Good lathe to start with

[Jay Jolliffe]

What would be a good lathe to start with. Not much experience with turning. Just something to learn on. Don't really know what I'd make on it yet.

[Dennis Ford]

Whatever lathe you can afford is the first thing that came to mind but it is not that simple. This list would be my preference in order of increasing cost. I know that some good lathes have been left out and expect there will be some different opinions.
* Harbor Freight 12 x 36
* Jet 1014 mini lathe
* Delta 12-1/2" swing variable speed 46-460?
* Grizzly GO 632
* Jet 1642
* Powermatic 3520
* Robust American Beauty

[Donny Lawson]

If you want to make smaller items such as pens, stoppers, goblets I would look at the Jet mini (10")or if you can swing a little more I would greatly recommend the Delta 46-460 "Midi"(12") for the power,VS, Reverse, and overall dependability. Also check craigslist, they might have a nice used one.

[Mike Cruz]

If money is a concern, get the biggest most expensive thing you can buy. You WILL grow into it. If you buy small or cheap, you will likely outgrow it, and have to buy something else. Not that upgrading along the way is a horrible thing. But it can cost you more in the long run.

General guidelines:

If you have access to bigger blanks, you will eventually want to turn them. 16"+ lathe
If all you have access to is smaller stuff, or you have to buy your wood, pens and small bowls will probably be the router you'll take. 10-12" lathe
If you are artistic and are thinking that you'd like to do hollow forms, 12"+ lathe
If you intrigued by the smaller more fine side of things (like pens, stoppers, peppermills, and small hollow forms), 10-12" lathe

The most important thing is that you can turn a pen on a 24" lathe, you can't turn an 11" bowl on a Midi lathe.
Also, whatever the swing of you lathe is, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 inch...the size blank that you can mount (unless perfectly round) is usually smaller, so more like 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19. And what you will end up with will be slightly to significantly smaller depending on the wood and your skill 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. Those aren't hard and fast rules, just guidelines. But the idea is to realize that a 12" lathe generally speaking does not yeild a 12" bowl...more like 10-11".

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jay... I highly suggest getting with your local turning club BEFORE you buy a lathe. Get some hands-on turning experience first and figure out what it is you would like to turn. Then you have an idea of what lathe will meet your needs. Chances are the members of the club may know of a used lathe for you to start with as folks are always upgrading!

Good luck!

[Mike Cruz]

Okay, while I stand behind what I said earlier, Steve is 100% right. Learn from a class or from a local club BEFORE you buy. Had I done that, I could have cut out the middle man... I had the sense NOT to use my lathe before taking a class at Woodcraft. But the 12" lathe that I had bought lasted me a couple of months before I figured out I needed/wanted bigger. I'm in the group that has access to a LOT of wood, and big stuff at that.

[James Combs]

Okay, while I stand behind what I said earlier, Steve is 100% right. Learn from a class or from a local club BEFORE you buy. Had I done that, I could have cut out the middle man... I had the sense NOT to use my lathe before taking a class at Woodcraft. But the 12" lathe that I had bought lasted me a couple of months before I figured out I needed/wanted bigger. I'm in the group that has access to a LOT of wood, and big stuff at that.

+1 on what Steve and Mike said. I started with a Griz 12" midi and about a year later I moved up to a Jet 1642 but YMMV.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I took a class last year. It was for two days. Did the basics & at the end turned a shallow bowl about 10'' round. I'm not really interested in pens or small stuff. I'll tell you it's harder than it looks. The instructor was Stephen Gleasner at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship....
Stephen Gleasner

[Marty Eargle]

All the suggestions given have been good...if you gave us a few details such as price range, available space, etc. we would be able to narrow it down for you.

[Reed Gray]

Another thing about a club, seems like some one is always upgrading, and you might be able to get a used lathe, and even tools for less money.

Other than that, I prefer a variable speed lathe. Turn the knob to change speeds. I think they have better resale value. Other than that, it depends on how much you want to spend. Whatever you spend on the lathe, you will spend several times that amount on 'accessories': grinder, grinding wheels, tools, jigs, chucks, dust collection, abrasives, finishes, chainsaw, bandsaw.......

robo hippy

[Jon McElwain]

Whatever lathe you can afford is the first thing that came to mind but it is not that simple. This list would be my preference in order of increasing cost. I know that some good lathes have been left out and expect there will be some different opinions.
* Harbor Freight 12 x 36
* Jet 1014 mini lathe
* Delta 12-1/2" swing variable speed 46-460?
* Grizzly GO 632
* Jet 1642
* Powermatic 3520
* Robust American Beauty

All around good advice so far, except Dennis forgot to include the last lathe on the list - Oneway 2436!

[Roger Wilson]

Nova has been left out as well. Look at the 1624 and the DVR. Woodcraft has sales on them that cut the price by several hundred dollars.

The Delta 46-460 wood be my choice for a first lathe unless money is not a problem in which case a full size lathe is what you want.

Check out Neal Addy's lathe specification table at the link, it's comprehensive.

http://www.nealaddy.org/pub/Lathe_List.html

[Mike Cruz]

Neat chart. Prices are off just a bit, though. The PM3520 is listed for $3,400 but is more like $3,800-3,900 now...

[Jamie Donaldson]

I hope that Stephen didn't start you out using plywood for turning material!!