The Rikon 70-150VSR is the newer version of the 70-220VSR that you just missed on. The new version did add a movable control box so there is no reaching past a spinning piece to adjust speed or turn off if things go wrong. I don't know if the Jet or Laguna have that--but at a minimum i want the controls on the tail stock end no matter what.
I respect Ed's opinion--and for ONLY turning pens or bottle stoppers--a 10" x 15" or so would be fine. But...that would be a very light size for a 6" bowl, platter or twig pot. Moving into the 12" x 20"-ish range dramatically increases your desire to grow before buying your next lathe. And...you will most likely go bigger--that 12" swing is a keeper at that time where the 10" would be garage sale fodder. Any of the 3 lathes you mentioned would turn a 10"bowl IF the blank was well-balanced to start.
Belt changes--I have 3 ranges on my Rikon--and routinely switch between the slowest and fastest--rarely in the middle. Probably less than 5 seconds to switch, and when i do it's while i'm making some other change as well--like getting ready to drill, or applying CA finish or polishing. So it's at a stopping point anyway, and truly is simple. I sand at around 250 on that lathe, apply CA finish at 350, and turn pens at around 2000-2500 to round then full-tilt (DRO shows 4,000) to finish turn. (my Sweet 16 is single speed range at 50 to 3,200 RPM--power sanding a 8"-12" bowl i usually do between 50 and 100 RPM. That motor has full torque across the speed chart--which is what the belt ranges accomplish in the midi lathes)
Due to how well my Rikon has behaved--i'm prejudiced/biased to their offering. No problems with the other two, but i'd want the following in no particular order...
1. good speed ranges (250 or less to high 3,000's)
2. controls at the tailstock end
3. reversible
4. 1" tool rest post (this will make more sense as you gain skill)
5. Belt change should be similar in all 3--but be sure.
Someone mentioned that there was no bad choice in your listing--probably correct. So...don't agonize, they will be close enough that sharp tools will level the playing field!!
earl
A ton of useful information there, thank you!
As others have said, all three lathes are good picks from reliable vendors with excellent customer service. As a pen-maker, your needs will be fairly "light." At minimum, I'd be sure of:
- MT2 tapers in both head and tail stock. MT1 (if any midi lathes even use this any more) is difficult to find accessories for. Similarly, 1" 8TPI threads on the headstock for maximum accessory availabiltiy and minimal need for thread converters.
- "A little bit" more than you need so if you DO decide to branch out, you have some room to grow.
- A good speed range across the belts (anything below 300 on the low end, and anything above ~2,800 on the high end).
- Enough travel in the tailstock quill to accommodate the longest pen barrels you want to drill. (My Rikon 70-220VSR has a 3.5" travel, which was more than most of the others I looked at, and that means I can do most drilling operations without having to reposition the tailstock midway through drilling.)
"Nice-to-have" features:
- Reverse: I thought I'd use this way more, but in practice I haven't. If you plan to use this for turning with a chuck, you need to make sure there's a spot for a set screw to hold the chuck on when the lathe is moving opposite the thread pattern.
- Extremely low speeds (less than 100rpm).
- Extendable bed (in case you want to do longer pieces)
My pesonal thoughts: I've loved my Rikon 70-220VSR--as someone mentioned I think the Rikon you're looking at is the updated version). I had one issue with the tailstock being difficult to operate. I contacted Rikon on a Thursday/Friday and had new parts on Monday. It runs like a dream now. I've never found the motor to be underpowered. I love the bed length and extra quill travel (if I recall, the Rikon was best in class on both these). Fit and finish were great.
Also, thanks a bunch for all this information. On paper the main 3 that I am looking at seem very close. They all have similar 1hp motors, all use MT2 tapers, and cover the necessary speed ranges required for pen turning.
Thank you for mentioning the tailstock quill travel for drilling. This was one of those things that I did not know to ask since I haven't drilled with a lathe yet. I do not know how moving the tailstock will affect the outcome, or how annoying it will be but to me it seems that it would be much better to be able to complete a drilling operation in a single pass, without moving the tailstock.
The Rikon is the only one with 3.5" of quill travel with the other two having 2.25-2.5". Also the Rikon has 5yr warranty vs 2yr for the Laguna. That is a strong push towards the Rikon.
These are pretty generic/qualitative and would be hard to use as criteria for selecting a new lathe. I suggest more concrete things like:
- Swing - assuming you anticipate doing things like bowl, what is the largest diameter you might want to do?
