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jet mini stand question

Hi,

I'm new woodturning. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for a long time but have never really had the opportunity to try or the nerve to just run out and buy a lathe. I've been turning for a couple of weeks now on a Ridgid 1200 lathe (from Home Depot) that I borrowed from my brother-in-law. I've only been able to do facework.....making a few bowls and am pretty much working on trial and error. I've been doing lots of reading. I haven't been able to turn between centers because I can't get the centers to line up on this cheapy lathe. That Ridgid and it's lightweight stand sure shakes and rattles a lot!

Anyway, Monday I ordered a Jet Mini from Woodcraft ($199) based on information I've obtained from this newsgroup. Thanks! It's scheduled to be delivered on Friday. I can't wait. I'm gonna be building a substantial bench for it in the near future but need to be able to mount it to something in the mean time. I've got a small stand constructed from 2"x2" angle iron that I'd like to use temporarily until I can build a bench. The stand is 25 inches long by 14 inches wide. It's got a bottom shelf that I can place bags of quickrete on for weight and stability and with a few layers of glued together plywood and bolted down on top will be about the right height for me.

My concern is length and width. Is it too small to even use as a temporary stand? Jet states the overall dimensions of the Mini are 24-5/8 x 7-1/4 x

  1. Is the Mini gonna bolt to this stand for temporary purposes? Is the stated 24 5/8 overall length, the length of the base, or the distance between the handwheels. What I really need to know is the distance between the mounting bolt holes and/or rubber feet in the base? I realize that in a couple of days, I'll have all the answers to these questions when the lathe arrives, but I'd like to line another stand up if necessary because I know when it gets here I'm gonna want to use it immediately.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Walker

P.S. I've found a guy in a local woodturning club that gives turning lessons so I'm thinking about getting some formal instruction. Is that recommended?

Reply to
Walker
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I've been turning with my Jet mini for over 2 years now, turning pieces as large (literally!) as you can fit on the lathe, IOW, about

14" long by about 9" in diameter, of green elm...probably 30-40 pounds of wood. Never had the lathe fastened down and never had any problems with it hopping away. It will vibrate from time to time, especially if I have an unbalanced piece turning too fast. That's a hint to set the speed lower.

Incidentally, the bench is wood, fastened to the floor and the wall, so it can't add its own harmonics to the equation. Works okay so far, and I turn almost every day.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Reply to
Chuck

I am certaqinly no expert turner but I'd suggest taking classes. You will be surprised what you can learn "hands on" and watching any turning you can (including videos). I've found most folks to be real helpful.

Reply to
Rick

Hello Walker, The distance between the bolts is 23 3/4 inches from center to center. You should have enough bench for your Jet Mini. By your post it sounds to me that you intend to push the capacity of your new lathe to the max. I have one of the original model(blue)Jet Mini lathes. It has served me well however, I only use the lathe for small items. Speed is the main detractor. At 500 rpm (lowest speed) an out of round, unbalanced piece of wood does not have to meet the capacity of the lathe to create out of control vibration and can be very dangerous. I guess I am cautioning you(a novis turner) to please be careful and not exceed the capacity of the lathe. The lathe has a ten inch swing but it may not be wise to place a ten inch diameter turning blank of substantial mass between centers. Start small and work your way up and use good common sense. Good luck and safe turning. Bill Sullivan Fort Myers, FL

Reply to
PukeTarget

Thanks for the info. My new Mini came in yesterday. It was delivered to my front door from Woodcraft in 3 days. Wow! Anyway, I unboxed the Mini and placed it up on the stand I wanted to use and was able to drill usable bolt holes in the stand. I haven't turned with it yet, though. I cut, glued and clamped the plywood pieces together last night for the bench top. Hopefully, I can get it mounted and actually try it tonight. I can't wait!

Thanks for the warning. It's not my intent to push the limit of the the Mini. I do however want to take full advantage of it's capabilities. It was my understanding that I would be able to turn 9.5" bowls on this lathe. But I understand your concerns and will heed your warning because I am truly a novice.

Walker

Reply to
Walker

PukeTarget wrote: : The lathe has a ten inch swing but it may not be wise to place a ten inch : diameter : turning blank of substantial mass between centers. Start small and work your : way up and use good common sense.

Starting small is excellent advice. However, I've turned

5" thick, 9.5" diameter bowl blanks on the mini with no trouble (and without bolting it down). They were cut round on a bandsaw before mounting them.

-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

Well, I finished my little bench for my new Jet Mini last night and bolted it down. Seems like a perfect height....spindle is about elbow's height. After finishing the bench and getting it bolted down, I just couldn't help my self, I had to try it out. When I plugged it in and turned it on, I could not believe how quiet this little lathe is. You can barely hear it running. Kinda sounds like a sewing machine. The Ridgid I was still in my shop and I turned it on for comparison and couldn't believe the difference in sound and smoothness of the turning. They are night and day! I had a couple 4" diameter pieces of oak, about 12 inches long and within a very short time turned myself a new mallet. This little lathe is great. I can't wait to get home from work and turn something else!

My only complaint would be that the instruction manual is a little lacking. Not much information in there for a novice. Can someone give me some basic guidelines on turning speeds (rouging and finishing) that I should use for the differing sizes of between-centers pieces and faceplate pieces?

Walker

Reply to
Walker

Agreed. When I opened my new mini manual, I thought I had grabbed the quick set-up guide by mistake. There's a pen turning demo at Woodcraft tomorrow, can't wait to go down there.

Reply to
James Bayrer

Remember your physics? Energy is equal to the mass times the square of the velocity, so doubling your speed is four times the energy to split between moving and unmoving object. Also, a sharp tool will cut wood as well at a lower speed as a higher, and will heat less. That's why I keep my lathe on the lowest speed for 90% of what I do. Won't bother my cuts, and mistakes are less likely to break things. Your slowest and mine are both about 500, so you can do capacity bowls down to pieces the size of pens, if my experience is worth anything. If you're turning for a living, might want to go higher on smaller, balanced work, but you have to be a bit more consistent on the tool. Hollowing with tiny scraping tools works better with faster speeds, but I never go above the 1100.

Your Ridgid was a Reeves drive outfit? They're noisier than straight belts.

Reply to
George

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