This is about 30 miles from me on marketplace. How is the quality of the lathe, chucks ect and all the tools included? Would I need anything else or to replace upgrade to start pen turning only? How is the customer service and overall quality of the shop fox company, what would I need to inspect for if I did go look at this listing? Thank you
Shop fox W1704 and tools what’s it worth
- Thread starter FLTurn
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mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
The Lathe looks the same as my former Jet Mini - so a very solid mini lathe. The Nova tool rests, chucks, centers look good. The Pittsburgh tool set I would toss, or use for practice sharpening. All in all, if I was just starting or setting up a secondary lathe, I would go for it... Just my opinion. I did not see a price listing for the entire package, so that will be a consideration.
KMCloonan
Member
It looks like it uses MT1 accessories - it's harder to find chucks, live centers, other accessories for MT1 (Morris Taper). MT2 is much more prevalent.
egnald
Member
I have a Shop Fox bandsaw and it has been an excellent machine. The lathe looks like it has all of the features needed to make a great pen turning machine. (Of course the MT1 accessories can be more difficult to find, but not impossible. I did a quick scan of them on the internet and it looks like they can be found new in the $400 range. It would be good to see it in person however, to make sure the spindle turns freely, the tailstock moves in and out, and that the head and tail stocks are in relatively good alignment. - Dave
Smokey S
Member
As Mark said it looks very similar to my Jet 1014. You will need to get a pen mandrel or turn between centers set up for turning pens, which are low cost items. The lathe doesn't appear to be variable speed. That is not a game changer though, just a convenience. You can still change speeds manually by moving the drive belt on the pulleys as needed, very easy.. the chisels shown will have to be sharpened frequently, you will need to get set up for that. On my pen turning, all I use are carbide cutters, no sharpening required, just the initial carbide tools and the cutter tips are replaceable. You did not mention what the cost of the lathe was. I certainly wish that I would have purchased a larger lathe to begin with. I have definitely enjoyed turning so much that I purchased a Jet 1640 for which I have been turning bowls and more. Believe me turning is very addictive. If there is a woodturning club near you, it is well worth the time investment. I joined the Coastal Bend Woodturners in Corpus Christi, Texas shortly after buying my first lathe. They are always willing to share their knowledge with all. You can check on the American Association of Woodturners website for local chapters. Best of luck and by all means, ENJOY!……..Smokey
Noticed I didn't put the price .. seller asking $200.00 total for everything
When I looked it up online .. it stated it's a variable speed drive. Total cost seller asking $200.00 for all. Forgot to include price earlierAs Mark said it looks very similar to my Jet 1014. You will need to get a pen mandrel or turn between centers set up for turning pens, which are low cost items. The lathe doesn't appear to be variable speed. That is not a game changer though, just a convenience. You can still change speeds manually by moving the drive belt on the pulleys as needed, very easy.. the chisels shown will have to be sharpened frequently, you will need to get set up for that. On my pen turning, all I use are carbide cutters, no sharpening required, just the initial carbide tools and the cutter tips are replaceable. You did not mention what the cost of the lathe was. I certainly wish that I would have purchased a larger lathe to begin with. I have definitely enjoyed turning so much that I purchased a Jet 1640 for which I have been turning bowls and more. Believe me turning is very addictive. If there is a woodturning club near you, it is well worth the time investment. I joined the Coastal Bend Woodturners in Corpus Christi, Texas shortly after buying my first lathe. They are always willing to share their knowledge with all. You can check on the American Association of Woodturners website for local chapters. Best of luck and by all means, ENJOY!……..Smokey
If I did get it, what pen mandrel would you recommend? Are there any parts of the lathe or pieces needed such as mandrel, Chuck ect that's needed to be replaced every so often?As Mark said it looks very similar to my Jet 1014. You will need to get a pen mandrel or turn between centers set up for turning pens, which are low cost items. The lathe doesn't appear to be variable speed. That is not a game changer though, just a convenience. You can still change speeds manually by moving the drive belt on the pulleys as needed, very easy.. the chisels shown will have to be sharpened frequently, you will need to get set up for that. On my pen turning, all I use are carbide cutters, no sharpening required, just the initial carbide tools and the cutter tips are replaceable. You did not mention what the cost of the lathe was. I certainly wish that I would have purchased a larger lathe to begin with. I have definitely enjoyed turning so much that I purchased a Jet 1640 for which I have been turning bowls and more. Believe me turning is very addictive. If there is a woodturning club near you, it is well worth the time investment. I joined the Coastal Bend Woodturners in Corpus Christi, Texas shortly after buying my first lathe. They are always willing to share their knowledge with all. You can check on the American Association of Woodturners website for local chapters. Best of luck and by all means, ENJOY!……..Smokey
dschem
Member
Variable speed can mean that the speed can vary based on adjusting the belts — I have one personally and it gets the job done, but would love an electronic variable speed lathe (evs)
Smokey S
Member
Well, that certainly appears to be a fair price. A pen mandrel runs about 20 bucks or so, just saying!……Smokey
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wouldentu2?
Member
If its a second lathe then its okay. If its the first I would get a variable speed, it makes switching from turning to sanding soooooooo much more enjoyable.
SabertoothBunny
Member
I know the owner of McKenzie pen works is a very busy man, he has a "regular" 9-5 job plus running his companies. If this is the older stule of pen kit before he owned it, he most likely won't have spare parts for this kit. As explained, he has changed the designs some.