Jet small lathe

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george

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2006
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458
Location
Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Hello !

I am looking for some small lathe, mainly for pen turning. Can some perhaps give me opinion on Jet JWL 1220 and JML 1014 lathe ? Is it worth it to add extra 170 $ for eletronic (variabile) speed ? If I go with normal belt changing of RPM, is that quickly done on this lathe ?

But if I want to drill cartridges - I guess this can not be done in such small lathe. If I go one step further, can this be done by your experiences JWL 1236 or is that still to small for accurate drilling of metal ?

Since I would like to purchase machine in Europe , the offer is not so big on small lathes.

Thank you in advance for possible answers.
 
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Drilling the cartridges is no problem on the small lathes. If you want to change the speed manually I reccomend the Rikon otherwise go the extra $ and get the Jet with the variable speed. The cartridges are best held in a collet when drilling. No slipping or marring of the shell.
 
Greets, George!

I have a Jet JML 1014 and love it. I've used it for turning pens, bowls, cups, vases, pipes, and even aluminum parts. I don't have variable speed, and I can change speeds in less than 5 seconds. For me, it's not necessary.

As far as drilling cartridges, as in ammunition, yes it can be done on this lathe. You will really want a collet chuck for that operation, but the same holds true of any lathe of any size. The limiting factor here is the RPM speed. 500 RPM, the slowest speed of the 1014, is fine for drilling brass, aluminum, copper, bronze, and other soft metals, but is on the upper limit for turning and shaping those metals.
 
Thank you, Kurt and Phil. Just one stupid question - does pen mandrells, available in CSUSA ... (MT 2 and MT 1) fits to Jet lathes ? The reason I am questioning, is no experiences in MT systems.

Thanks again.
 
Mine has to be changed by grabbing the belt. To me, it's a matter of where the money is best spent. I'd take that $170 and get some other tools. Both lathes change speed, one just takes one more step, so your not losing functionality, just ease. If budget is low, skip the creature comforts and get as much gear as you can.
 
I have the 1220VS. It has everything that I would want in a small lathe. It has about a 2.5 inch tailstock travel. If you grind the end off your jacobs chuck, it'll drill all but one or two kits. In which case, you trun the lathe off, losten the tailstock clamp, and screw it back, tighten, turn the lathe back on, and go again.
I hope this helps.
 
Thank you all for advices. I am going for JET in short time.
I am more exited than when I was getting married (wife never visit this site).

Thanks again.
 
george said:
Thank you all for advices. I am going for JET in short time.
I am more exited than when I was getting married (wife never visit this site).

Thanks again.
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Enjoy the Jet. This forum, and several others are almost houses of worship for the mini-Jet. While the electronic variable speed is nice (I have another brand full sized lathe with EVS), keep in mind that for almost two centuries a lot of turning was done with step pulley lathes. They work fine, cost less and are reliable.
 
I've recently purchased a STEEL CITY VS ($269.00 CAD) lathe to replace my Jet 1014. Great price for a VS mini and seems to be as well built as the Jet. I will hopefully do a quick review(for the Steel City) down the line, unless someone here does it first.
 
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As Frank mentioned, there are hoards of people praising Jet (me included) for a good reason. It has a very good track record. It is not perfect and there are some who got lemons but odds are on your favor.

Having the standard size MT and head stock thread also helps a lot; in ease of finding them, price and IF you eventually upgrade.

Re: VS, I am a proponent of it if you can afford it. Don't let it be the show stopper but you will never regret paying extra for it. I think I did a survey once a few years back and only one out of the numerous respondents regretted it. Most are happy that they got it and a lot wished they did.

Some new lathes came that look similar and a lot of turners reported good things about them. Long term satisfaction is another issue but the verdict is yet to come on that one.

Bottom line, I think you made a great choice.
 
Dario said:
I think I did a survey once a few years back and only one out of the numerous respondents regretted it. Most are happy that they got it and a lot wished they did.
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I wish I had spent the extra money for the upgrade. The belt system is easy to operate and I have no complaints about my Jet. But, it would be nice to be able to change speeds with the turn of a dial -- especially during the finishing phase when your hands are dirty and you have rags and bottles and paper towels and sandpaper everywhere.
 
Thank you all for suportive words. Based on them, I am sure I have made right decision. The last thing I must decide is changing belts againt EVS. Will go visit the seller in few days and see how fast belt is changed. I do not wish to spend more money then nessesery, but I AM PRETTY SURE that in few months I will say "Why did I not purchased EVS. It is not like I am buying new lathe every year."

Thanks again to all.
 
Well, keep in mind, it's not really that you change belts.

The one belt goes around a pulley at the top (headstock) and one at the bottom (motor) and you just reach back there and slide the belt up and down the pulleys (which are basically a stepped cone shape). Once you've done it a few times it's pretty quick. Maybe 20 seconds? It's a bit of a pain, but if your like me, I'd rather spend the money on more *stuff* than to make my life a little bit easier but equally functional.
 
My wood lathe $99 (22 years ago) is variable speed with belt changing. My metal lathe $400 (2 years ago) is EVS. I am now looking for a new wood lathe and EVS is a must. Yes the belt changing only takes about 10 seconds or so but in the process of finishing a pen this is 10 seconds times 4. plus it is pre set speeds. the EVS I can dial in any speed that I like at the moment. I hate fidgity and belt changing is about as bad as you can get in fidgity. I want quick change on my drill bits so I am a pretty sorry case.
 
I have a Jet Mini and thought it would be relegated to making small pens and toys only, but 10" is a nice size for bowls too. They are great machines. Whichever machine you end up getting, you will have a blast. Good turning.
 
Had a Rikon . . loved it

I used to have the Rikon and loved it. However, changing the belts got really old when I started turning more. I would save a few more pennies for the VS. I got a Jet 1442 VS (bigger than a midi) off of Craigslist and when I sold the Rikon and all of the accessories that he gave with the Jet, I basically upgraded for free ($800 for the 1442 VSK with 9 turning tools (some Sorby), a Oneway Talon chuck, brand new collet chuck system, and a ton of pen kits). I sold all of his stuff as it was basically new.
 
Thank you all. I have ordered today JWL 1220, and should be in my workshop in few days. I was having a BIG trouble deciding wheter to go with VS, but just when I decided to spend that extra 170 $ for VS, the seller said that delivery date of lathe with VS was at the start of february 09. Next moment I have decided for the lathe without VS, which is in stock some central warehouse in Europe.

Since this is the only seller of JET in my country, I do not have that many choice, but hey - I saved 170 $ (not really, since I have ordered some extra drill chuck, pen mandrells ...)
 
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