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Lathe recommendations?

Raymond Scott

Raymond Scott

Member
Messages
80
Location
Hitchins, Kentucky (Northeastern part of the state
I am interested in starting turning, so I have been looking into the different lathes that are available. I was hoping to get some advise from you experienced turners as to what would be a good starting lathe.
1) It would need to be 110V.
2) What I am interested in trying at first would be canes/walking sticks (so the ability to turn longer items would be necessary) and pens.
3)Bench space is a premium in my shed so I would want something that could have its own stand or be a stand alone model. That way I could move it out of the way when I wasn't using it.

I would like to get a quality tool, as the HF items I have tried so far have not impressed me. I have looked at the Grizzly G0462 and G0624 with an extender and stand. If you have one of these, how have they worked out for you? Any other recommendations in the same price range? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
Agree, stay away from the HF offerings.
Pick a well known brand at the top of what you can afford.
The Grizzly's are just fine. I have one, it is my second. I'm a fan.
However, you mention canes and walking sticks. The length of the bed is far from the only consideration when turning these.
Those canes and sticks are slender and will flex while you are trying to turn them.
From my experience trying to turn them, I'll can tell you it is near impossible to do, even with a center stabilizer.
I have successfully made them using coupler kits and make them in two or three sections.
Good luck. Let us know what you decide.
 
Quick drain the pool before he gets away drop a Delta 46-460 with bed extension & stand with extension on him & keep the RPM's high until he doesn't know which way is up. Frank is alright even if his amount of posts 10140 show what a lively spinney life he really has. Always spinning in circles.
 
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Chuck Thoits said:
Hey Larry this one has a pulse. maybe you can still save him:thumb::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
Click to expand...

hugbb hugb some one say somethuing:) oh i see this scott guy thinks he wants to get intot he spinny stuff:eek: now just hold on a minute scott the cost of one of those things is twice to three times what they list at,, see you need tools to use one then after you get them you need chucks, and after that you need new tools becasue the first batch didnt do what you want to do now..and for these canes you want to make you can buy a nice set of carving knives and make some really good looking canes before you get tot eh age of needing one:) so my advice is to stay away from the lathe world its a very high maintence hobby and one that once afflicted you will never be the same:):rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Raymond watch out for Larry he's never turned on a lathe so he doesn't know it's effect first hand. When he was a young-an He was still in his britches one day when his mom threw them in the washed & dryer & to this day he thinks that's what turning is like.
 
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Raymond, there are several good lathes that would fit your bill. The Delta or Jet midi lathes would be workable, but you would also need to add the bed extension for either to turn things like walking sticks. (Don't let Frank scare you off...they are turned by lots of folks. They are challenging, but not impossible.) Either of these midi lathes can be purchased with a stand, or you can fabricate your own out of metal or wood. (The beefier the better, but if you have limited space, there will be limits to the beef you can fit.) Also, if funds allow, I recommend getting a model with electronic variable speed. A lot of folks turn great stuff on non-variable speed lathes, but I've not met anyone yet who has a variable speed lathe and wishes it didn't have that feature.

The two Grizzly lathes you mentioned would also be workable for walking sticks and other spindle projects. The G0462 has a Reeves drive to vary the speed. Reeves drives work well, but they're not as convenient as an electronic variable speed. They also do require some maintenance from time to time. That lathe is large enough to tempt you to turn larger items like bowls and vases, and while it can do that kind of work, it's not really well-suited for turning large pieces. Its lowest speed is still pretty high, and the lathe and other parts that come with it are not what I'd consider heavy-duty enough for serious bowl turning.

Due to its size, the G0624 is pretty much limited to spindle work. Its speed is changed by moving the drive belt to different pulleys...pretty easy on most lathes I've done it on, and I'd expect the Grizzly to be about the same.

Based on my own experience with Grizzly tools and the feedback I've seen from other turners, Grizzly lathes are a good value, but don't typically have the fit and finish of the Jet or Delta lathes.

And as Larry mentioned, the cost of the lathe is just the beginning of the journey into woodturning. In addition to the lathe, there are things like face shields (mandatory, if you ask me) cutting tools, grinders and jigs to sharpen the cutting tools, chucks and other accessories to hold the wood onto the lathe, sanding tools and supplies, dust and chip collection, more cutting tools, some wood, a chainsaw, more cutting tools, and on and on. Someone once gave me a free lathe. It ended up being the most expensive tool in my shop. :p

Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, there's a good-natured war here between the turners (spinny folks) and the non-turners (the flatlanders). The flatlanders will try to draw you away from the abyss, but once you've gotten caught in the woodturning vortex, all hope is lost.

