Lathe help needed

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J

jleiwig

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Jan 10, 2007
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Monroe, Ohio, USA.
Ok...So I sold a planer yesterday and have $225 from the sale to put towards a lathe.

Here are my options as I see them:

Rockler - Excelsior lathe - On Sale for $199.00. Can pick up in store
Amazon - PSI Turncrafter Pro VS Lathe - $249.00. Free shipping
Woodcraft - Rikon Mini Lathe - $329.00. Free Shipping. Local store doesn't have any in stock. Claims they can get one in 2 weeks.

Is the Rikon worth the extra $125? I know it has a larger swing, and that's probably going to be important to me in the future right? I could sneak the extra $125 past the wife if it was really worth it for "perceived quality" to her. I've heard good and bad about all three choices, and I'm really stuck as to what to get.

I was originally going to go with the excelsior, since I could look it over in the store and have the instant gratification of taking it home and opening it out of the box. The shipping of the other two scares me, and I don't like the wait.

That being said if the wait is worth it, and the extra money is worth it, I think the Rikon would be the wisest choice right?

Help! I'm beyond conflicted by this dilemma!
 
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my 2 cents worth;
yes go for the larger swing. But also check Craig's list and ebay. I found a Jet 1014 for $198 when I was shopping.
welcome to the world of turning..
but don't forget you will also need tools and a sharpening device and finish, and sand paper, and , and, and..
sneaking money past SWMBO is a DEFINATE needed skill :biggrin:
 
Our first lathe was the one from Rockler. For the price it is a pretty good deal. Since then we have bought two VS Jets but we keep all three in operation. The only thing I have bad to say about the Rockler brand is it is not VS which I personally love. Also since it is Rockler you can talk to the store manager. You should be able to get him tho toss in some blanks or maybe even a skew.

Mike
 
MLKWoodWorking said:
Our first lathe was the one from Rockler. For the price it is a pretty good deal. Since then we have bought two VS Jets but we keep all three in operation. The only thing I have bad to say about the Rockler brand is it is not VS which I personally love. Also since it is Rockler you can talk to the store manager. You should be able to get him tho toss in some blanks or maybe even a skew.

Mike
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Yeah..the manager there is great. He gave us black friday prices on thursday last year. Although I just checked the woodcraft in columbus and they have 5 of the rikons in stock.

Is it really worth the $125 bucks more it's going to cost me? That's almost enough for a good chuck or some other needed items.
 
I wouldn't do it but that is me. I have seen some pretty great bowls and vases turned on a Jet mini and the Excelsior is modeled after the Jet.

Mike
 
I have had two of the PSI from Amazon and I got my grandson one for his college graduation and have not had any problems. Seems like a decent lathe.
 
MLKWoodWorking said:
I wouldn't do it but that is me. I have seen some pretty great bowls and vases turned on a Jet mini and the Excelsior is modeled after the Jet.

Mike
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I'm beginning to think your right. Pens and pot/mouth calls are where I intend to focus much of my time. I have a built in customer base for these!
 
I have the Rikon. I am rather partial to it. I like the easy access of changing the belt speed. Makes things tons easier IMHO. Usually you can convince someone in the store at Woodcraft to give you a discount in the way of some blanks or kits. :)
 
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Have you checked out the Steel City 5 Speed Mini Lathe at Woodcraft? Probably the biggest lathe for the price available. 12" swing, 27" bed capacity, $319. A little light on HP for the size, 1/2hp, but still fully capable. Just one to consider.
 
I finally got to see that Excelsior in person. It's the same as the PSI and they're the same as the $200 :{ one. So get the one that will give you the best support. I suspect that will be Rockler.

I have the PSI flavor and it's a solid and capable lathe. But I really miss the VS feature of my old HF micro lathe. So get the vs version of whatever lathe you decide on if you can.
 
Well...an interesting development may have occured. I have another tool listed on craigslist that it would take a special buyer to buy. Well this morning when I checked my email, my special buyer asked if I wanted to trade my tool for a brand new in the box Delta planer. So if I trade that and then sell the planer I will have around $500-600 to spend on the lathe. What should I look for then?

To be honest I've never looked at any of the lathes in that price range because I never thought I'd be able to afford one. So any suggestions on that front?
 
To add to my interesting development I just found out that Woodcraft is having their 10 year store anniversary May 1-3. Specials and discounts are supposed to be really good according to their flyer. This makes things even more interesting. A trip to Woodcraft will be in order before heading down to Rockler. I may not even need to go to rockler if the deals are good enough on the Jet stuff at Woodcraft!

Darn...things get so complicated so quickly!
 
I have 2 of the Rikon lathes and I work with a bunch of high school kids with them. They have been very good lathes that have taken their fair share of abuse and have never let me down. I would buy another one if I needed another lathe. They are also a lot more popular in my shop than my Jet lathe is.
 
I would opt for the VS over increased swing and bed length. I believe most mini lathes come with a 1/2 HP motor and don't have the power to handle larger items even if the lathe has the swing for it.

I have a Jet 1014 VS. Even with freshly sharpened bowl gouge it does not do well when I put a piece of wood on there that is anywhere near the 10" swing capacity. I have since bought a much larger Grizzly 2HP 16 x 43 to do my bowls. I still do all small items on the Jet and I love that it has the VS.
 
If you move up in price range, check out the Jet 1220. Great machine. Has a 3/4hp motor, 12" swing and 20" between centers. Also comes in multi-speed, or variable speed. I think woodcraft is having a 20% off sale on all jet power tools soon, so you could probably get a 1220 for less than 400 bucks which would be quite a good deal!

Good luck in whatever you decide, and welcome to the addiction!!
 
You can always drive the 70 miles to Columbus and get one right away. Woodcraft and Wood Werks both have several lathes in several sizes and you can compare them side-by-side. Plus you can look at the $50+ wood pen blanks at Wood Werks.
 
I have had a Jet 1220 non variable since they came out and love it BUT as soon as I can catch a sale I am going to buy the 1220 VS.
 
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