alamocdc
Member
Brown dropped it off about 6:30PM. I haven't had a chance to turn anything on it yet, but I did get it set up and gave it a good going over. First the good. All the painted surfaces looked good. No paint was missing, or chipped. This has been one of the review complaints I've seen. The bed ways are smooth and nicely polished. Not as polished as the ways on my PM3520B, but better than my two Delta Midis. The exposed surfaces (ways, etc.) came covered in a light grease, or thick oil for protection. I wiped them all down with lacquer thinner and waxed everything well. I do this to my other lathes and the tables of my saws and drill press at least twice a year. The banjo and tailstock both slide very smoothly across the ways and they each function well. The motor runs smoothly through the entire range of the speed contoller and is very quiet. I did put it under a load and it seems to have plenty of power for anything I'm likely to turn on it. Like any VS DC motor, it can be bogged down at the low end of the speed range, but if you are used to this, it isn't a problem. The reverse works well and will get plenty of use. Oh, one feature that I didn't know about from reading the specs online is the indexed headstock. It has 12 indexing notches spaced at 30 degrees and the lock has no slop. This will prove useful when I build a platform for a router to do fluting, etc. So that's the good.
Now the not so good. One of the most common complaints I've read is about the stickers not being fully adhered. Mine has this same issue. And they use plastic covered paper stickers, not decals. But this isn't a show stopper for me. I got the lathe to do work, not sit there and look pretty. I have the same philosophy for my pickup truck. Another common complaint is that the belt cover is flimsy plastic and sometimes comes broken in shipment. It is flimsy plastic, but serves its purpose. Mine was not broken and the lathe came double boxed (probably to solve this problem). The cover has a latch to keep small fingers from being hurt by the pulleys. They include a special key for this and mine was latched so tightly that I bent the key when opening it. Not a big deal really. It isn't latched so tightly now and I can use a large screwdriver in place of the 1/16 soft metal key. The belt tension lever has so little movement when released that it may as well not be there. The belt can still be changed from step to step easily enough, but not as easily as my two Deltas. I doubt I'll change it much anyway; I haven't found the need on the Delta that I added the PSI VS kit to. While the tailstock locks firmly in place, the entire column (MT2 cylinder and hand wheel) has about 3/16" of horizontal movement that I don't understand. But it doesn't seem to affect the functionality. If you have it slid forward when you try to engage an insert, such as a live center or drill chuck, it will slide back until it contacts the stops. I don't know if this is a design issue, or just sloppy manufacturing. Mike got his lathe last night too and his has the same issue. He is contacting Teknatool to get the skinny on it and will let me know what he finds. Again, none of these are real show stoppers for me.
But this one nearly was. The headstock and tailstock did not align properly. The vertical alignment was good, but the tailstock was 1/32" off toward the turner. I was not happy! And I wasn't sure what to do about it. After dinner I went back out to the shop and looked things over and it dawned on me to see if there might be some play in the through holes of the headstock where the bolts hold the bed in place. I discovered that all four bolts were loose. A few raps from a rubber mallet later and everything lines up perfectly! I double checked the alignment after I got all the bolts tight and all is right with the world. I can't wait to put it through its paces this evening.
Bottom line, if you are one who has to have everything perfect, this lathe may disappoint you. If you are one who is willing to sacrifice some aesthetics as long as it saves you money while delivering plenty of functionality, you will like this lathe. I am one of those. I saved at least $200 over the Jet and $300 over the Delta. Yes, I gave up 1/4 hp from the Delta (not sure about the Jet), but I don't believe I'll miss that too much.
If you saw my Delta set up on the Dewalt mitersaw stand, you will notice that the Comet is a bit longer. I had about 12" of stand not covered by the Delta. I only have about 6" not covered by the Comet.
Concerning the coupler for adding optional devices, it is not and likely will not be installed. I have no need for the grinder. Now if they come out with a 12" disk sander attachment with a good table, I'm all over it. Even a 9" would be good.
Now the not so good. One of the most common complaints I've read is about the stickers not being fully adhered. Mine has this same issue. And they use plastic covered paper stickers, not decals. But this isn't a show stopper for me. I got the lathe to do work, not sit there and look pretty. I have the same philosophy for my pickup truck. Another common complaint is that the belt cover is flimsy plastic and sometimes comes broken in shipment. It is flimsy plastic, but serves its purpose. Mine was not broken and the lathe came double boxed (probably to solve this problem). The cover has a latch to keep small fingers from being hurt by the pulleys. They include a special key for this and mine was latched so tightly that I bent the key when opening it. Not a big deal really. It isn't latched so tightly now and I can use a large screwdriver in place of the 1/16 soft metal key. The belt tension lever has so little movement when released that it may as well not be there. The belt can still be changed from step to step easily enough, but not as easily as my two Deltas. I doubt I'll change it much anyway; I haven't found the need on the Delta that I added the PSI VS kit to. While the tailstock locks firmly in place, the entire column (MT2 cylinder and hand wheel) has about 3/16" of horizontal movement that I don't understand. But it doesn't seem to affect the functionality. If you have it slid forward when you try to engage an insert, such as a live center or drill chuck, it will slide back until it contacts the stops. I don't know if this is a design issue, or just sloppy manufacturing. Mike got his lathe last night too and his has the same issue. He is contacting Teknatool to get the skinny on it and will let me know what he finds. Again, none of these are real show stoppers for me.
But this one nearly was. The headstock and tailstock did not align properly. The vertical alignment was good, but the tailstock was 1/32" off toward the turner. I was not happy! And I wasn't sure what to do about it. After dinner I went back out to the shop and looked things over and it dawned on me to see if there might be some play in the through holes of the headstock where the bolts hold the bed in place. I discovered that all four bolts were loose. A few raps from a rubber mallet later and everything lines up perfectly! I double checked the alignment after I got all the bolts tight and all is right with the world. I can't wait to put it through its paces this evening.
Bottom line, if you are one who has to have everything perfect, this lathe may disappoint you. If you are one who is willing to sacrifice some aesthetics as long as it saves you money while delivering plenty of functionality, you will like this lathe. I am one of those. I saved at least $200 over the Jet and $300 over the Delta. Yes, I gave up 1/4 hp from the Delta (not sure about the Jet), but I don't believe I'll miss that too much.
If you saw my Delta set up on the Dewalt mitersaw stand, you will notice that the Comet is a bit longer. I had about 12" of stand not covered by the Delta. I only have about 6" not covered by the Comet.
Concerning the coupler for adding optional devices, it is not and likely will not be installed. I have no need for the grinder. Now if they come out with a 12" disk sander attachment with a good table, I'm all over it. Even a 9" would be good.
That worked great.