first lathe

Hello Berney,

Probably the best entry level lathe for you would be a Jet Mini-Lathe with a bed extension. That should handle turning furniture parts as well as giving you to capability of turning bowls up to 8 or 9 inches in diameter. They are a pretty well tested out lathe and should do a good job for you. The price is not too bad either.

Delta also has a Midi-Lathe with bed extension available. They will also do you a decent job.

There are lots of cheap Harbor Freight lathes and Grizzley lathes that will also do what you want to do; however, having started with one of the cheap lathes, I have a hard time recommending them for a new turner.

Welcome to the world of woodturning and good luck with your purchase.

Fred Holder

Bernie I am odd man out here and liable to ge some flack for my recommendations but... Most of us learned on a single tube bed lathe which is sold by a myriad of sellers. It turns at 600, 1250, 2500, and 3500 rpm. 600 rpm is the maximum of the lowest speeds safe on a lathe. If you are looking at a beginner lathe which has a lowest speed greater than 600, do not buy it. Harbor freight has a 15" variable speed lathe that should do you long time. It appears to be the same as one I had with the difficulties removed. At $400.00 it seems to be a good buy.

like my 15" Craftsman which sells for US$450.00.http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00921715000Remember that the lathe is just the first part of the purchasing. When it gets home there is nothing it can do without some tools and a way to sharpen them. A grinder needs to be made over into a sharpener, tools bought and sharpened, wood readied and then the fun begins.

Berney, (off group)

I agree with Fred, the Jet mini with bed extension is a very good way to go. And if you check around (like Amazon, Woodcraft, and maybe others) you can find the Jet mini with the 6-speed step pulley system (their original model) for about $200, which is $125 less than I bought it for

5 years ago!!! Darn it.

Speed range is 500- 3000+, just fine for chair parts that start life as a square sided stick of something. It only turns up to 14" lengths, so you'll need to get the accessory bolt-on bed extension for longer spindles for about $40, well worth the price. Then you are good for almost 40". Diameter capacity (swing) is 10" over the bed, and about

8"+ over the tool rest. I've turned lots of bowl-type projects, and lots of other stuff, on mine over the years.

Skip the Delta "Midi" lathe, quality is not as good as the Jet. Similar machine, just not as high quality.

Jet is making their mini in variable speed now as well (hence the low price on their 6-speed model, my guess is someday soon the 6-speed model will be gone). Speed range is the same as the other, but it still has 3 step pulleys, and the belt should be moved around on these pulleys to get the best torque advantage out of each variable speed range. Price is deep into the $300 territory for var. speed. If you have the extra bucks, it's not a bad option, considering the price is not much higher than the 6-speed machine was for years.

Skip the 12" x 36" lathes from Jet, Delta, Harbor Freight, Grizzley, Home Depot "Husky", etc. Junk, every one of them. (Funny that the big Jet is just while their mini is terrific.) If you are thinking about a "full size" lathe, one that has a swing of 12" or greater, then you are best to be looking in the price range that exceeds $1000, and typically you are in the mid-$1000 range or higher, that's the sad reality for a truly decent full size lathe, such as a Vicmarc VL200 or a Oneway 1018 or 1224. I've been doing this too many years and I've been behind too many lathes to know that you really do get what you pay for, but there just isn't anything in the sub-$1000 range that is full size that is worth a hill of beans. Yeah, any lathe will spin the wood, but once you've used a machine that you don't have to constantly fight with, you'll realize that you become a better turner making better projects. I've seen too many folks leave the craft due to learning on low quality "budget priced" lathes, me (almost) included. That extra money is suddenly a good investment, but it's a lot of bucks. Either way, the lathe is only about 30% of what you need to get you going: A set of 6-7 basic turning tools (covers 90% of bowl and spindle work, I can give more info if needed), grinder and sharpening jig system, some sort of wood cutting equipment like 14" band saw, chain saw, etc, and a dust collection system is highly recommended, and so on...

I'll stop there, if you would like me to fill in the blanks on anything else here, please feel free to holler back at any time. Good luck with your purchase.

(My website below opens with me standing in front of my Jet mini with the bed extension.)

Steve.

Berney, good to see that you posted over here. I agree with Fred and Steve (HEY Steve - long time no read and all that - still using my Tiedman (TM) lathe stand. :) ) I have a Delta midi - pretty much learned on it almost 3 years ago and it's done just about everything I've asked of it. The only limitation I've run up against is the 10" swing - but an 8"-9" bowl is plenty big enough for many things. The non-variable speed Jet is a great deal - you won't go wrong with it. Many folks even keep their little mini/midi when they upgrade to a large lathe later on. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to sell either.

