Delta 46-460 question

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mikespenturningz

mikespenturningz

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I have been turning pens with my shopsmith for about a year now. I would like to upgrade to a lathe. I have been looking at the Delta but cannot seem to find if the head stock and tail stock use a standard taper M1 or M2? Do any of you know the answer to this question?
 
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http://www.penturners.org/forum/f97/delta-lathe-model-46-460-a-58041/

I have heard good things about the Rikon as well ... Very good customer service based on some postings here. I do think you get what you pay for! I have seen the Rikon on sale with shipping for under $300 recently. It is certainly worth that! I paid $600 for the Delta and feel that was a good investment as well.
I had a used Jet mini before that and it was a nice unit also.
 
$600 - $700 seems to be the price of the Delta. I don't want to pay more than I need to for a lathe but don't want to skimp just to regret the purchase. I have looked around on Craigslist here in NH but have not seen any of the Deltas for sale? I see that Home Depot sells them I may go over there tomorrow and see if they happen to have one? You never know?
 
I have both of them. The Rikon without the variable speed and the Delta with vs. I just got the Delta when it was on sale at Woodcraft. Only had it a month but really like it. Ask me again in a couple months when I have had a little more time on it.
The Rikon is a great little lathe for pens and smaller objects. Depending on what you want to be making, either is a great lathe.
 
i would wait a bit if you jet is coming out with a new mini that going to be very nice.
delta is no longer making th e lathe parts are going to be a problem but a great lathe never the less. rikon is ok but inconsistete we see a lot of returns due to proplems. stay away from there lower price lathes.
 
I'll toss out my input on the Rikon lathes. My first lathe was the Rikon 70-100 12" x 16" Mini lathe. I actually really loved it but everyone kept raving about how if you have VS you would never go back so I kept wishing for something else. Then Woodcraft had the Rikon 70-050VS on sale for around $275 so I figured for not much more money I could have a second lathe with VS instead of buying the conversion kit for the lathe I own.

I've grown to hate the Rikon 70-050VS lathe and I've gone back to my 70-100. That lathe is barely worthy of holding my buffing wheels. After buying it I realized there were a lot of specs that I didn't know to look for. The tailstock was advertised as the exact same travel as the 70-100 but when I received it the travel was shorter than the specs. I called and talked to Rikon and the guy took all my information and promised to send me a new tailstock interior and then they just ignored me and never sent anything. Also the tailstock was not well aligned to the headstock. Since I've relegated it to buffing only I haven't even tried to see if that can be adjusted. I also hate the variable speed on that lathe. I will not buy a VS lathe now unless I know the motor won't slow down. I can't even buff a pen without feeling a significant slowdown. The other thing I discovered that made it inferior to the 70-100 is not being able to lock the spindle. It's really a pain to unthread my collet chuck without the lock.

I'm considering the Delta 46-460 to replace the Rikon 70-050VS. I just need to double-check that the VS motor doesn't slow down with the slightess pressure like the Rikon does.
 
I you get into the $700 range, I wait until the Nova 1624-44 goes on sale again, maybe it still is. For $899 it is a lot of lathe. Them when you get tired of pens, you can go to bowl and such. It's not VS but changing the belt is a snap. I had one, sold it and got a smaller lathe, I have a real small shop. I bought the Delta 46-460 and am happy with it, but there are lots of times I miss the bigger lathe.
 
Gilrock said:
I'm considering the Delta 46-460 to replace the Rikon 70-050VS. I just need to double-check that the VS motor doesn't slow down with the slightess pressure like the Rikon does.
Click to expand...

I can attest to that, it doesn't slow down unless you are turning something pretty big and the belt usually slips first. When that happens I just slip the belt onto the next slower pulleys and go back to work.
 
I first bought the Rikon, wanted the extended bed,bought allthestuff and the holes did not line up,got a jet love it , i do a lot of slow drilling withit, my best is the delta 46-460,does everything i need and more,I had made my own stand of it coming out from the wall and down to the floor for legs,then bough the stand , cut 8"off it because i cannot stand and do much,works flawlessly,right where i need it just as i was standing up, love the VS for ca work and deer horn, I do a lot of horn,I would defently spend the money for a Delta again if needed
carpblasterr
 
I have a 70-100 that I have had for about 5 years. It not a variable speed, but the belt is real easy to change. Takes me about 20 sec to change and I really like the lathe. I broke something when I first got it due to my lack of knowledge and they sent me the piece for free, even though I told them it was my fault. I can make bowls and plates up to almost 10". I have turned burls, off center and many other things. It reminds me of an older American car as it is sturdy, good weight, and just keeps running. I bought a Jet VS and did not like it because it is lightweight, in my opinion, and so I sold it. I think that it is a good investment. I would not get the VS or the mini that they make, but I do have the Rikon 14" bandsaw and their drill press and they are really good tools.
 
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I don't have the rhikon, I have the delta. bought it under 600 when it went on sale. let me tell you: it's everything you want in a lathe, I love it, you'll soon forget you spent 600 on it! (which is what you want when you buy a tool, right?)
 
Base on everything I have ever read on this forum and others the 46-460 is a great choice for a midi size lathe. Another one you might want to look at is the Grizzly G0658vs. I have owned one for nearing 4 years and have turned a slew of pens and small bowels, ornaments etc. on it. I have also added a Jet 16-42vs but the Griz is still my lathe of choice for the smaller items. Only problem I have ever had with the Griz is I had to replace the on/off switch once, but you will find that switches are a common problem with wood working equipment and especially common on the 46-460 especially it's fwd/rev switch. Google "46-460 switch" for a sampling.
 
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Go for a VS lathe with front belt change, such as the 46-460 :smile: Scale on the tale stock spindle no extra charge. I got my refurb for $450 from a guy in South Carolina. PM me if you want his email.

Harry
 
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