Come to the dark side. We have cookies. :D

cookies-and-milk.jpg
 
There are a lot of guys that have the Delta 46-460. the majority of them will not give them up unless going much larger. For the money a lot of bang for the buck.
Dennis
 
Raymond Vaughn has given you the best advice money could buy.

I cheaped out on my lathe and regret it every time i chuck a piece of wood in it. Someday it will be gone.

Even good accessories dont improve a poor base.

Variable speed control is a real asset given its easily available today.


Budget is the big thing.

If you want another good lathe look at the Nova as well. It would be a one time buy and i dont think you would look back.

A few guys here have these lathes. One is Stu in Japan. When i look at the way it works for him when he does videos of how to that are available on his site then i am sold on that lathe.
Its pricy if you just starting out but you can either buy one and get accustomed to lathes and buy another and then be happy.

This is my 5 cents. BUt be prepared you have been warned about all the collateral expenses.
 
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. So far the Delta is looking like the way to go for me. It is going to run more than I expected, and that's not even including the chucks, mandrels, turning tools, etc, but at least I am going into this with my eyes open. The Nova looks good but is a bit beyond my reach.
 
Rob, Nova makes good lathes, but the DVR-XP is a pretty big investment for someone who's just starting out and looking at spindle work. With a stand and extension bed, you're looking at $3K for the lathe alone. In my opinion, a better Nova for that situation would be the 1624-44:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020011/22005/Nova-162444-Wood-Lathe.aspx

It's a highly-regarded lathe, and probably the best on the market at that price point. It's also very capable of handling bigger pieces like bowls and hollow forms. It doesn't have a variable speed, but it does have a well thought out speed range among the various pulley sizes.

If large bowls and such are not on the horizon, my personal choice would be the Delta 46-460 midi:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2064108/26249/DELTA-VariableSpeed-Midi-Lathe--1212-Model-46460.aspx
 
Rob I have the DVRXP and Nova lathes are good lathes, no complaints here. they can be wired 110 or 220. Sure you can go with a less expensive lathe and you can get right up there with the Oneways and Stubbies. The Nova's have an expandable bed so you can add more lengths and the 1624 is a fine one to start out with but you will soon want to upgrade to the DVRXP in no time. I picked mine up when it came on sale and the package was for cast stand, chuck and lathe 1999.00 so they do come on sale and i think the 1624 was on for 999.00 at the time and I have seen those prices since then too. Turning is a different world and if you are interested check into seeing if there is a local turning guild in your area and join. Turning is an entire different world and a fun and rewarding one. Also it can get really expensive quick. Someone told me that it is a 5000 + hobby as it is not only the lathe but the grinder, band saw, dust collector and chain saw and an assortment of tools and chucks that will continue to grow with your experience. You can go cheap but in my experience cheap tools and lathes will only give cheap results and frustrate the hell out of you. You might want to try a good bench top lathe to see if you like it first before taking the plunge with a bigger machine.
 
Raymond Scott said:
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. So far the Delta is looking like the way to go for me. It is going to run more than I expected, and that's not even including the chucks, mandrels, turning tools, etc, but at least I am going into this with my eyes open. The Nova looks good but is a bit beyond my reach.
Click to expand...

If canes and sticks are really something you plan to concentrate on I suggest you google up information on making pool cues. There are special lathes for that specific madness. Should work for a walking stick too.
 
Raymond I would definitely look at the 46-460. I have the Jet 1220 and while it is a pretty good lathe if the Delta had been out when I bought I would have gone with it with a bed extension. The delta has a bigger motor (1 hp) and reverse which makes it nice for sanding. I have a bed extension on my Jet and it does fine for walking canes, pool cues, etc. and can turn bowls up to about 11 1/2". The Jet and Delta are about the same price but like I said would go for the Delta for sure.
 
My JET minis have been workhorses in the school shop. They continue to be accurate and work through all the stuff students do to them on purpose and accidentally. With that said, the Delta mini with the VS and reverse for sanding has really caught my eye and something I am thinking I will purchase within the next ten years. They have bed extensions for the minis that would allow them to do what you want.
 
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