Chisels and gouges are the second part of the equation. You can get your feet wet with a 1/2" bowl gouge, 3/8" spindle gouge, 1/8" or 1/4" parting chisel, and a 1" round-nose scraper. Later you could add a 3/4" roughing gouge, 1" skew and a 1" square-nose scraper. That's pretty much the basic tool kit. Only go with high-speed steel - high-carbon is a little too touchy when learning to sharpen if you use a grinder. Alternately, you can make many of your own tools if the desire strikes. The Harbor Freight set has gotten some good reviews here and you won't go wrong with the common store brands like Crown or Sorby.

Next you need a way to frequently sharpen the tools. 8" grinder is the usual - some go with 6". Regular speed (3450rpm +/-) or slow speed (1800rpm +/-). There are also those who swear by sanders and abrasives. You could experiment and put off an additional purchase if you already have a portable belt sander - mount a 120 grit zirconium belt and see how it works for you. Just make sure the tool's cleaned of saw dust before you start creating sparks with it.

Lastly, you MUST get a face shield that's rated for impact protection. Wood coming off a lathe can do some serious damage to your face if you're unfortunate enough to be in its path.

Once you get the stuff, scounge up some freshly cut branches or what ever and practice on that. Green wood cuts very easily and is a joy to work with. On that note, you might see if your library has any publications by Keith Rowley, Mike Darlow or Richard Raffan. I'd also encourage you to search the google archives for the group on various subjects, and perhaps, look into whether a local turning club exists in your area .

I'd probably have agreed with you, prior to buying a Jet 1442. Having spent several months and a couple hundred hours with mine, I can attest to the fact that it is neither perfect, nor particularly deficient in any aspect. Weighing in at 350lbs (with the optional legs), it has enough weight to be solid for turning all but the largest bowl stock. To augment the weight, I built a shelf between the legs and added 150lbs in sandbags. The power (1 hp) is sufficient, once again, to turn all but the largest bowl stock. The speeds are varied by a Reeves mechanical system between 450 and 3K rpm. The headstock rotates up to 180 degrees, but realigns perfectly with the bed/tailstock. So far I've not had any significant complaints about the lathe, except that I don't have enough time to use it. At around $830 with legs, it's a bargain, and well worth the money I spent.

Max

great price on the Jet Mini right now. Always a good lathe.

Don't pigeon hole yourself too much. If you enjoy the first small bowl you turn, you may really want to turn BIG bowls. You just never know. I know my original goals have changed.

I have a Delta 1440, a mid size lathe. I am not happy with the noise and vibration I hear, in my lathe, as well as other 1440's. the jet of a similar size is smoother, I beleive.

-Dan V.

Thanks to everyone who posted advice and those who sent direct, thanks. I'm between the craftsman VS 15" at $450 and the VS jet mini with bed extension about $348. Free shipping via Amazon on the Jet. Sales tax on the Craftsman make it $476. I'm going to sears to have a look today, I trust your advice on the Jet, but if anyone can break the tie, I'd appreciate it. Tools; so far it looks like they can cost more than the lathe. I have grinders, stones, etc., sharpening is no problem for me, it will be sizes, styles etc. that I need a little help with. Thanks, much appreciated. BruceErney

For tools, there are lots of different opinions- from start cheap and work up to buy the best from the beginning and never have to buy another. I'm in the former category- so look at the inexpensive set from harbor freight for starters. It's got just about everything a beginner needs, will withstand the learning curve of both use and learning sharpening, and can be re-ground for different profiles. Last I checked it was about 29.95 for 6 or 8 tools.

Then as you gain skill and confidence build your collection of the higher quality and more specialized tools. I will admit that I still reach for the el-cheapo-deluxo roughing gouge for quick & dirty rough- out work, and the crappy cheap parting tool works just as well as the $90 one with a fancier name and prettier handle.

Vic

Bernie Take a look at the Oland tools on my web site. They are an easy make your own sort and work well. In fact, I seldom use a commercial tool anymore.

Don't beat yourself up Steve. I paid more than you did. I'm probably the only person in the US who paid sticker ($349) for a Jet Mini. I did get a free pen turning kit and a couple of lathe tools, though.

Barry

PS I still think its the best bargain around!

"Steve Tiedman" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@mninter.net... > Berney, (off group) >

After learning to hollow forms at a workshop I needed hollowing tools and couldn't justify the expense of buying them. I've made two of Darrell's Oland tools. The first is a straight shaft and tip and the second is a hooker tool, al la Robert Sorby complete with armbrace. Just used the straight part of allen wrenches for the tips and will replace them eventually with HSS machine lathe tips. I didn't think they would work worth a darn so was surprised when I found out how good they cut. Darrel is correct: they work great and cost 0 cents each. A friend had an old chimney sweep and the shaft is perfect. Now all I need is the sheer scraper to smooth down the sides after hollowing. Haven't figured that one out yet.

Earl

I'll try making some tools, but first I need to know what size roughing gouge to chase after, 3/4 or 1 1/4? BTW, I ordered the jet with extension, due in a week. I ordered 2 books too.