what is a good lathe at a resonable price ???
JMO I think a Jet for the money is a great tool. I had the single speed and really like it alot. I got a VS model and like it too.
One of the best deals I've seen lately is at woodcraft.com . They have a variable speed mini lathe for around $270. That's a great price for a good lathe. Whatever you do, dont by the Harbor Freight lathe. It will get the job done but you wont be happy.
Do a search on the topic. This question has been asked MANY times with some good responses from different folks using different lathes. My only experience has been with the Jet 1014 VS. I have 2 sitting side by side on my bench. One is dedicated for strikers (turning between centers) and one for pots (turning on faceplate). I have turned around 2,000 pots and more strikers on the pair of lathes. I have replaced bearings on each one, as well as the on/off switch. I just ordered a new shaft, bearings and handwheel for my pot lathe. It's getting an overhaul. They are strong little machines and well worth the money. I have heard good things about Rikon lathes from a couple of guys, but haven't tried them.
That poor old harbor frieght lathe, I bought one years ago and have a jet mini also. I still use the HF lathe it works like a new one, and i like the jet also i guess because they are the same lathe made by the same people. all parts are interchangeable. one just has more extras
The Rikon at woodcraft is the best deal for the money right now. At $269 you cant beat it. I have the Delta and love it. The reverse and variable speed cannot be beat.
thanks for all the suggestions i'm thinking about getting one and start making a few strikers and calls.
My jet has done real well ,,,,if getting one on line check amozon might have free shipping
Quote from: Basser69 on April 26, 2012, 11:20:15 AM
The Rikon at woodcraft is the best deal for the money right now. At $269 you cant beat it. I have the Delta and love it. The reverse and variable speed cannot be beat.
Could someone give me a link? I could find this particular one?
Quote from: TauntoHawk on April 30, 2012, 11:07:26 AM
Quote from: Basser69 on April 26, 2012, 11:20:15 AM
The Rikon at woodcraft is the best deal for the money right now. At $269 you cant beat it. I have the Delta and love it. The reverse and variable speed cannot be beat.
Could someone give me a link? I could find this particular one?
Your a little late on the Rikon deal. The demand has driven the price up to 429 now. They have the 70-100 which is the same lathe as teh 70-050 but non variable speed for 379. here is the amazon link. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rikon+70-050vs&sprefix=Rikon+70-%2Caps%2C197
Thanks, just looking for a buddy and thought that was a heck of a deal
There's been a lot of good lathes mentioned here. The only one I can speak from experience with is the JET, and trust me, you cannot go wrong with one of those lathes!!
I have one from harbor freight, and have no complaints with it. It is the 5 speed mini (or midi, I'm not sure) model without the VS. I use my lathe about 4-6 days out of the week, in fact right before Christmas I was using it for at least 8 hours every day for about two weeks and it has never let me down. There is virtually no runout in the headstock spindle and the tailstock lines up perfectly with the headstock. If I needed another one tomorrow I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one of the same. Right now they are on sale: http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/stationary-wood-lathes/5-speed-bench-top-wood-lathe-65345.html
I guess I should have specified that I had the Harbor Freight 40" lathe and not one of the benchtop models. That's the one that was poorly crafted in my opinion. I originally wanted the one that cleanslate posted for my first lathe and my wife was gonna get it for me for Christmas. Well, she thought bigger was better so she bought me the one with the square tubing rails. Bless her heart for trying and I did not have the heart to tell her otherwise. Anyhow, it has too much flex with the square tubing rail system. Centers dont line up. The tail assembly has so much side to side movement, you really cant tell if you are true with the live center or not. It has been a pretty good learning experience to learn how to turn out something nice on a lathe like that. Oh well, I'll be ordering me a new lathe this friday and it should be at the house by the time I get off the rig. I'm pretty much set on getting the Delta 46-460. Cant wait to get that thing turning.
Quote from: handcannon on May 02, 2012, 05:21:43 PM
I guess I should have specified that I had the Harbor Freight 40" lathe and not one of the benchtop models. That's the one that was poorly crafted in my opinion. I originally wanted the one that cleanslate posted for my first lathe and my wife was gonna get it for me for Christmas. Well, she thought bigger was better so she bought me the one with the square tubing rails.
HAHAHA. That was my first lathe too. You're bringing back memories now man. Don't forget to mention that there's no morse taper in the headstock spindle and you need an adapter from penn state industries to be able to use any kind of threaded accessory with it. I went through three of those things in two years, actually bent the square thin wall tube rails once when a bowl blank kinda came loose from the centers then got wedged all cockeyed in between centers. Harbor freight does sell a bigger lathe that is pretty decent, but it has a reeves drive system, which some folks don't care for.
Quote from: cleanslate on May 03, 2012, 09:21:10 PM
Quote from: handcannon on May 02, 2012, 05:21:43 PM
I guess I should have specified that I had the Harbor Freight 40" lathe and not one of the benchtop models. That's the one that was poorly crafted in my opinion. I originally wanted the one that cleanslate posted for my first lathe and my wife was gonna get it for me for Christmas. Well, she thought bigger was better so she bought me the one with the square tubing rails.
HAHAHA. That was my first lathe too. You're bringing back memories now man. Don't forget to mention that there's no morse taper in the headstock spindle and you need an adapter from penn state industries to be able to use any kind of threaded accessory with it.
That same lathe was my first starter lathe and I still have it. If anyone in the B'ham metro area wants a less expensive lathe, pm me. All in all for the mone it was/is not a bad one to learn.
guys i was wondering if the harbor freight lathe was good or not the reviews on the sight were real good i am planning on getting another and the price you cant beat it anyone knowing about the company sure would help.
If your getting the harbor freight lathe, go with the small bench top model. Not the full size 40" model with the square tubing rails. Read the last few messages above your post. You'll see some of the discussion on HF lathes.
After doing some research and not alot though just some simple tracing of who makes what tools for what companies I found that Jet lathes Grizzly lathes Seig lathes and the harbor freight lathes or central machinery lathes all are made by the same company SEIG (shanghai engineering Industry group) at the same time they are sent here unpainted then jet get the first pick of what they want followed by grizzly then SEIG and central machinery takes what's left. Now that's how it's said to be done but honestly I've been in manufacturing for years the way it more than likely works is jet has certain standards as to what quality issues they will allow and then grizzly probably has a slight lower one and SEIG's own standard is yet lower then harbor freight prob says hey as long as its functional and works properly we will take it. It's the same way in any kind of manufacturing I work for Pentair we are a Hoffman enclosure plant if we send a enclosure to Rockwell or to GE we know they have to be perfect in every way no weld spatter anywhere no pits in the metal no blemish of any kind. Now does that mean those boxes are better than the ones we send to milicron or Allen Bradley well no but will u find a blemish on some of those yea cause they allow it after all it's an electrical box that will sit in some dirty corner of a factory or against the wall collecting dust. I'm not saying jet isn't a better lathe they for the most part probably are at the same time the central machinery ones should be pretty good as well since they are made by the same people
After digging a little more I've found the latter version of my post is correct SEIG tool factory website has some pictures of there workers working on and priming and painting the lathes there in shanghai so more than likely no one from jet personally picks out what lathes they want it's done by a quality standard I don't know what they are but I'm sure it's more cosmetic than anything else along with maybe some tolerance specs