JWL1442

I've owned one for about 6 or 7 weeks now and have been pleased with it for the most part. Was very pleased with the sturdy construction. Pretty hefty with the cast iron legs but I still added about 250 lbs of concrete mix for ballast. If you go here

, you'llfind plans for legs and a ballast box. Build the trestle legs at least. Thelathe legs come with little adjustable feet. I never could get them adjustedso the lathe wouldn't rock. Added the trestle legs and it feels muchsturdier. While the 1 hp motor is much better than what I had, I can stillstall it with a too agressive cut. One thing you do have to watch out for isthe speed on startup. It'll go from 0 to 2000rpm in a blink. You only dothat once with a big blank chucked up!The only downside of it has been the speed handle can be stiff to operate atfirst. I've had it open a few times to make sure the mechanism is properlylubed. I've gotten in the habit of turning it on before starting a projectand run it from slow to fast a couple of times.When I was looking, it was this or the Delta 3/4hp. The larger motor andstrong construction decided it for me. Its not a Oneway but it works well.

I bought one since I posted my original query, and my findings are similar to yours. I added two 2x4 trestles between the legs, screwed a piece of 1" ply on top of them, and added 200lbs of sandbags, which has helped greatly. It seems quite solid and stable now. I, too, have discovered the rapid startup acceleration of the motor. Fortunately I didn't have anything large or unbalanced between the stocks.

I'm curious if your speed handle has a problem--mine moves acceptably, if not particularly smoothly. It could probably be moved by a child.

I'm just beginning to turn, aside from some rudimentary turning done as a teen in high school. My experience is limited, so comments such as yours are helpful and appreciated.

Max