How much does turning REALLY cost?

[Baxter Smith]

I think a good used lathe is definitely the way to go if possible. I have purchased 3 of them. The second one came with a lot of turning tools, chucks and accessories. At $800, it was about 30% of what everything would have cost if new. Until a year and a half ago, I thought it had about everything I might ever want to do. Some of the extra’s I still haven’t gotten around to trying out.
My third used lathe with accessories was $1500. This time about 35% of what everything would have cost if new. If I added up all the other stuff purchased as well over the last year, those numbers would easily double. Good luck with the used. You won't spend much that way!

[Bill Wyko]

One meeellion doolars!!! At least it seems like that since I said to myself "This will be a good, cheap hobby" back in 2006 when Istarted turning.

[Sid Matheny]

No one has ever lived long enough to find out for sure.


Sid

[Bernie Weishapl]

All I can say is I have about $3000 in two lathes and probably that much in turning accessories (chucks, tools, hollowing tools, faceplates, etc).

[Brian Kent]

if we arent counting traded wood as a cost,
lathe, $125
motor $5
gear box and parts $40
vacuum pump and set up $100
grinder $75


everything else i have was either a gift, or in the case of chainsaw and fuel, was payed for due to me being at home and needing it for other things

Curtis, I like your style!

[Brian Kent]

When I'm closer to reality and not just having fun with abstract numbers, It would probably be a good idea to take a class at Palomar College or learn from a friend and see which level machine calls to me.

[Brian Brown]

Kent,

Yes, that is the same price as a boat or {insert hobby of choice here}.

[joel nucifore]

Well if you need a shed / studio / money pit also ?? in the last 60 days $30,000.00 plus and the great part about it is no POWER yet to turn the lathe on...

[Jack Mincey]

This is the simplest answer. Since getting serious about turning 6 years ago I've only bought one non turning related item in this time for myself. It was a flyrod and reel which is another expensive hobby I suffer from. I have managed to pay for most of the equipment and tools by selling turned items. The $20,000.00 plus I spent building a shop in my back yard was the hardest sell to my wife. It turns out that depreciating the shop on my taxes has helped to get great returns the last few years so that expense has also been reduced some as well.
Welcome to the Vortex,
Jack

[tom martin]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned anchor seal, finishing supplies, CA glue, and sanding disks! I spend hundred a year on each of these items. Sooooo even after you get the perfect lathe and the perfect tools and put them in the perfect shop, it will go on forever!

[John Keeton]

Brian, all of the comments on the use of "available funds", while made jokingly, are accurate. In all seriousness, I think the "extras" have much to do with where you are financially. Most retirement advise indicates one should make the larger expenditures prior to actual retirement, and I have chosen to do this while I have income. As a result, available funds usually result in unnecessary purchases, but purchases that certainly improve the enjoyment factor. Through Craigslist and here on SMC, I have ended up with 6 chucks (4 SN2, a G3, and an original Nova). It is much easier to spin on another chuck than change jaws, but certainly not necessary. Instead of having $600 or so tied up in chucks and extra jaws, I could easily do with two chucks, but two are a must for the type of turning I do.

So, much of this is really limited only by your ability to buy, and what you want from this hobby. I can tell you that I have been doing woodworking for 50 years, and while I was "in to" most everything I did, nothing has become as all consuming as woodturning. Please consider that when you "make the jump" and do it well before retirement so you will have time to acquire most of what you will "need" while you have some extra income. With less money coming in, I suspect you will find most items to be a "want" vs. a "need".

[Mike Cruz]

Amen to what David said! I'm fairly new to turning and I KNOW why they call it a vortex.

*You find a lathe that will "work" for you... $200-600
*That doesn't really fit the bill OR You visit a friend's house, and turn on his really nice lathe...so you start looking.
*What you want is $4000, but you don't have the money (or aren't willing to spend the money) on that, so you look at what you can get the biggest bang for your buck on.
*New, you are looking at $1000-1600.
*Used for the same machines, you are at $600-1200.
*In my case, I went used, did a full restore, added all kinds of upgrades and bells and whistles, and all in...over $1300 for the lathe, but I think it is worth more...
*Now you have your lathe. You NEED 1 chuck. You don't need the Cadillac or chucks. So you get an okay one with a couple of sets of jaws.
*You get sick and tired of changing jaws, so you get a second chuck.
*That leads you into realizing that it would be great to have a third ...you don't NEED it, but if you could find it on sale, or used for a good price, why not...right?
*You need tools. You don't take anyone's advice, and you get an introductory set...you'll never use 1/2 of them, but you don't know anything about tools, and don't know what you'll need and what you don't need and no one will ever answer the stupid question of "what tools do I need to get" because the answer is always "depends on what you turn".
*You finally figure out that there are 3 tools you use all the time. And if you do bowls, the gouge is the one you use most. The one in the intro set is okay, but you'd like a nice one.
*One day, you hear about/see someone using a cool carbide tool, or some gizmo tool that does it all, and that it is the easiest thing in the world to use...you get that.
*You've been seeing all these hollow forms on the Creek and want to try that...you get a hand held hollowing tool, that beats you up, you hear about the rigs, like Monster, and look into those...you get one.
*You find out that a steady rest for vases and othe hollow forms would be a really good idea, so you get one of those...
*You are coming up with a list of presents for people and figure it would be nice to make someone a pen...off to PSI, Woodcraft, or whoever...and you get the set up sets and mandrels, etc.
You USED to use BORG finishes, like Poly, but you've been reading about and seeing all these great other finishes, and buffing...oh, buffing. You get the Bealle Buffing system.
*While perusing a turning catogue section of a woodworking magazine, you see beading tools, and texturing tools, and scrapers...man those would add flare and/or make things a whole lot easier...not to mention, you'd be able to do some of the designs you had been thinking about with one of those...
*Oh, and with the scraper, they come in all sorts! Round nose, flat, skewed, inside bowl, outside bowl.
*And those tool rests that came with the lathe are okay, but look at those cool curved ones! That would make getting inside the bowl a LOT easier...gotta have one of those.
*You've been turning dry wood that you've had around, or maybe even bought some. But you have all that "free" wood that would otherwise be firewood (for you or someone else). But with turning green wood comes drying...either DNA (and a container), or AnchorSeal, or some other method (which usually involves buying something).

Brian, THIS is the vortex that everyone keeps talking about. And I've only scratched the surface. Also, remember that I've been at this for only less than two years...

Bottom line, you could have gotten by with the $200 lathe, a $50 chuck, a $50 set of tools.
OR
You spend $1500 on a lathe, and $2000 on the other stuff...and it never stops...as long as you have the money.

[Brian Kent]

Another perspective. I buy a Honda Accord (built in Marysville, Ohio, of course) every 8 years. If I buy an LX with my favorite features instead of EX with Navigation, there's the $6,000 I need to buy a lathe and round one of tools.

[Roger Chandler]

Another perspective. I buy a Honda Accord (built in Marysville, Ohio, of course) every 8 years. If I buy an LX with my favorite features instead of EX with Navigation, there's the $6,000 I need to buy a lathe and round one of tools.

Now you're thinkin'

[Richard Kennedy UK]

Simple answer

MORE!

the vortex is strong in this one............