jeff3285

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jeff3285

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2014
Messages
123
Location
greensboro nc
Hi to everyone,,,im new on here and trying to get into pen turning,,,so any help would be welcome,,,,i been looking at mini lathes,,its a tough decision on which one to get,,,jet,,rikon,,,trucraft,,,or a nova come,,,,HELP!!!
 
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Welcome!!

You will find supporters for nearly every brand of mini lathe.

Personally, I have a few Jet mini's, one VS, the others belt speed control. Also have a Delta VS---like them all. The Delta has reverse, if you sand wood, it might be useful, I don't think I have ever used it--I like the lathe.

Good luck in your search!!

Ed
 
Welcome from Texas.
I have the Excelsior mini lathe from Rockler & Harbor Freight sells an identical unit under their brand name. It's probably your cheapest option if cost is a concern. So for it's handled all my lathe needs, but I only do small projects. There are times that I wish I had a VS rather than a belt drive, but I mostly leave it in 4th gear for almost everything & rarely change speeds.
 
Welcome from Ohio!

As Ed said, lots of good options, you'll get lots of opinions.

I have the Jet Mini (non VS), and a Nova 16 x 24. I love them both.

For pens I mostly use the Jet, but I do drill my blanks on the Nova.

Try to check out a class, or local turner where you can try the lathe. Before I bought, I took a beginner's pen class at a Woodcraft store and was able to try out 3 different lathes!

Enjoy and have fun - your wallet will be getting thinner!:party:
 
Listen to Ed......all of the lathes are good ones. It really is up to you and your wallet. I say to most beginners.....start cheap and small. Harbor Freight has a usable lathe that, once you commit to the hobby, is easily made into a buffing station.
If you decide this isn't for you, you haven't put out a lot of money

Welcome to the IAP.......Enjoy yourself.
 
Penturning, woodturning, metalturning, each can need a 2nd mortgage if you're not careful. You need to do a lot of reading before you start so that you won't be asking yourself "Why the he** did I buy that! Might I also suggest that you try to find what you need by going to the "Links" and the "Library" at the top of the site. Where I live there are no Woodcrafts, Rocklers, or anything else, so I appreciate the prices and service provided by all the Vendors on this site and the gazillions of ideas in the Library. Have fun and turn SAFELY!:biggrin:
 
Welcome to the group, Jeff! I'm sure you'll like it here.

I'm no expert on lathes, so I'll leave that to others. I recently sold my Jet 1236 and bought a new PSI Turncrafter VS that I'm enjoying using. Go with your budget and don't look back!
 
Welcome from Kansas City! I have a Jet 1221 VS and love the devil out of it. It has been my best friend since I got into the hobby. I differ a little bit from the others. I say get the best lathe and tools that you can afford, so you don't have to re-buy when you figure out you really do love the hobby!
 
Welcome Jeff. I also have an excelsior lathe. 10 X 18 It works fine for me and if you watch Rockler they have good sales on them. Right now it is $279 with a 3 piece set of tools. Look around.

Mine has been from SE Michigan to Chicago back to Michigan and then down to Houston. I am waiting for the movers to get it back up to Michigan again. Still worked well in Houston after the moves.
 
Like Allen said, the Excelsior is a really good entry level lathe. I used one Saturday to do the demo at the local Rockler and it works well. Welcome aboard.
WB
 
Hi Jeff, welcome to IAP! You can learn a lot from what is already written here. While there is no answer to your question, if you search on "which lathe" on the home page, you will get over 4,400 opinions.
 
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