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Hi folks! Gotta get a lathe.

John Pollman said:
It just has to be variable speed and be big enough to be able to spin these blanks. Doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles at this point.
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That kind of ticks most of the bells and whistles off :D

Your short list is basically Teknatool, Jet, and Grizzly in the moderate price range (powermatic, robust, oneway on the top end.. interestingly rikon has a big lathe with lots of bells & whistles in the 4500 range and some cheap midi's and not much in the middle not sure how to classify laguna I guess they kinda split the difference). I wouldn't go less than 16" swing if you're wanting to do any bowls, 18 or 20 is nice but those generally push the cost up. Lathes have .. gone up a lot since I bought mine .. yikes.

I guess decide on power availability, swing, rough budget .. and expect the budget to be blown a bit :D

Don't forget to budget in for some chucks and tooling...
 
Ryan Mooney said:
That kind of ticks most of the bells and whistles off :D

Your short list is basically Teknatool, Jet, and Grizzly in the moderate price range (powermatic, robust, oneway on the top end.. interestingly rikon has a big lathe with lots of bells & whistles in the 4500 range and some cheap midi's and not much in the middle not sure how to classify laguna I guess they kinda split the difference). I wouldn't go less than 16" swing if you're wanting to do any bowls, 18 or 20 is nice but those generally push the cost up. Lathes have .. gone up a lot since I bought mine .. yikes.

I guess decide on power availability, swing, rough budget .. and expect the budget to be blown a bit :D

Don't forget to budget in for some chucks and tooling...
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Yep, I realize that. :)
16" swing and easy-to-change speeds are about it. I'm sure I'll be shopping the used market quite a bit. So it may be a while.
 
My money has been and still is on Grizzly. Keep in mind that Grizzly, Jet and Powermatic are all made on the same factory floor in Taiwan. Burt Industries. There's other brands they make there but I don't remember them. I ran a smaller 2hp 16" swing Grizzly for about 12 years. it was variable speed using the Reeves Drive method. It did stuff all the time it should not have been able to as far as weight was concerned. With the headstock rotating and with a tool rest extension, I was able to some outboard turning with diameter up to 20". Finally kinda wore it out. Now I am running a 2 hp with electronic variable speed, reverse, and an 18" swing. Beautiful running machine. You just hear a barely audible hum. Everybody I run into that is looking on starting turning, I tell them to seriously look at Grizzly. Also, customer support is in the USA.
 
If you have a Woodcraft store any where around, they sell their lathes in their in store shops from time to time. Outfitted the woods shop here at school that way the first time. I am a fan of Jet lathes.

Remember if you trim the square blanks on your bandsaw you can get away with turning a larger diameter as the square corners are all waste (generally).
 
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Good advice so far. If you have to be budget minded like most of us, do not be afraid of a Reeves drive variable speed lathe. They work fine and do what they are supposed to do. I up graded my $300.00 Grizzly reeves drive to a $1,200.00 Grizzly EVS and, while really neato, I don't think I can do much more with it than was possible on the Reeves. In fact, I sold the Reeves to a professional turner and he later wrote me two personal letters thanking me for selling it to him. Don't let the Reeves nay-sayers scare you away. Check them out in the Grizzly catalog. Let us know what you decide.
 
I agree with the advice above, but if you can swing the cost of an electronic variable speed lathe, it's worth it in my opinion. I've turned quite a few nice pieces on a lathe with a Reeves drive, but a true electronic variable speed has better torque and is WAY less maintenance. Also (and equally useful) most EVS lathes also turn in reverse, which is handy at times when sanding.

Also, don't rule out a midi-sized lathe. They can swing 12+ inches and can be set up pretty easily to use while sitting. I know you have some blanks that exceed that size, but honestly (at least in my opinion) turning blanks made from glued up lumber don't yield very interesting grain patterns. (At least not until you're doing true segmented pattern work, where the pattern of the pieces is the visual interest, not the grain of the wood.) I heard through the grapevine that Glenn Bradley might have a Delta 46-460 midi lathe with all the trimmings for sale. He might not see this thread, so you might want to send him a PM to see if the two of you can reach a mutually beneficial agreement. ;)
 
I will not add any additional advice as to the lathe brand you should purchase. Everyone has their own opinion.

My best advice is to determine if there is an AAW woodturning club in your area. Join and then see if some of the members will allow you to turn on their lathes. Getting practical experience and instruction is the best way to enjoy this hobby. By turning on different machines you might determine exactly what it is you want in your own machine. It is also a good idea to get some instruction from a seasoned turner so that your don't develop the bad habits of the self-taught that take years to correct. Woodcraft sometimes offers classes at their stores and you can try out their lathe offerings while getting instruction. I used to teach at a Woodcraft store and they sold a lot of lathes offering these classes.

The only other thing I have to say is that you should buy the biggest lathe you can. I have seen virtually everyone who gets into this hobby start out with a small lathe and in no time they are looking to upgrade. In the long run it is cheaper to buy a good big lathe.
 
Thanks for the input folks!
I really like Grizzly and found one that looks like it will fit the bill. It's on sale right now for $650. But they charge $250 for freight. I looked on Amazon and found what looks like a very similar machine, but black. It's WEN. Specs are the same and that one comes with extras for $692. (Free Prime shipping) Not gonna pull the string yet, but this one is in the lead. I've been happy with some of my WEN gear.

|https://smile.amazon.com/WEN-14-Inc...05-89c2c9832640&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m
 
John Pollman said:
Thanks for the input folks!
I really like Grizzly and found one that looks like it will fit the bill. It's on sale right now for $650. But they charge $250 for freight. I looked on Amazon and found what looks like a very similar machine, but black. It's WEN. Specs are the same and that one comes with extras for $692. (Free Prime shipping) Not gonna pull the string yet, but this one is in the lead. I've been happy with some of my WEN gear.

|https://smile.amazon.com/WEN-14-Inc...05-89c2c9832640&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m
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It doesn't matter much how much you spend on the lathe you are opening up a whole new world of consumer spending and the cost of the lathe will be small compared to all the other costs you will incur.
 
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