Hello from a So.Texas Newbie

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R

RManchester

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2026
Messages
3
Location
Seguin, TX
Thank you for letting me into this group. I am a new pen making enthusiast. I've only turned several practice pieces from the pecan and mesquite trees that grow here. Currently I have an RTC GL1000 Wood lathe that I really need to upgrade.
I would really appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!
 
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Welcome to IAP. There are a sackful of lathes out there. Be prepared for a lot of answers. Like asking what is the best car. Do you have a budget? You can go to Facebook or YouTube and get reviews on lathes and other shop equipment.
 
Greetings from Nebraska and welcome to the IAP community.

I started out with a Harbor Freight lathe and after a couple of years changing belts to set the speed, I waited for a JET sale and bought a JET 1221VS from a Woodcraft store in Omaha, NE. The variable speed is fantastic. I can go from 3600 RPM for turning down to the mid 100's for finishing without having to move the belt! I have made a few minor improvements to it since then though such as an improved banjo nut from Rick Herrell, Rockler dust scoop for my shop vacuum, Rockler tool rests, a home built rotating handle for the tailstock, and an aux On/Off switch mounted in a more convenient place (on the left side of the lathe) for me for when I am wet sanding.

Once again, welcome to the community! - Dave
 
Welcome! As you are probably starting to see, you will get a wide variety of answers to your question on lathes! I suggest one thing to all newbie turners - seek out a local AAW turning club in your area and talk to experienced turners live and in person! Most clubs have lathes you can use or try - allowing you to do some test drives before committing. Get familiar with the specs on a lathe for potential turnings beyond pens - as you will probably get hooked on pens, but want to do the occasional other turning that will possibly require more swing space or bed length. My other advice is really look at electronic variable speed lathes - being able to vary the speed as you turn without using wrenches or belt gizmos will make things more pleasant for the money spent.

Have fun and pay no attention to the screaming coming out of your wallet!!!

Kevin
 
egnald said:
Greetings from Nebraska and welcome to the IAP community.

I started out with a Harbor Freight lathe and after a couple of years changing belts to set the speed, I waited for a JET sale and bought a JET 1221VS from a Woodcraft store in Omaha, NE. The variable speed is fantastic. I can go from 3600 RPM for turning down to the mid 100's for finishing without having to move the belt! I have made a few minor improvements to it since then though such as an improved banjo nut from Rick Herrell, Rockler dust scoop for my shop vacuum, Rockler tool rests, a home built rotating handle for the tailstock, and an aux On/Off switch mounted in a more convenient place (on the left side of the lathe) for me for when I am wet sanding.

Once again, welcome to the community! - Dave
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Hi Dave, Thanks for your reply.
The Jet1221VS is one I am seriously looking at, another is the Rikon 70 15-16 VRS. Is the Jet 1 HP motor adequate, or is the extra .25 HP with Rikon worth looking at. Rikon also including an basic chuck.
Thanks, Rick
 
+1 for the Jet JWL-1221VS

It is more than adequate for anything you will ever do turning pens.

Another thing I REALLY like about it is that with the belt in the high position your speed range is 220-3,600 rpm. For pen making you will never need to move the belt.

If you want to start doing bowls and other things, you will need to move the belt to get the necessary torque.
 
RManchester said:
Hi Dave, Thanks for your reply.
The Jet1221VS is one I am seriously looking at, another is the Rikon 70 15-16 VRS. Is the Jet 1 HP motor adequate, or is the extra .25 HP with Rikon worth looking at. Rikon also including an basic chuck.
Thanks, Rick
Click to expand...
So far I have only made pens, tool handles, and other small turnings and it has been working just great for me. The extra HP would come into play if you are ever planning on turning big hunks of wood - like maybe 8-inches in diameter or more. Of course I will likely never need that because I have no plans on turning big chunks of wood - like for bowls. Spinning that huge hunk of wood is just too intimidating for me.

One of the benefits of the Rikon is that I would appreciate is that it has a brushless motor, although I've never had to change the brushes on my JET (I've been using it for close to 10 years already). The extra HP should also provide better torque at the lower speeds. I think the Rikon might also come with a Z3 50mm chuck, so there's another $100 or so of value vs the JET. I went with the Nova G3 chuck series which is very similar in design and features, but I had to put out the extra cash for it.

The benefits of the JET from my understanding is that it can run at slower speeds even with the belt on the high speed range. My JET runs between 200 RPM and 3600 RPM with the belt on that setting. It is my understanding that the same range on the Rikon is somewhere around 900 RPM to 3200 RPM, so to get down to 250, one would likely have to move the belt to the slowest speed range. The JET is also a little heavier, which should help with vibration (maybe a little anyway). JET comes in at about 120 lbs. vs. the Rikon at around 100 lbs.

I guess for me, when I made the choice of brands it came down to price more than anything as my JET was on sale when I bought it. Regardless of what you wind up with, I'm sure it will perform great as both brands are very well established and produce high quality products.

Best Regards,
Dave
 
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