General international 25-010 M1 - Mini Lathe

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rpratt

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Hello, I am new to penturning. Can anyone give me any input on the new General International 25-010 M1 - Penturning Mini Lathe - Selling Price - $229.99. I am on a limited budget when buying my penturning equipment. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for this great Forum.

Richard
 
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I looked at one and thought it looked cheap. I have 6 of the 100 models in my shop and they have been great (used by grade 8 students for the last three years). you should be able to get the 100 for about 350-375. If you can spend an extra 150 then I would go for the upgrade. Good luck.
 
There is a new NOVA midi lathe that has a lot of flexibility with a grinder attachment on the headstock out board end -- Just got the e-mail add from Nova today.

General appears to have a solid midi -- but the one you are looking at does not appear to be the one.
 
I'd stay away GI and the Excelsior. I bought a new one and after three valiant tries from the big box wood store, could never get acceptable results.

Jet and Delta make wonderful lathes with long warranties.
 
I've had my Excelsior about 4 years now with no problems and with the extension bed can turn a 37" piece. Still using the original belt.
 
The model 25-010 M1 appears to be a very light weight lathe. Although I'm sure you could manage turning pen blanks with it, you would be much happier with something more substantial. Given that you are on a limited budget, have you considered a used lathe? A quick look on CL in my area turned up about 10 that are at or under $200... several under $100 and all are much more capable for pen turning. With a little patience you can find very nice used equipment. Do some research on IAP for features to look for in a good lathe and start your shopping.
 
I have an excelsior, and while it was the perfect gateway to the wonderful world of woodturning, it's far from a precision machine.
My excelsior, as well as a second one I've inspected for a friend, have poor tailstock alignment, and mine had a bad headstock taper.

But again, for the price I think it has the best bang for the buck, plus it's a standard taper and thread, so any accessories you buy will likely be useful if you ever upgrade.
 
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Best bang for your buck, IMO, is buying quality to begin with!

I wonder how many people have given up on a new hobby due to poor quality tools ???

Delta, Jet and Rikon all make nice lathes with good service behind them. my $.02
 
Lenny said:
Best bang for your buck, IMO, is buying quality to begin with!

I wonder how many people have given up on a new hobby due to poor quality tools ???

Delta, Jet and Rikon all make nice lathes with good service behind them. my $.02
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Lenny. I went cheap on my first lathe and it ended up being Out of Round in the head stock. So I bite the bullet an bought Generals Maxi-lathe and I am very happy with it. It's better to save your money and buy something that is going to last.
 
You have to ask yourself a few things when buying a new lathe?

1) how much do you want to spend? What is your budget?
2) Are you going to be turning just pens, or do you want to move up to bigger projects in the future?

3) How much space do you have in your workshop/Garage/basement to work with! Do you have room for a bigger lathe or something small?

My Mentor always told me you can turn smaller items on a bigger lathe, but not big items on a smaller lathe? If you have any questions, please PM me and maybe get you on the right track
 
If you are looking for a mini on a budget, woodcraft has the Rikon economy mini on sale for $239. A good brand name that won't break the bank.
 
Harbor Freight has a 10x18 lathe that's been on sale lately for $195. Add a 20% coupon and you're good to go. That lathe is extremely similar, if not a clone, to ones from Grizzly, PSI and Jet. They also have a smaller one for around $120. Doesn't seem nearly as good though.

^^ike
 
I have same lathe, but with Craftsman label.

If you have enough rooom in your workship, you may search heavier and solider lathe for same price.


It is normal lathe for pen turining.
It is lightweight enough to take it somewhere, and vary compact.
Lightweight is not a big problem for turning - just fix it on workbench.

By the way, with my lathe comes chisel set, mandrel and pen kit with preglued tube.
Chisels are good (HSS), but mandrel is a crap - curved and wrong bushings (0,5mm bigger, than needed for slimline).
 
I own the Harbor Freight lathe that sells for about $120 or so. I love the variable speed and it has worked flawlessly so far. I realize that some people feel that only the finest and most expensive lathe will do, but this just isn't the case to turn pens, IMHO. Plus the money I saved on the lathe allowed me to buy additional tools and accessories. If I needed another lathe tomorrow, I would still buy the HF.
 
OH MY WORD NO! NOOOOOO! DO NOT buy that General international 25-010 M. My brother owns the Jet version of that lathe, (which Jet stopped making about 8 years ago or so) It works fine for most wood, although it can be underpowered when trying to turn denser woods. BUT, I recently tried the Sears version of this and it was AWFUL! Between the noise and the lack of power, it was bad, bad, bad. My $120 Harbor Freight lathe runs circles around this lathe, and the older Jet one too. These lathes are light, and while that might be a plus to take to Boy Scout meetings, etc. they seem too prone to vibration and its difficult to get the pen perfectly round. The plastic "lock" on the tailstock is very cheap too.
 
flyfishermanmike said:
Harbor Freight has a 10x18 lathe that's been on sale lately for $195. Add a 20% coupon and you're good to go. That lathe is extremely similar, if not a clone, to ones from Grizzly, PSI and Jet. They also have a smaller one for around $120. Doesn't seem nearly as good though.

^^ike
Click to expand...

This HF lathe is basically identical to the Excelsior I have from Rockler. It has been a good lathe for me. Only limit is now that I am getting interested in bowl turning, it limits the size I can turn. I have the extension and turn canes on it all the time.
 
If you are on a very limited budget I would recommend the Harbor Freight 8X12 Mini lathe. It will cost you around $100.00 with a 20% off coupon. I have a Jet VS and love it but when I'm on the road I take my HF Mini Variable Speed lathe. I have turned hundreds of pens on it. I recommend this lathe for a new penturner. It a great little lathe just to have around.

Dennis
Sacramento, CA
 
Good call on the Rikon. There are a lot of lathes that would have done the job but I think you'll find better product support from a mainstream name like Rikon, or Jet, or Delta.

Enjoy the new tool :)
 
Richard, you made a very good choice. They have a very good reputation for quality and service!:smile:

Even if you should eventually want to upgrade, you will always find a use for the Rikon.

Many of us here have more than one lathe. :biggrin:
Often the second one becomes a dedicated buffer.
While many go from smaller to BIGGER, my needs were just the opposite. I wanted a small lathe that I could carry into my basement.

Enjoy that lathe!:smile:
 
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