- Bed length - this one is subtle because the manufacture will state a number, but in the real world actual length you might be able to turn will be shorter because you have to include a chuck, a tailstock, a drill chuck and bit when drilling, etc. For example, my lathe is formally describe as 18", but when I make walking canes, I have to make them in sections that are about 10" long in order to accommodate all those accessories.
- Is a bed extension available? This could be a very handy thing to have (if you have space in your shop for a longer lathe.
- Spindle size - for most midi-lathes, it should be 1"x8tpi (in North America). Don't settle for 3/4x16" on a midi-lathe - its too hard to find tooling.
- Taper - for most midi-lathes, it should be MT2. Don't settle for MT1 on a midi-lathe - its too hard to find tooling. And the taper should be the same on both the headstock and tailstock.
- Headstock bore - there must be a bore all the way through the headstock to accommodate a drawbar. On a midi-lathe, the bore should be 3/8".
- Handwheel - believe it or not, some lathes don't have a handwheel on the headstock spindle. There really should be one.
- Motor horsepower - more is better. Where this really matters is if you are making bowls or platters and are turning the outer rim, or if you are drilling in end-grain, especially with Forstner bits (for example, if you are making pepper grinders). In my opinion, less than 3/4Hp is underpowered. 1Hp is much better, and if you can find something larger, you've found the pot at the end of the rainbow.
- Banjo size - most midi-lathes use either 5/8" or 1" posts. Avoid anything smaller than 5/8".
- Toolrests - what tool rests come with the lathe? Typical would be 6" and 12". Note that if you have a standard banjo size, you can always buy aftermarket tool rests, and they aren't hard to make.. I find that its very handy to have a 3" tool rest, but I had to make my own.
- Reversing - some lathes have this feature, while others do not. And it may be possible to retrofit a reversing switch to your lathe later (I did on my Turncrafter). Reversing is most helpful for sanding although some people use it for turning (but that requires a chuck with grub screw, something that not all chucks have).
- Speed readout - I think most VS lathes have this, but its worth putting on the list so that you can check before buying
- Belt changing/pulleys - we've talked about the fact that most midi-lathes have two or three belt positions, but the next question is what is required to change pulleys? You should be able to change pulleys in at most a couple of minutes.
- Belt changing/belts - this is one that could easily be overlooked. Belts wear out and have to be replaced - more frequently than you might imagine. How easy is that to do? How much time is required - should be less than 5 minutes.
- Indexing - this is a convenience, and there are ways to retrofit something after you buy the lathe, but it would be nice to have it built in. Indexing is useful if you are doing vessels and want to do some kind of external decoration, or if you are doing spirals.
- Spindle lock - there are occasions when you need to lock the spindle so that it can't rotate. An indexing feature cannot be used as a spindle lock - DAMHIKT
- Where are the controls? - this one is subtle, but if you have been turning on a lathe with the controls on the left side, switching to a lathe with the controls on the right side takes retraining, and in the interim, there are potential safety issues - if something goes wrong, you need to get to the on-off switch without having to think
- Does it have a worklight? I like the worklight on my lathe because it's very contrasty and throws strong shadows, but there are folks who prefer to design a different lighting arrangement.
- Weight - not an issue if you have getting it into the house/shop, but my shop is in the basement (with a bulkhead door for access), and I had to muscle it in by myself.
Thank you for this! It really provides that necessary framework for decision making that I was missing.
All three of the models that I am currently considering have the same swing (~12"), the Rikon and Laguna are 16" with the Jet being 20.5" however I do not feel the need for a longer bed at this time. All three offer extensions if nececssary.
All use MT2 tapers on both headstock and tailstock, have 3/8" headstock bore, have handwheels, use 1hp motors, 1" posts, 6" tool rests, have reverse capability, speed readout, similar belt changing methods, offer indexing, have spindle locks.
None of them have lights (I don't need this, I have a very well lit workspace) and the size and weight are not concerns for me as I have walk-in access to my shop but more importantly I have two sons (19 and 20) who still live at home and played football in high school so...they will do all the moving for me
All in all, these seem extremely similar with the noted difference being that the Rikon has a longer warranty than the Laguna and longer quill travel than the other two, not to mention is ~$300 cheaper.
Am I missing something? At least on paper it would seem that the Rikon is the no-brainer here. I can use the $300 savings to pick up all the accessories that I will need.