harbor freight jet mini?

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sparhawk

sparhawk

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Has anyone seen a jet mini knockoff from Central Machinery?(Harbor frieght). My friend that got me started turning pens said he was in H.F. the other day and they had a Central Machinery mini lathe that looked just like our Jet minis on sale for $169. Just wondering if anybody else hasa seen it.
 
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This is probably what you are talking about.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65345

Impossible to evaluate the quality from a picture; but I do see two problems. First off, it only has a #1 Morse taper which is somewhat limiting. Secondly, the lowest speed is 750 RPMs which is a little than most folks prefer. (The Jet has a min. speed of 500 RPMs which is still a little high.)

This is speculative; but most lathes that have a #1 MT usually have only a 3/4" x 16 thread on the spindle nose. This, also, is a little limiting and will require that you use adapters for some accessories.

You can get a lathe (TurnCrafterPro Midi) that appears to be identical from PSI (of course there will be shipping involved-$42); but you will get #2 Morse tapers, a 1"x 8 nose thread and 500 RPMs at the low end.
 
Are the hp the same on the motors? You probably get a better warranty with a Jet. I have a Turncrafter Pro myself and really like it. I have never tried a Jet or any other so I have nothing to compare to.
 
Randy_ said:
This is probably what you are talking about.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65345

Impossible to evaluate the quality from a picture; but I do see two problems. First off, it only has a #1 Morse taper which is somewhat limiting. Secondly, the lowest speed is 750 RPMs which is a little than most folks prefer. (The Jet has a min. speed of 500 RPMs which is still a little high.)

This is speculative; but most lathes that have a #1 MT usually have only a 3/4" x 16 thread on the spindle nose. This, also, is a little limiting and will require that you use adapters for some accessories.

You can get a lathe (TurnCrafterPro Midi) that appears to be identical from PSI (of course there will be shipping involved-$42); but you will get #2 Morse tapers, a 1"x 8 nose thread and 500 RPMs at the low end.
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That one looks exactly like my grizzly with a different name and a MT1. Mine is a MT2. I think for the extra couple of bucks, I would go with the Grizzly.
http://grizzly.com/products/10-x-18-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/H8259
 
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He didnt say what morse taper it was, just that it looked like our jets. Was just curious in case anybody was lookin for a lathe. I try to steer away from most of harbor Freight machinery. I havent had any bad experiences with it(since i havent bought any:biggrin:) but i'm just not sure about it. I wouldnt trade my Jet for anything(unless it was bigger and better:wink:) like a powermatic or oneway.
 
I got the steel city lathe. Like it a lot except the switch is junk. I bought a foot switch from HF and use it now.
 
I read where 80% of the lathes coming from China are all made in the same foundry and machined by the same company....Changsha Jinling Machine Tool Co., Ltd in Changsha City in Hunan Providence. This is why so many look the same...paint one white, another red and a third green. They are affordable (built to a price) but not quality machines. I've had my Jet for about a year and the bearings are gone. I've also needed to change the belt 3 times and the switch once. You get what you pay for. If I thought I was gonna turn another 5 years I'd be buying a Oneway now. I understand the Oneways are made in Canada and are more hand made than cookie cutter punched out.
 
OldWrangler said:
I read where 80% of the lathes coming from China are all made in the same foundry and machined by the same company....Changsha Jinling Machine Tool Co., Ltd in Changsha City in Hunan Providence. This is why so many look the same...paint one white, another red and a third green. They are affordable (built to a price) but not quality machines. I've had my Jet for about a year and the bearings are gone. I've also needed to change the belt 3 times and the switch once. You get what you pay for. If I thought I was gonna turn another 5 years I'd be buying a Oneway now. I understand the Oneways are made in Canada and are more hand made than cookie cutter punched out.
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Reminds me about a story my grandfather told me. When he was a young man he worked at the Quaker Oats factory in Michigan. Some days they would package Quaker Oats, some days General Mills and some days black and white boxes that just said "Oats". We all know HF offers knock-offs, I have several things in my shop from HF. None of which require electricity or have moving parts.:biggrin:
 
I would run, not walk, but run away. When we started wood working, I purchased the top end hf variable speed lathe, 14 inch bandsaw and 17 speed full size drill press. All was well for about 4 months, then things started to go wrong. The handles on the tool rest came off because the bolts were rounding, the motor started to make rattling noises and now I have to manually turn the spindle to get it started turning. The drill press head needed to be replaced and the power switch just went out. I sold the band saw before even assembling it. The store just gave me a phone number for the parts department. I saved up some money and bought jet tools and am very happy with them.

Lots of things from hf are great and I still shop there, but now with a wary eye.

Ken
 
Those of you that think that HF does not have any good tools that run on electricity need to go read Andrew's review of their variable speed lathe. It is a very good review of a very good lathe. No, it is not a Nova or a Oneway but it is comparable to similar lathes if not better. For some reason we have this preconceived notion that all things made in China and all things priced cheaply are MADE CHEAPLY and while that is true on some things it is not true on all things. Warranties and tech support seem to be the difference maker and that may make it worth it to buy from a different (not necessarily better) company.
 
rjwolfe3 said:
Those of you that think that HF does not have any good tools that run on electricity need to go read Andrew's review of their variable speed lathe. It is a very good review of a very good lathe. No, it is not a Nova or a Oneway but it is comparable to similar lathes if not better. For some reason we have this preconceived notion that all things made in China and all things priced cheaply are MADE CHEAPLY and while that is true on some things it is not true on all things. Warranties and tech support seem to be the difference maker and that may make it worth it to buy from a different (not necessarily better) company.
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Agreed. I've already mentally committed to buying a 34706 lathe as soon as I can figure out where to put it.
 
sparhawk said:
I try to steer away from most of harbor Freight machinery. I havent had any bad experiences with it(since i havent bought any:biggrin:) but i'm just not sure about it. I wouldnt trade my Jet for anything(unless it was bigger and better:wink:) like a powermatic or oneway.
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If you are looking for tools for light duty, HF has some pretty good deals... you'll also get some Chinese crap in some of them. I have a number of HF tools that work great... a 3/8" drill, my desktop drill press (although if I had my druthers, I'd druther have a floor model like a Delta, or Jet or something a little bigger.), my arbor press, my Dust collector all came from HF. I Like my Jet lathes though.
 
Chuck Key said:
Just got a HF flyer in the mail today. The 34706 is on sale for $219 and there is a 15% coupon on the flyer. Net cost $187
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At that price, I might have to get it and find a place for it later. Now, where is my flyer? I'm pretty sure that I haven't gotten it yet.
 
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