Mobile base

IMHO, mobile base is the worse thing you can do to such a fine machine... totally ruins the stability that the heavy base is designed to provide, *unless* you can make an innovative design to lift it, move it, and then set it down on its own legs again... Most mobile bases do not provide that kind of option.... looks like a DIY project. How 'bout a set of railroad tracks???

NGA

LOL may need to. Train track!! good idea....

I have the same issue, since Jet does not appear to make a mobile base for that lathe, I suggest using one of the "universal" bases, and MAKE IT STRONG

Lee,

I have a slightly larger lathe and I use the heavy duty swivel castors. The ones I use are red and avaialble from Woodcraft. You simply screw in a lag bolt through the caster and into the pretapped holes at the bottom of the 1442. Stability really isn't an issue unless you are turning very large out of balance timbers. Then you might possibly have some vibration. Mobile bases tend to collect sawdust and are not always as stable as the castors. However, castors will raise the bed a bit but some folks like to turn a little high.

AD

I turn while completely sober. ;)

I needed to do the same. Posted pics of my solution on ABPW. Hope they help.

Hay thanks Dick. Very good idea!!! I got back a email from HTC and they said a base made for that lathe was going to be $379.00 thats crazy!! Your idea is much more in line with what I was willing to pay.

Thanks again

When I bought my 1442VS, it was a floor model and had the Jet mobile base on it... really ugly setup and the rails across the front and back would have made it hard to sweep or vacuum under the lathe..

Oh.. and they were offering me a "deal" for the base of $150... no way!

mac

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Are you happy with the Lathe??

VERY! Did you get the VS with the reeves drive?

It was the most "bang for the buck" that I could afford at the time... about 3 years ago.. I've turned hundreds of pieces on it, from mini pens to 14" bowls and abused it in every way I could think of and it's still running... lol

My only 2 problems, perhaps related, are that the speed control lever has come loose several times and if I don't notice it right away it will let the rack & pinion or whatever skip a gear tooth, and because I used to force it below the slowest speed as we had a prior thread about, the motor pulley seems a bit out of line with the spindle pulley at times..

In the last few months, the pulley system has gotten loud and sounds "rattling".. I think this is from all the abuse I've given it and will probably end up replacing the motor pulley..

If used with respect, I think a reeves drive should last for a very long time.. My shopsmith is over 25 years old and all I've replaced in that time is 1 belt and the $20 part inside the speed adjusting crank... and that was because the kids would sometimes try to adjust the speed with the motor off..

That said, if I could justify the money, I'd love to have the Nova xp or whatever they call it, with belt-less digital VS... ;-] It's like $2,000 plus maybe $500 for legs and such... 4 times what I paid for my

mac

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Hay... Yes I did get the VS 1442. Glad to hear you like yours. I started to get the 1642EVS but after looking at it in woodcraft the other day it was just to big for for me. I will probably regret that move but oh well. Besides 899 in allot cheaper than 1499. I will use the rest of the money getting turning tools. I also will order a 3 or for wing chuck, what is your suggestion on that matter?? also what is the best chisel set?? Better to start out with something good not junk. Thanks for all your info..

My email address snipped-for-privacy@cox.net

Lee... Everyone seems to like the chuck that THEY use, so I'm not very objective, either..

My first chuck, at the advise of some turners in the group, was a Oneway Talon.. A bit pricey at $200 or so, but an investment that I should have made years ago..

I bought it for my shopsmith, then put it on a Jet mini.. now on my 1442.. I have 2 now and am thinking about getting one more... really nice chuck and does everything that I need it to..

BEST chisels usually means a lot of bucks, and I'm cheap.. *g* Most of the chisels that I've bought in the last couple of years are Penn State Ind. "Benjamin's Best", which I consider a good value and work well for me.

Advice that I wish I'd followed when I was starting out:

Start with spindle work and have fun.. PLAY! Most folks just HAVE to make something out of every scrap of wood, but they miss the real "joy of turning"... Practice on firewood and learn the tools and their functions.. make wonderful kindling while you learn.. Tacky but true: It's the journey, not the destination... If all you wanted were decorations or a set of bowls, it's lots cheaper and faster to buy them. Enjoy the turning process..

Turn pens.. I resisted pens for 20 years and should have listened to the folks that told me to turn them.. I've been turning pens for about 3 years now, and have been amazed how much better my spindle and bowl turning has become.. Pens teach you (ok, force you to learn) light cuts, very sharp tools, attention to detail, sanding, finishing, etc...

Invest in DVDs... Those and this newsgroup will not only give you a jump start but start you correctly.. I was self-taught and after watching Bill Grumbine's bowl turning DVD I realized that I was holding the chisels wrong.. had to damn near learn how to turn all over again!

mac

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WOW! Lots of good info there, thanks Mac.

I will get a Oneway Talon on order this morning... I really appreciate you taking your time with me. I learned a long time ago to seek out help from someone in the know before spending allot of money on a new hobby. For years I taught furniture making, and tried to instill in my students to educate themselves first, before diving head first. And also like you said start out with the basics, not try to make something to elaborate right from the start. Its to easy to get discouraged if you don't build your skills first. I hope you will let me pick your brain in the future if I need more info...

Thanks again Mac.... Lee Tollett

Glad to help, Lee!

The spirit of this group is to help/give back and I love doing it..

I've learned more in this group in the last 3 years than I did in the 20 years before I discovered it.. lots of very knowledgeable and experienced people here that are glad to help..

Ask away, either here or email, and I'll throw my 2 centavos in..

mac

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I have a 1442 with the cast iron legs. I bought it through Woodcraft and they had 3 or 4" Casters that fit on the lathe very easily. These are very heavy duty locking casters and when they are locked, there is no moving the machine. I should mention that I built the lower shelf for the lather and have a 60# bag of sandbox sand on the shelf immediately under the headstock. They do raise the height somewhat but with the 3" casters the height is just fine for me. I am turning bowls about 11" in diameter or smaller and have no problem with movement of the lathe because of the casters.

Damn.. I forgot about the time I "tapped" something to loosen it, but I was lucky... I only broke one stop.. I didn't even realize it until I had the belt cover off for maintenance, but it was a good education on how the spindle lock worked and how susceptible it is to abuse..

I'd hate to change that pulley! I have a link belt hanging on the wall for when I need a belt change... one look at the belt changing instructions sent me out for a link belt..

mac

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Hey Mac... I have almost finished with the base like yours. All thats left is to make the levers for both sides and mount it on the lathe. This set is being made out of hard Maple. You had a very good idea about this base, hope you don't mind me copying it. Oh! what is this washer they are talking about?? See Ya Lee

Actually, that was the OP.. I use little moving dollies and a 2x4.. lol

This is one version of the washers:

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