To all of you who answered my post "Buying Wood Lathe" Thank you for the advice and help. I purchased a Jet 1442 lathe and a Vega duplicator. Got the lathe set up and turned a few pieces of fire wood to check it out. Came up with some real fancy fire wood. I am beginning to wonder if I really want the duplicator, the chisels are a lot of fun. I now know that I was right in not wanting to put a lathe in my shop, this things takes up a lot of time.
Thanks again Curran R Copeland
Curran,
Your post sounds rather familiar to one I posted a year or so ago. I too have a 1442, and I think it's the best lathe *for the money* today. I'm turning out some decent pieces on it, and fully realize it is capable of far greater things than I am currently. I've struggled with skews, but am getting better, and my bowls are finally looking less like amateurish pieces and more like something I'd be proud to display.
My advice would be to keep the Vega for certain jobs on down the road, but learn to use the various chisels. The learning curve is typically steep on such tools, and there is a great deal of pride to be gained from using them well. And you are correct: turning wood is compelling and takes up *most* of my woodworking time these days. My other power tools sit idle most of the time, save for the bandsaw, which is a necessity for prepping wood for the lathe.
Good luck, Max
Congrats, Curran...
I'm a very happy owner of a 1442VS, so if I can help at all, ping me here or feel free to email... (remove splinters first)
Mac
Ditto others. I have had a 1442 for about three years and love it. I am not a full-time turner. I intended to used it to fabricate parts for other projects. The darned things are habit-forming - especially if you are into instant gratification.
The 1442 has been a good teacher too.
Ron
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