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Daniel

Daniel

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Reno, NV, USA.
Hi folks, need some input on lathes. I started my wood shop way to many years ago to admit. Back then $100 was a lot of money with brand new babies and all. So most of my shop equipment was $99 HF type stuff. Surprisingly in all the years that I have been turning I have never upgraded my $99 pipe bed no brand name lathe. Buuuuuut, I am really tired of missing out. I know this lathe has lots of problems as I do have a really good metal lathe. turning on my wood lathe is a bit like a ride down a dirt road in a model T pickup. It gets the job done but not without a lot of hassle. The lathe I have is 12 X 48 and since I do peppermills I would like one that is large enough for the largest mills.
This is where you all come in. with the thousands of eyes that this group has, as a group you see nearly anything that is going on out there in the way of tools. So post your suggestions as the best lathe, best value, or what have you.
 
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Daniel for anyone who even "might" have the inclination to turn larger objects I'd have to recommend the 16" Jet. The new 12" VS Jet would be okay, but you might need a bed extension for it (I'm just not sure since I haven't seen this one).
 
I picked up the Excelsior Lathe from Rockler (It was on sale and came with a free bed extension) and I'm very happr with it.
The only drawback that I've encountered is changing the belt speeds is a bit clumsy (it could also be my inexperience with wood lathes)
 
What is your budget limit?

I agree with the suggestions above. If you can afford it, any of these lathes will be great.

Jet 1642 1.5hp
Jet 1642 2.0hp
Powermatic 3520B
 
Depends on what you want to spend. Sounds like no matter what it's going to be a nice improvement.

I personally have the Jet 1014VS mini. Love it, would go larger if I had the room and the money. Perfectly happy for now.

Good luck, you have entered into a very important issue. Shop carefully and take your time deciding.
 
How about narrowing it down a little?

What is your budget and what are you going to be turning?

The recommendations will be a lot different if you are just going to do pens and pepper mills than if you want to do big bowls and platters or long furniture spindles.
 
If I were going to limit myself to one lathe, I would look at the following (listed from lowest price to highest price):

General Maxi VS (or its Grizzly clone) - can turn outboard but may be a little underpowered for big turnings

Nova 16-24 (or 44 with bed extension) - mechanical variable speed, but has a true low speed needed for roughing big blanks, can turn outboard

Jet 1642 - I've heard nothing but good comments from owners of this lathe, basically a smaller version of the powermatic 3520 that everyone is so crazy about, but about $1k less

Powermatic 3520 - has a lot of fans, our club has this lathe, lots of bang for the buck

If the sky is the limit, then I would certainly test drive a Oneway 2436 and Robust American Beauty.

If you only plan to turn pens and pepper mills (and possibly some bowls and platters under 10" diameter) then I would also take a hard look at the Oneway 1224. I have this lathe and it is fantastic. I can't think of anything bad to say about it as long as you are working on smaller pieces. It is super smooth, quiet, 0-4000rpm at the turn of a dial, reverse for power sanding, alignment is dead on, fit and finish is perfect. It is underpowered, however, for 10"-12" bowls.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. as for more info. Don't consider price in your recommendations. I want good equipment and will cross the cost bridge when I get there.
I have had my heart set on the Nova 1624 so that might help narrow what would fit the bill a bit better. I need a 24 inch bed at least just for the mills I turn. I would really like to get away from speed changes that require belt changes. something that is quick.
For Mills I need the slow speed on the lathe to be really Slooooow. They are a bear to finish with much speed at all.
As for turning on my metal lathe. It requires a lot of mods I simply have not gotten around to and only has a 12" bed. I do a lot of the work on my pens with it like finishing. And then of course I am looking for the bang for my buck which means I will most likely never actually get a Nova. That does not mean I cannot get the same quality.
Hope that helps narrow down the field just a bit. for some reason of everything listed so far the powermatic listed above caught my eye. The love of the jet need not be mentioned in this group so I pretty much expected to see that. The ability to test drive them would be invaluable. And finally I am in no real rush. I hope this will be the last lathe I buy (for pens and mills anyway) and if I ever do decide to get into other turnings I just may have to buy another lathe. For now I turn pens in a big way, may possible end up turning a lot of mills, maybe not.
My only other concern is the several hundred dollars I have in chucks I have for this lathe. I will have to double check this but I believe my spindle thread is 3/4 X 8 t.p.i.
Would be real nice to match that as well. outboard turning would be a plus but seldom used by me at this time.

Just cause I know you all can't stand it I will give you a number on cost. $2000 has been in my head since I started thinking about this. Why I don't really know but that is what I expect it to cost. lower is great and I will adjust to an even higher price.

As of now my two biggest concerns are.
1. not wasting my time and money, I don't want to use this lathe for a month and then wish it had this or that or could do something better. or have it break down. tool rest adjustment needs to be quick easy and secure that sort of thing. I am constantly having to re tighten my tail stock etc.
2. the ability to get it into my shop. I can pick my current lathe up and walk around with it. I know this will not be possible with a "Real Lathe" and I have a stair way I have to get past. I also have an 18 year old son and two daughters with nice strong boyfriends. we got a 300 lb band saw into it with only two people.
 
