New Lathe Decision

[Terry Stellman]

I sold my lathe (Jet 1442) and I am now shopping for a new one. I have been following the various threads on the new Grizzly G0698 1847 and originally thought this is what I wanted. I have now almost talked myself into a Jet 1642 1-1/2 hp. Is there any reason other than more power that I would want the 2 hp? I am coming from a 14" machine with 1 hp that I never felt that it was underpowered, so I am thinking that a 16" machine with 1-1/2 hp should be more than enough. I have 220v so that is not an issue but I like the idea of 110v because it makes adding a stop switch at the end of the bed for safety reasons much easier. Any thoughts from the experts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Terry

[Mac Carlton]

I would be careful of that word expert the ex is a hasbeen and the spert is a drip under pressure. I have a Grizzly 1220 vari speed and its not in the same league as the jet. My 2 cents.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Terry - I have the 2 hp version but moved up from an old Craftsman mono-tube - so power to me was an issue. If you feel the 1 1/2 hp will be enough for you - then chances are it will be. As far as a remote on/off switch - I built one myself using a standard light switch as it switches a ground and not 220 volt AC power.

Best of luck with your lathe decision! If you go with a 1642 - you should feel right at home as the bed and legs are the same as on the 1442.

[Thomas Canfield]

Terry,

I have the Powermatic 3520B with 2HP and find that I have bogged it down on occasion roughing out some large blanks of wet wood. I am still learning what it will do but don't regret the 20" capacity or the 2 HP. I am not sure how many more 16" + blanks or rough pieces I will do, there is a certain feeling of power to mount a large chunk or wood and see the chips/curls fly.

[Montgomery Scott]

My local machine dealer has the 1642 1.5hp for $1800 and the 2hp for $2390.

If you are looking at getting the 2hp then you might as well jump to the PM 3520. The extra $600 for a half horse doesn't make much sense to me.

I have the 1.5hp 1642 and I have been able to bog it down when doing very aggressive roughing, but under normal turning it won't. I would still choose the 1.5hp over the 2hp and use the difference to get the accessories you'll need for it.

[Terry Stellman]

Over the internet I'm seeing about a $250-300 difference but still a lot of money for just 1/2 hp. Thanks for the input guys. I'm in the mulling stage right now before I go out and try to save the economy.

Terry

[Reed Gray]

I am of the opinion that any motor above 1 hp should be run on 220. I had a couple of my machines rewired for that, and it made a big difference. They just are more efficient on 220. I am not any electrician, or engineer, but when I set up my shop, every book that talked about motors and horse power requirements for machines emphasized this point. Being used to a PM3520A and now my Robust with a 3 hp motor, I found the Jet with the 1.5 hp to be rather wimpy. Really easy to bog down. I know there are a number of plans for remote switches on the lathes, both 220 and 110, but on my Robust with a remote switch with magnets, I keep my remote on the headstock, just like where the switch was on my PM. Any other place was just inconvenient. I want left hand access so I don't have to move my gouge or scraper from one hand to the other to shut off the lathe. If I have it on the body of my lathe, I have to stoop down to get to it.

robo hippy

[Mauricio Ulloa]

The change of the voltage is because of current consumption. For more than 1 Hp your pocket will really hurt!

[Reed Gray]

The amperage used by a 1.5 hp motor on 110 or 220 is the same. The difference is that on 220, you have 2 lead lines.

robo hippy

[Gary Chester]

Reed, sorry but that is not correct...

The power consumption is the same, but not current draw.

If you pull 10 amps on 110 machine and then convert it to 220 you will then pull 5 amps.

In each case you will be using 1100 watts. V x A = W

[Gary Chester]

As far as a remote on/off switch - I built one myself using a standard light switch as it switches a ground and not 220 volt AC power.

Steve I have the same lathe... can you describe this a bit? Disconnecting the ground doesn't sound safe nor will it stop the lathe, and breaking a 220v circut with a SPST switch doesn't sound safe either. I'm sure I'm missing something here...

[Walt Bennett]

With a 16" swing & VS, you've got to pay attention to how slow the motor can go and still have reasonable torque. One of my clubs has a 1642 VS with the 1 1/2 motor so we can run it on 120v, but it really doesn't have much power at low speeds. I've a Stubby with 2 hp and can bog it down with a large chunk of wood (a lot bigger than 16"), but that takes some doing. If you can afford it, I'd go with the 2 hp and also try wiring up a 220v circuit for it - makes everything work much better.

[Mike Minto]

that's not really the etymology of the word expert, but...oh, well...getting OT.

[Terry Stellman]

Thanks Walt. Your feedback is helpful. I'm back to considering the Grizzly again also. It would be $500 less than the Jet 2hp model.

[Yance Kudzu]

Have a look at tools-plus they have free lift gate reidental delivery and the 1.5hp is $1,649 and the 2hp is $1,899