskate so that makes me very conflicted when trying to decide which to buy. :biggrin: