Lathe recommendation

[Robert Henderson]

Greetings All,

I have been woodworking for 10 years now and would like to learn to turn table legs. I have been looking at the 1/2 HP midi-lathes with bed extension and was wondering if this type of lathe would be adequate for turning 3" stock up to 30" long?

Any advice would be welcome!

Robert

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi Robert

The midi lathes you are asking about are not all that much different than the older Delta lathes that were used years ago primarily for spindle turning. The motor might be a bit smaller, but unless you are going to go into business turning 3"x3" legs all the time, either the Jet or the Delta should be plenty of machine for what you want to do.

Of course, you will have to be very careful not to get a piece of wet wood and turn a bowl, because then you will want a bigger lathe with more power and more swing, and then a truck and a chainsaw and a big bandsaw and a chuck and lots of turning tools and AAAAHHHHHH!!!

Welcome to the addiction. I don't know how close you are to a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners, but if you can get to a meeting, you could probably find someone with just such a lathe, and perhaps spend some time on it before making up your mind. Alternatively, there is a Woodcraft store in Harrisburg. They might let you give a lathe on the floor a test drive, but I do not know their policy.

Good luck with it, and let us know how you make out.

Bill

[Kent Cori]

Robert,

I too just got into turning. I bought a Harbor Freight 34706 lathe with a 3/4 hp motor. It is a near clone of the Jet 1236 lathe which means it will turn a 12" bowl or a 36" long spindle. The lathe has been great and it only cost me $199 brand new. HF has these on sale as low as $169 at times. I just went into the closest HF store and asked them for the sale price. They said they couldn't go that low unless it was on sale but would come down to $199 from the normal $269. The Jet goes for about $550 so with a $350 savings I quickly said yes.

There are a tremendous amount of beginner turners with this lathe. If you search a couple of the other forums' archives, you'll find a wealth of information on it.

[Dennis Peacock]

Check with General Industrial Supply in Nashville, TN.....The carry Jet and Powermatic machinery. The offer a great "Scratch and Dent" selection and I got my JWL-1236 for $465 (new) and then Scratch and Dent JWL-1236 was around $400.....It is a great starter lathe and I am very happy with the purchase.

Just my 2¢ worth....

[Jerry Todd]

I don't own a lathe yet but just read a review of mid-size lathes in the March 2003 WOOD Magazine. The Jet JWL-1442 walked away with their Top Tool Award. Minimal Vibration. A little larger motor than you are looking for. As I said I don't own one and my knowledge is just from reading not turning.
Jerry

[Michael Cody]

Originally posted by Robert Henderson
Greetings All,

I have been woodworking for 10 years now and would like to learn to turn table legs. I have been looking at the 1/2 HP midi-lathes with bed extension and was wondering if this type of lathe would be adequate for turning 3" stock up to 30" long?

Any advice would be welcome!

Robert

The MIDI-Lathes are fine for what you are trying to do.. while I agreee with another analysis that the HF 34706 Lathe would be a cost effective approach, a Delta or Jet Mini w/bed extension would do the same job fine.

I owned a HF 34706 12x36 (jet clone) and it's an awesome deal for the cost. I too paid 199$ plus shipping (4.95$) from HF.. not a better deal in the world for that price. It's a touch underpowered for bowls over 7-8" but for spindles & other stuff it's just fine and all you need. (hope the link works)

Check out this URL for a review: www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/hfreight.shtml

[Steven Wilson]

Originally posted by Bill Grumbine

Of course, you will have to be very careful not to get a piece of wet wood and turn a bowl, because then you will want a bigger lathe with more power and more swing, and then a truck and a chainsaw and a big bandsaw and a chuck and lots of turning tools and AAAAHHHHHH!!!

No joke!! I started with a nice, little, Delta Midi lathe for turning spindles and within a year a 3hp Oneway 2436 and a Minimax MM20 bandsaw are in the shop. Bowl turning is worse than crack !!

[Terry Quiram]

"Of course, you will have to be very careful not to get a piece of wet wood and turn a bowl, because then you will want a bigger lathe with more power and more swing"


Boy do you have that right. I have only turned TWO bowls and already this old Delta seems lacking. It sure would be nice to have variable speed and reversing. Hey I have to pick up some more tools before I can even think of upgrading. I also have to practice a lot more.

Terry

[Robert Simmons]

Bill's right, beware of wet wood and bowl blanks. I've been turning for about 5 years now. 3 lathes, a new truck and a new chainsaw (last month). Big wood pile. Big compost pile. More fun than you can shake a (turned) stick at.

Robert

[Jay Kilpatrick]

Warning...Warning...Warning, after only a month of owning a lathe, I only look at wood from a circular viewpoint, the mature apple tree in my yard is on the virge of being in big trouble, and my wife says she misses me (and no, she's not aiming either!) I do need lots more practice, and tools...but the 1236 has seemed a little underpowered a couple of times. SO BE CAREFUL OR YOU'LL GET SUCKED IN!

Jay in Dayton, Oh

[Robert Henderson]

Thanks for all your great replys. As a result I order a Delta Midi-Lathe yesterday. Hope to be getting in lots of practice this weekend..

Robert