Lathe Recommendations for 14 Year Old...

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Dave Winters

Dave Winters

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
67
Location
Steamboat Springs, CO
Hi!
I have grown out of my HF lathe. Dad got it for me to see if I liked turning, and I want to upgrade, probably can put together $500.00 or so. What are my choices?
Thanks in advance..
Cody
 
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A buddy of mine has had a nova comet for 3 weeks and it is garbage. He's been waiting on a new tailstock for a week. I don't have any suggestions other than to stay far away from the comet, too many plastic parts.
 
Wheelman said:
A buddy of mine has had a nova comet for 3 weeks and it is garbage. He's been waiting on a new tailstock for a week. I don't have any suggestions other than to stay far away from the comet, too many plastic parts.
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I've never turned on one but it seems the vast majority of reviews are positive.

It's good to hear these poor reviews though too.

It's also good to know where the week points are.
 
The week points are usually Tuesday and Wednesday Dan :biggrin:

Cody, if you can, try a few out. Get the feel for each one and read as many reviews as you can. I had my heart set in the Delta 46-460, and knew that was THE lathe for me. Then I read many reviews to find out the Jet 1221VS was a superior product by a superior company. By all means, buy the best you can when you can. If you can save up an extra $300, go with a midi VS lathe that has all the features along with the size. $500 doesn't get you a whole lot larger than the HF mini lathe, just better quality and a few more features.

JMHO. Others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but Cody is looking at a large investment for someone his age, and it should last him a long time.
 
I bought the comet II last September and did a lot of research on lathes I could purchase in Canada before I bought it . I have had no problems with the lathe other than if your in Canada you can't get all the accessories that go with it . if you decide to buy one make sure the end cap on the motor is silver that is a better motor and before you turn anything run the machine for 20 minutes on high speed . something to do with the brushes .
 
Jet 1014VS...find one on the used market. The "VS" means it's a variable speed. Life is too short (even at 14) to turn without variable speed. :smile:

I picked one up recently for $325. Had one a year or so before that for $400 (a buddy has that one now).

For pens, I like it better than my much larger Nova 3000 (which also has variable speed and is a good lathe...but for small things, Jet's 1014VS is pretty nice).
 
Wheelman said:
A buddy of mine has had a nova comet for 3 weeks and it is garbage. He's been waiting on a new tailstock for a week. I don't have any suggestions other than to stay far away from the comet, too many plastic parts.
Click to expand...

I have a nova comet and I have never had a problem. Turned hundreds of pens. The only plastic part is the belt cover so I'm not sure what you mean by too many plastic parts? Overall it is a very good lathe and I would say the best for its price/features. Hate your buddy is having problems with his, but from the reviews that is not the norm!
I compared the Rikon and was going to purchase it, just so happened to find a used nova comet in new condition for a good deal so I went with it. No regrets here.
 
personally i would scour craigslist for a good deal on a lathe. lots of junk but once in a while if your not in a rush something comes up that is worth it
 
I've found lots of usable tools on Craigslist but warranties are nice to have. You may still have downtime but issues get fixed & the mfg. pays the cost.

I was fortunate to find one for $399 (see my previous post) with a full warranty that had been a demo. If anyone would like to know where they can get one (they had a few more) I can give you the info. PM me though as I won't post that in the open forum.

Disclaimer: I'm not profiting on this in any way, except for the new friends I make along the way. :smile:
 
The most important question is what do you think you will want to turn? If you only see yourself turning pens that leads to one answer. If you think you want to start turning other things (bowls, spindles) then save up and go for something the size of the Jet 1221. If you are not sure, go for the bigger lathe. You will not regret it.

My opinion is to go with a lathe with variable speed, a minimum of 12" of turning capacity and a 1HP motor. A #2 Morse taper, and 1"x8 threaded spindle are the most common and will make adding accessories easy.
 
When I was 14 I started saving (now 16) but I am now a very happy owner of a Jet 1221. I would save some more and get a 1221 I know that if will be a valued and lifetime investment.
 
I thought I'd follow up on the comet ii, I stopped at my buddy's house today, his new tailstock arrived. I got the whole story from him. The first unit he got he returned the next day because the brushes never settled in??? Horrible noise from the motor after running it for what should have been plenty of time. The second lathe he has had the bolt break out of the top clamp on the tail stock, and the bottom clamp broke the next day. He swears he was not over tightening either one. I agree the reviews on this lathe are good for the most part and it is the lathe I was going to purchase a few months ago. Whatever lathe you decide on good luck with your turning!
 
I made several hundred pens on my Comet and it worked fine. If I could fault it anywhere it would however be the tail stock. None of the lathes are perfect and all have some sort of minor irritations. I would not however make a blanket statement that any of them are garbage, seems kind of harsh. I now have a Jet 1221 and it also has its own issues although minor just like any issues I had with the Comet.

Wheelman said:
A buddy of mine has had a nova comet for 3 weeks and it is garbage. He's been waiting on a new tailstock for a week. I don't have any suggestions other than to stay far away from the comet, too many plastic parts.
Click to expand...
 
I have a Grizzly mini lathe (the one with variable speed) that I like, but if I were doing it over, I would probably spring for the Turncrafter.
 
mikespenturningz said:
Wheelman said:
A buddy of mine has had a nova comet for 3 weeks and it is garbage. He's been waiting on a new tailstock for a week. I don't have any suggestions other than to stay far away from the comet, too many plastic parts.
Click to expand...
I made several hundred pens on my Comet and it worked fine. If I could fault it anywhere it would however be the tail stock. None of the lathes are perfect and all have some sort of minor irritations. I would not however make a blanket statement that any of them are garbage, seems kind of harsh. I now have a Jet 1221 and it also has its own issues although minor just like any issues I had with the Comet.
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In Rick's defense, he didn't state that all comets were garbage. He stated that his friend's comet was garbage. Comets could be the best lathes in the world, but his buddy got a lemon.

He was merely posting his opinion, which is what the OP requested.
 
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