How important is variable speed?

[Bill Blasic]

If you buy the Jet 1221 and stand your close to $1200. I have a Powermatic and a Jet lathe but I have not been impressed with the 1221. Although I would not own one (because of the lathes I already own) if I were you I would seriously look at the Grizzly G0766 for about $500 more than the Jet 1221. The reason is that for most folks who start turning and thus start with a mini/midi lathe soon want a bigger more powerful lathe. I had one of my students facing this exact question and pointed to the G0766 which he bought and for the most part is happy with it. He has had a few minor problems and says that they can sell it so cheap because the owner is their unpaid labor to fix issues. I have actually used the lathe and checked it out and I would not hesitate to tell a student about it. Now as far as variable speed you don't need it but once you have it you will always want it.

[Michael Mills]

I haven't used the Jet but in amps it is only slightly larger than the Comet II ( 6 amp vs 5.5 amp).
Those who have used the Jet may disagree but in the Jet vs Nova 1624 I think the time saved in possibly not moving the belt compared to the time needed with lighter cuts and frustration of the smaller lathe would save no time in the long run. This is based on my usage of the Comet vs the 1624. For spindle work I don't think it makes any difference but for the bowl or platters it makes a lot of difference.

[Frank Drew]

If I bought another lathe I'd want variable speed and reversing, but as much as I like vs, I think that of the two reversing is the more useful for face plate and bowl work.

[John K Jordan]

@jkj:
l like to build foot stools & coffee tables. So, primarily leg of 18 inches or less. After watching videos on turned boxes I want to give that a whirl.
The spousal unit likes bowls and plates, so that is another idea.
After looking at gadgets and gizmo's I can see how much $$$ turning can cost.

Gary,
(Yikes, I wrote this hours ago and just noticed I forgot to send it. Sorry if it is made invalid or duplicates something posted since then.)

From your first message I'm assuming you don't yet have much experience with a lathe - forgive me if that's not right.

For turning spindles you have to allow a few extra inches for different live centers, perhaps a jacobs chuck with a drill bit, and maybe 3" more for a chuck. (holding one end of a spindle blank in a chuck has some distinct advantages) You may also want a bit of extra wood on either end, depending. It is far better to have a lathe much longer than needed than one a little bit too short!

I'll tell you my experience. At least 15 years ago I wanted to make one thing for my son in architecture school. I had no experience, didn't know about forums or clubs, and knew no turners. I bought a cheap lathe from Home Depot - a copy of the old Craftsman tube lathe. I learned enough from the manual to make the thing I bought it for on my first try. I later glued together pieces of an oak board and turned a small bowl. This lathe was sorely substandard but I didn't realized that until I made a few things. I saved up and soon bought a new Jet 1642 variable speed lathe which was the difference between night and day - it was wonderful! I used it for thousands of things over the years and eventually bought a second one used. I still keep two lathes in my shop although one is now a big Powermatic 3520b. (I also have a couple of Jet mini lathes I can easily take places.) I gave the first lathe to a friend. I keep the second 1642 in storage as a spare.

I've heard many others tell the same story - bought one lathe and then soon after discovered that although it was good to learn and turn a bit, it was the wrong choice. You have the chance to avoid all that! My advice: if you have no experience with a lathe start by not buying one at all. Take a class, attend some demonstrations at a club, meet some turners and visit their shops and try out their lathes. (turners LOVE that!) See what kinds of tools others find necessary and useful. Try turning or just an 18" table leg blank on several lathes. Read everything you can. Borrow a small lathe for a while. (I've loaned out a mini before and I suspect others would too.) This way you can see for yourself what you like, don't like, and what you could get by on. You can even see if you like turning at all! (It's almost guaranteed you will but occasionally I hear of someone who doesn't) When you do buy, buy a used lathe instead of a new one.

This way you can avoid making the mistake many of us made - buying one then getting a better one soon after! In the long run you will save enough money that way to get some very nice accessories.

Another thing - it's probably not wise to get excited and immediately buy every tool that you think you might need. A few things will let you turn almost anything:
- scroll chuck
- parting tool, spindle gouge, skew chisel, roughing gouge, maybe later a bowl gouge (learn spindle turning first!)
- bench grinder
- sharpening jig ("you can't turn if you can't sharpen")
- dust mask or respirator
- face shield
Pay no attention to the energetic salesman at Woodcraft. High end tools are wonderful but cheaper tools are sufficient (get tools made from High Speed Steel). You might even borrow tools from friendly turners. (I keep a box of old tools I acquired just for that.)

That's my opinion! Everyone is entitled to one.

JKJ

[Len Mullin]

Gary, VS on a lathe isn't important, but I'd never buy another lathe without it. Just the convenience of it, makes it worth the extra money it costs. I don't know of any turner, who ever regretted having it once they got it. There's lots of turner's who will claim that they have no issues, with manually switching from one speed to another, on non-variable speed lathes. But those same turner's have nothing negative to say about a lathe with VS, most of them actually admit that they would never go back to non VS. So, no it's not important, but it is awfully damn convenient to have.
Len

[Gary Baler]

I have a Nova 16-24 belt change and a PM 3520 B variable speed. At 200 rpm I can put about any out of balance piece that will fit and be safe on the Nova. I got the PM after turning a couple of thousand bowls on the Nova. The speed change with the belt takes less than ten seconds once you get it down. I finish most of my pieces with lacquer and the 48 rpm minimum speed on the PM will let me spray lacquer and let it dry without running while turning at that speed.

I use both lathes almost every day, often with projects going on both. If cost is important I would get the Nova. Best value for the $ available. If cost is no object ... American Beauty

[Jack Lilley]

I would ask how frequently will you be turning? Is it something you will be doing a lot of? If it is you will want the variable speed. It is a convenience as everyone has already stated but it also speeds up your turning. No stopping to change belts, always turning at the most beneficial speed, better resale value and really, really convenient. My first 2 lathes I had to change belts, then I had a dvr with push button speed control and now a laguna with a knob to adjust the speed. My recommendation would be get the variable speed if it is in your budget.

[Roy Petersen]

I have a Delta with a Reeves drive on it, and though it's difficult changing speeds, I found once I hit the right speed, I left it on that pretty much all the time. I turn mainly goblets, steins, lidded boxes and the like, so it's all kind of the same type of actions. Aside from roughing the blanks, I never felt I needed to slow it down or go a lot higher than where I was. Stayed at that so long I found the guts froze up from disuse and needed penetrating oil to loosen it.

If I had it to do again, I'd spend for the dial type, and something with a more solid build. Though the Delta's fine for what I do, there are far better.

[Harold Walsh]

I've owned the Nova 1624 and it's a great lathe and it was no problem (to me) to change the belt speed.What I like about the Nova's the head rotates and to me it makes wood turning easier on the back, not having to lean over the work to turn. Nova makes an upgrade motor with a variable speed for the 1624 also. Having said that, I just upgraded to the Nova Galaxi DVR 1644. It's a variable speed lathe but it hasn't made me a better turner, just lighter in the wallet.

Jet makes good products but the head doesn't rotate on their lathes either. Good luck.

[Clint Bach]

I like the vfd (variable frequency drive). It seems to have a more stable speed. It adjusts the torque to the load so it doesn't bog down or over speed. On a heavy cut I can feel it add more oomph. Is that a real word? Anyway oomph is good for large turnings.

c

[Dennis Ford]

Between a Jet 1221 with VS and a Nova 1624 without VS, I would take the Nova without a doubt. More capacity, more HP, more weight and good speed range selection. Those items are more important than variable speed IMO.