Starter Kit

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3beagle78

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Jan 19, 2005
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Leesville, LA, USA.
Hi everyone,
This is my first post. I was thinking about trying pen turning but really had no idea where to start. I plan on ordering the video by Bill Baumbeck. Craft supplies has a starter kit that comes with a Jet Pen Lathe I think it is 1/2 horse power.The kit cost 189.00. Would this be a good kit to start with or would ya'll reccomend to buy everything seperate. Thanks for any info

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cgi-bin/shopper?search=action&keywords=pen-starter-kit
 
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In my opinion the weak link is the lathe. It will do pens fine but little else and is NOT expandible. Also the tools that come with the standard lathe (which I saw at Rockler's) are the pits. Even Harbor Freight sells better.

Other than that - go fer it! Can't beat the price!!
 
I totally agree with Tip. The pen lathe was a flop, they have been selling them for about $30 at the Jet clearance center. The mandrel uses a #0 Morse taper, and you cannot get mandrels or any other accessories for it, unless you want to pay a fortune.

Best small lathe around is the Jet Mini. You cannot go wrong with that one.

And much better than the Jet Pen Lathe, the Wilton, availabe from Amazon for $100 with free shipping. Wilton is from the same company as Jet, the WMS tool group. It is a lot beefier than the pen lathe, and unlike the pen lathe, mandrels and other accessories are widely available. The lathe bed is cast iron, and is about 44 lbs.
 
Welcome Brandon!!! I haven't used the little lathe you're speaking of---my thought is that it's underpowered as I think it is 1/12 hp. For someone on a budget and only wanted to turn pens---if one can be had for $30 it would at least get them started---but, I have the feeling a little larger lathe would be a better purchase.
 
I bought a brand new pen lathe at a garage sale for $25 and used it for about a month and then bought a Jet mini. For a very few people with specialized circumstances it will do a decent job of turning pens; but for 95 out of 100 people, the pen lathe is not the best choice.
 
Brandon,
Check out this link http://tinyurl.com/6c9ak, This is one of the lathes that I purchased a year ago. I have a full size Craftsman as well. This would be a better purchase I think, than the Jet pen lathe for the money. I have turned over 1,000 pens with this lathe and it is still running well. I'm going to be purchasing a bigger lathe within the next month or so for bowl turning.
 
Brandon,
PSI offers a free DVD "A Beginner's Guide to Pen Turning on the Lathe". 1-800-377-7297
I bought the 1014 Jet mini lathe and starter set one and two and I am having a ball distroying wood ! Welcome to the group , you will find everyone here ready and willing to answer any question that you might have.
 
A friend of mine just offered me his lathe. You could probably just about have it for free. Only one minor problem.....it was made in the teens or twenties, it has a 9.5 foot bed, a 14inch swing, and probably weighs about 2.5 tons. It is solid steele. Rumor has it that it started life in machine shop in Detroit in the early days of car manufacturing. I think I will stick with my setup.
 
Great to have you with the group, Brandon! I agree with others that the Jet Mini lathe is a good one to have. I have not had any problems with mine. Some of my main turning tools are Harbor Freight. Kirk[8D]
 
This is a set that most turners don't look at, because it is called a carving set.

I bought it over 2 yrs. ago, and I use some of the chisels all the time. It is not HSS, but looks like a very high quality steel, and takes a real fine edge. Just be careful when grinding.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=31607
 
I got a Pen Lathe as my first one...and it was good for what it was made for. I think it is kind of hard to work with because the tool rest and tailstock use bolts an wrenches connected ti them to loosen and tighten, not the easy bar type thing on the Jet Mini. If at all possible, go for the mini. I got a pen lathe, then not half a year later I "grew out of it" and got a Variable Speed Jet mini.

Jake
 
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