Buying wood lathe

If you're going to use the Vega duplicator, you'll want a lathe with the proper distance between the ways, and no greater swing than that duplicator can handle. You also want a sturdy tailstock.

Sounds ideal for some old iron or imitation old iron all right. Check out

12 swing ~40 inch Delta/Powermatic/General for used, and perhaps the Woodtek machine for new as well as the Grizzly.

Turning tools? You're using a duplicator. It'll come with its own bit. You're trying to milk this, right?

Sawdust, harborfreight has the woodfast lathe for less than $2000.--- That is a lot of lathe for the money, which I would not say of a Grizzly' just my opinion. Your going to turn what, 500 mushrooms or columns ??? You've been turning ? that should give you an idea of what you need, better than us since you not even mention what you want to turn, pens or hollow forms ???

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

The Vega duplicators are reported to be the best on the market, period.

The Grizz has a serious down-side, the spindle is an odd size (1x12), the Woodtek has a standard (1x8). I seriously considered the Woodtek when I was looking.

I have owned both Grizzly and Harbor Freight tools and can -NOT- recommend HF over Grizzly.

I own several Grizzly tools and have a friend that has equipped a complete shop out of harbor freight. I have found a large difference in the quality between the two and a world of difference in the service depts. I will admit that the last tool (drum sander G1079) acquired from Grizzly was of a quality that if I had seen it in a store I would have passed it off as total junk. I have had good luck with most of the larger tools Grizzly sells when compared to Delta, Jet, Power Matic etc.. I have only been exposed to one of their lathes a model G1495 about 10 years back, I remember a lot of problems with it, but I never turned on it and the guy who had it was sort of a jerk in all respects including his ability to use tools. I was hoping to get some feed back from people who actually use the lathes and what they think. If I have to I could refigure my budget by a few bucks but hate to cut my self that tight.

Hi Sawdust, No experience with duplicators here, so I'm asking not advising. I think there are two or more sizes and prices of Vega duplicators. If the pepper & salts will fit on a mini, I wonder why a small Vega and a bought or borrowed mini wouldn't suffice to fill your order. After filling the order then you can consider a larger _quality lathe and tools. Then either return the borrowed mini or keep yous as many of us do.

Of course, if the pepper mills are to be the ridiculous size of some I've seen in fancy restaurants, just grin and forget my question....or maybe buy a bed extension. How much stress can a salt shaker blank impose on a lathe, anyway?

IMHO, never sacrifice quality in tools that cut or machinery that moves, but all good luck in filling your order. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

I have a Jet mini, 6 speed, with vega duplicator for sale. It's in Ky.

snipped-for-privacy@fuse.net

I think you will find that a duplicator can't cut cleanly enough to produce a surface you need for salt pepper that will be handled and view up close. You can buy a lot of practice wood for the price of a duplicator and the sand paper you will use fixing the tear out. The only problem with the jet mini is that it works so will it puts all the sub $1500.00 lathe to shame. If you want new and bigger lathe look at jet 1642 or Nova DVR.

Walt

Hi Sawdust

For turning pepper mills and salt shakers, you would be hard pressed to get a better lathe than the Delta or Jet midi, they are carbon copies except for color and switch position. Using a duplicator for those products is going to be a real challenge though, I would not want to have to do it I think.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

If he is considering the Midi/Mini size, there is also the PennState duplicators, which are made for the smaller lathes

I just (it has yet to arrive) upgraded from a Delta Midi to a Nova DVR-XP. The reason I went with the Nova related to several factors, one of which was that I could use my "old" home-built lathe stand over.

Hi Sawdust

Sawdust I think Ralph was talking about the actual wood turning tools (skew, gouge etc,) not the machines.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Actually the machines

Hi Ralph

I came to that conclusion, as Grizzly is a make, that if Lee Valley was to sell a Grizzly lathe it was still a Grizzly, and if Harbor Freight was to sell a Oneway lathe it would sill be a Oneway. Just my way of thinking.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Price on the Oneway 12/24 in 2004 was $1995. Call 1.800.565.7288 to get a present price. Any of the Oneway lathes just can't be beat.

Tim

Leo, not true

They are made in different factories to different standards, even if they look the same. It's that same cloning story you find so often.

General International has it's tools made in factory X, well an employee at X decides to go out on his own, so he takes the parts (or buys the tool), makes castings of it and sells them as Y brand. Only because they are copies, they are not quite as good. Then one of his employee's does the same thing, and -he- is now selling copies of copies.

Many of the Grizzly tools are made in factories that are ISO-9000/9001. The same can be said for General International, Delta, etc. The same can't be said for King, Harbor Freight, Trend (a defunct "brand"), etc.

What will ISO-9000/9001 provide the end user of the lathe?