Based upon your stated needs, I would be tempted to buy a Jet 1442. Cost about a grand, which leaves about a $1,000 for tools, chucks, centers, wood, etc.

Everyone that I know who has one is very happy with it.

jeff
 
Daniel, depending on what kind of chuck(s) you have, you may just need to swap out the threaded adaptor to use it on another machine. If you are looking at about $2000, consider the Nove DVR. With full electronic variable speed, it may suit your needs quite well. The Jet 1642 is an exceptional machine as well. Of course, one can never go wrong with Powermatic or Oneway.
 
I will spend some time looking at everything suggested. this is not something that will happen in the next week or probably even the next month. Mainly what I am looking for at this time is a better rounded knowledge of what is even available in a lathe. I am a musician, as well as a guitarist. If you asked me what I wanted in an amplifier I could give you a list of features I would want it to have, as well as ones I don't want it to have. I know the list pretty well. same with guitars etc. I don't think I have the same since of lathes.
 
I have looked up all the lathes mentioned except the Genreal. anyone got a link to specs and a price for that one. I am also having trouble finding prices on oneway lathes. the only price I have found so far is the 1236SD which I really am not interested in.
Both the Powermatic 3520B and the OneWay 1640
make it hard to look any further. The Jet 1642EVS 1.5 H.P. is still in the running as well.
anyone got any info on the Reeves drive pully system that the jet lathes have?
I also ahve at least a beginning list of features I am looking for.
Tail stock must haves
Metal wheel (chrome would be nice)
Self ejecting quill
Cam Lock
Would be nice if it had:
Etched Quill
Prefer MT2 but does not have to be

Bed:
Cast iron flat bed

Tool Rest and Banjo.
Cam Lock or other reliable locking system.
I like the ability to mount a dust port to the Powermatic as this is how I have modified my lathe. works well but on my lathe causes the banjo to be hard to adjust.
Smooth adjustment and positive locking entire length of bed. we all know how important that first 12 inches of bed are.
Headstock:
of all the features that you can find on a headstock EVS is about the only one I really have my mind set on. Digital readout is then pretty much included but not necessarily a deal breaker for me. I don't really need massive power, and all the others like outboard turning and swivel/sliding heads are pretty much lost on me. If I want the head closer to the tail I just move the tail. Nothing I have seen is going to match the spindle nose of my old lathe so that is already a lost battle. My Nova Chuck is easy and relativly cheap to adapt. some of my other accessories not.
I am already thinking I better bump my cost expectation up to more like $3000 unless I go with the jet. I need to find a place I can get a hands on look at the three main lathes I am interested in.
tool rest must lock good. If you cant pick the lathe up by the tool rest it might not be good enough.
 
Originally posted by alamocdc

Daniel for anyone who even "might" have the inclination to turn larger objects I'd have to recommend the 16" Jet. The new 12" VS Jet would be okay, but you might need a bed extension for it (I'm just not sure since I haven't seen this one).
Click to expand...

Daniel,
Billy is right.. the JET is a great machine... the 16" is a true electronic VS, my problem with it was that in order to turn out board, you had to remove the tail stock and slide the headstock to the end of the ways.... my shop layout precludes that... I would wind up with the headstock jammed into the wall... I went with the 1442, which has a 360 rotation on the headstock but has the reeves pullys for the speed control, and slowest speed is 450 vs the '0' you can get with the 16"... and on an outboard bowl, supposedly I can go up to about 25+ inches on a bowl.. not sure 'cause the tool rest seems a little funky, but will try soon.

I do lots of peppermills too and the added length for drilling and the longer quill travel on the tailstock is a God-send. I went through 2 spindle quill bolts on my Jet 1014 drilling peppermills..

And look at Grizzly.. have heard good things about them..
 
Do consider the Grizzly G0632. It, and the Jet are nearly identical. Write me off-list if you want details on the minor differences. Contact me off forum. I had extensive communications with both companies before making my choice of the Grizzly. You will save some money choosing the Grizz. If cost is not a concern....well....congratulations. Then you might be in the world of Oneway, Stubby, Robust, etc.
 
Frank, Not that money is not object. I just tend to look at it as one more thing that has to be addressed. The question seems to be coming down to how much $1500, or more like $2700. Now I just have to decide if the Powermatic is worth the extra effort it will take. That is a lot of machine and most of it will be lost on me. The 16" Jet I can do with less money concern. It really is all the lathe I will likely need. So for now I am between those two. A Oneway might give the Powermatic a run for top pick if prices are comparable. My main problem with the Oneway is that the spindle thread is a really odd size. In all sensibility I will most likely go for the Jet or even the Grizzly match you mention.
 
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