It feels a bit like Xmas - New Lathe

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Painfullyslow

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Mar 5, 2022
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378
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My new Rikon 50-150VS finally showed up at my doorstep today. Now I have to clear some space and build a stand. Let the adventure begin!

RikonLathe.jpg
 
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Painfullyslow

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Mar 5, 2022
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Congrats! FIVE YEAR warranty! That is rather amazing... Says a lot when a brand really stands behind their product.
Yeah I did a fair amount of research before pulling the trigger. This Rikon is hands down the winner in the midi lathe category.

3.5" quill travel, 5yr warranty, and a 250rpm low speed really sealed the deal for me. Drilling without having to move the tailstock sounds like a good thing.
 

greenacres2

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May 2, 2017
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Northwest IN
That 5 year warranty does speak confidence in the build...I'm coming up on the 5 year mark on my 70-220VSR, and so far not a single issue to even call Rikon about, let alone file a claim. So getting the build right allows for better/longer warranty coverage for the "oops" machines.

On the other hand...that 3 1/2" spindle travel and the full range of speeds get used ALL the time. I'm willing to bet the 70-150 will please with its features. That spindle travel is awesome for a pen turner!!
earl
 

Painfullyslow

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Joined
Mar 5, 2022
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378
Location
Connecticut
Sweet those specs are nice for sure and you can't beat the warranty! Does it have reverse?
Yes, it does have reverse. I haven't felt a need for it in the past but we will see what this can do to help improve my craftsmanship.

That 5 year warranty does speak confidence in the build...I'm coming up on the 5 year mark on my 70-220VSR, and so far not a single issue to even call Rikon about, let alone file a claim. So getting the build right allows for better/longer warranty coverage for the "oops" machines.

On the other hand...that 3 1/2" spindle travel and the full range of speeds get used ALL the time. I'm willing to bet the 70-150 will please with its features. That spindle travel is awesome for a pen turner!!
earl
Glad to hear that you had had such success with yours, I hope that I am as fortunate. As of now I am using a small penpal lathe so I am severely limited in what I can do as far as turning goes but I am most looking forward to drilling on the new Rikon.

My current drill press is at least 20 years old with visible runout and I have blown apart more than a few segmented blanks on it. At least once I get the new lathe up and running I will know if the issue lies with my technique or not.

I took this as an opportunity to clean out my workspace and do a bit of shuffling around so I haven't had the chance to use it yet. The stand should be done today so I hope to get my first turnings on it done tonight/tomorrow.
 

Painfullyslow

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Joined
Mar 5, 2022
Messages
378
Location
Connecticut
I finally found the time to finish building the stand for the Rikon and got the entire thing set up. I also rigged up some dust collection for it while in the process.

Now, I am coming from a crappy little Pen-Pal lathe from PSI which I have to say, was a cheap way to get introduced to the hobby. It did its job reasonably well but I was definitely ready for something a little bit better.

First impressions of the Rikon are very positive. It is much more powerful, quieter, and less vibration than my old lathe. The tool rest feels very solid and I notice that I get a lot less harmonics when turning from the Rikon (meaning; none).

This was my first time drilling on a lathe and my first instinct after trying it for the first time was to take my old drill press out into the field and light it on fire. I hope that I never have to go back to using a drill press for blanks other than segmenting ever again.

I was also surprised at how much smoother and faster it was to turn on an actual real lathe. Tools just seemed to chew through material without effort or complaint.

Changing the belt took about 15 seconds and mostly because I am still unfamiliar with it. I am betting that I can cut that in half without too much effort. On that note, the high speed of ~3300rpm for turning was buttery smooth and I dropped it down to the low rate on the high pulley of ~920rpm for sanding/polishing. I used the bottom end of the low pulley ~250rpm for drilling and there was no bogging at all. I didn't have to apply CA finish to the one pen that I have made on it so far but I will use that low setting for that as well.

All in all I am very pleased with the purchase and am looking forward to a lot more/better turnings in the future.
 
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