Rank and Utter Newbie ISO First Lathe

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Folks---

If you don't mind, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself before spouting off a question. I am a neophyte to the realm of woodworking. My experience has been some shop time with my father on his SSMkV back about twenty years ago, and most recently at a wood workshop at Berea College. I've been lurking about the AAW forums for about two months, and here for about two weeks (with the exception of the one DNA reply). I've been looking in awe at the work displayed both here and on AAW, and am hoping to make a day of the Symposium in Louisville (I'm fairly local, living in Lexington, KY).

As for the question:

After finally cleaining out the backyard shed (my wife won't let me work wood in the house, as we have a one-story with no basement, attic, or garage), I see that I actually have room in which to work. I'm on an EXTREMELY limited budget, and have looked at two possibilities for a first lathe. One will let me get started within a week or two, the other would have to wait about a month to six weeks before I could grab it.

Option one: Wilton 99177 ($99 at amazon.com). I've heard no real negative information about this lathe, and I understand it is manufactured by the same folks who manufacture Jet and Powermatic (WMG). Very little information is given on the page, so I was wondering if anyone knew what type of centers it comes shipped with. I believe it is MT1 in both head and tail, but I'm not sure.

Option two: HF 34706-5VGA ($279 when last I checked). I have an HF local here in town, and I should be able to acquire the unit directly from the store rather than having to pay S/H. The rotating headstock is nice, and I believe it locks in a 90 degree position as well as 180. I know the motor is a bit on the light side (3/4 hp), thus restricting the possible outboard (or front-facing) capacity, however the 12" swing and 33" distance between centers may make up for that a bit.

I'm leaning towards the Wilton, simply because the projects which I wish to tackle first are small and would fit on that lathe (chess pieces, pens, bottle stoppers, ornaments, etc).

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with either of those lathes, and what are the benefits/pitfalls of either?

Thanks for any information,

Henry C. Gernhardt, III

[tod evans]

welcome henry! never run either machine you asked about, sorry...02 tod

[John Hart]

Hi Henry...Welcome!!!

I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming addic.....er...I mean....your upcoming endeavor!!! You're on the path to something very rewarding for sure.

Don't know anything about the Wilton, but my BIL had the HF model and I used it a couple times. It is very well behaved, but has a low end speed of 600 RPM.....so big pieces were pretty scarey. Great lathe for the price.

[Keith Burns]

Welcome to the Creek Henry Great place to hang your hat, and guess what....ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST ! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Don Baer]

Henry,
Abnother optionn is the Rikon. It is avaible from woodcraft and is within your budget. Several Creekers including your truly have one and realy like it. It can turn 12" so it is a somewhat bigger then the Wilton. As a matter of fact it is less costly then the Jet mini which I was going to get and can turn 2" more dia.

Oh and welcome to the creek.

[Jim Dunn]

Welcome Henry. Have a good time with what ever lathe you decide on.

[Corey Hallagan]

Hi Henry and welcome to SMC! Another option for you is the PSI Turncrafter midi. It sells for 159.00 and is a Jet clone. Several of us here have that lathe and so far no problems. Lots of good lathes out there for the price. I would also consider the Fische midi lathe in the 270.00 price range. Good luck!

Corey

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone, I truly appreciate it. As for the addiction---well, if I can spend 2 months reading forums and still be drooling over various and sundry lathes and lathe equipment, I think I was hooked from the outset.

I'll have to look at these other options. One nice thing about Amazon, though, is that my wife works for them and receives a 10% discount on all purchases. That consideration may also sway my decision---if only in the purchase of chisels if not in the purchase of a lathe.

Gads---I need to get down to Harbor Freight soon---they have a 6" bench grinder on sale for $30 until the 15th.

I would still appreciate input and experiences with any of these low-cost lathes. And I've become aware of the rules---when I finally do acquire it, pics must be posted or it never happened.

Looking forward to the singularity at the end of the tunnel,

Henry C. Gernhardt, III

[Bart Leetch]

Hi Henry & welcome to SMC

Lets see Lathe+lathe turning chisels+chuck+band-saw+wood+grinder+Wolverine sharpening system+white sharpening wheel for grinder+sanding materials angle-drill for power sanding yep by the time you've gotten through all this you'll have a bad addiction.

Here let me lead you by the hand come along now right over here a few steps ah yes right here just step right here yes yes this is the slippery slope. Now now you must let go no no I can't go with you everyone has to take this first step by themselves we will help you as much as we can but you must take the first step yourself after that it will be easier for us to help you.

[Wally Wenzel]

Hi Henry, Helped a friend set up his wilton awhile back, i turned a few pens and a few small bowls and it worked ok, the bowls were on the small side only about 6 " D. It is a little short on power for any thing much bigger. Good luck, Wally

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Looking forward to the singularity at the end of the tunnel...

First off Welcome to the Creek!! Good to have you. Sounds like you're a fast learner. I wasn't so lucky my first time out The "Pic Police" got me good!

Let me share something that may help you as you move forward. You see there is NO tunnel. Even more, there is NO light at the end of the tunnel. The Vortex is like a black hole from which nobody ever returns. There is NO end and there is NO light. But let me give you the good news! You can always identify that you are in the right place by the "loud sucking sound" and the tug on your wallet.

[Bob Noles]

Hi Henry and a great big Creeker welcome to ya. Sorry you got pulled into the vortex, but now that you are here, just sit back and enjoy the ride

As Corey mentioned above, the PSI Turncrafter Pro is a nice lathe for the money. I have one and have enjoyed it very much even if it is as red as the devil himself.

Got it on Amazon for $169 and free freight which you can do even better with your wife's discount. I don't think you would be at all disappointed with it. The big shock is all the goodies that follow the lathe purchase..... there's the killer

Stay with us and enjoy all the fun and adventures we have down here. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Hello and welcome, Henry.

Let me toss in a recommendation that no matter which lathe you chose, the first and most important piece of equipment is a full face shield. The nose you save could be (well, almost certainly will be) your own.

I've been having a great time with the HF 34706 lathe. It goes on sale for around $200 about every other month, and you can pick up a decent 8 piece tool set (47066) for about $30. It's tough to beat this as a low-budget starter combo. A lot of turners recommend a mini lathe as a starter, and I won't argue against that, but there have been a few times when I have been glad to have the extra capacity.

You will hear much about the addictive/expensive nature of turning, and I'll admit that I now own a sharpening setup that cost more than the entire lathe, and I've been eyeing those really nice, shiny, pricy chucks. But don't be put off by the high price tags - start with what you can and enjoy.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Henry! And no..........this is NOT the same person who posted just previously.........But......our names are quite similar.

Watch these guys here! Most people like yourself either jump into the Abyss or get sucked into it. I got shoved. I'm now driving a Jet Mini VS. I started with a cheap HF set of tools. They worked surpisingly well. As I started to do more things, I moved to bigger and better tools. As stated earlier, the lathe is the cheapest part of the addiction and it is, indeed, an addiction! I got shoved in to the vortex.........it's been and is still a wonderful ride! I've found a new passion!

Again.........Welcome!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Henry, I'm a new owner of the Wilton, and from what I've seen so far, it's a well built machine and very capable when used within its limits. It is more limited in size and power that some of the other lathes available for $50 to $150 more, but at $75 including free shipping (I had a $25 Amazon gift certificate) I consider it a worthwhile investment. I figure most of the other accoutrements I buy for the Wilton will be usable when I step up to a bigger machine someday.

Regardless of the fact that I'm happy with the Wilton, if your passion is centered on turning, it's inevitible that you'll want a bigger lathe, and you'll be money ahead to feed that urge now instead of later.

Whatever lathe you end up buying, I would suggest looking at the Harbor Freight HSS chisel set. I've been impressed with the ones I got, and I think even at the regular $35, you're better off than buying one of the starter sets that Amazon offers (including your discount). The HF set is generally well-regarded around here from what I've read.

Whatever way you go, get ready to have a bunch of fun!

- Vaughn