Hi,
I would like to learn some turning. What would be a good starter lathe. I have very little room or a lot of money.
[OP]
Member
Hi,
I would like to learn some turning. What would be a good starter lathe. I have very little room or a lot of money.
If you go through a whole day and didn't learn something new, you wasted it!
Member
Well looks to me like you are needing a midi lathe. The jet is pretty much considered the top of the line. The VS version runs about $379.00 and the NON VS version runs about $279. Lots of others that run a little lower, the Delta Midi -299., Rikon -249., Fisch 249., all the way down to the PSI which I have and runs about 179.00 and a VS version that is about 239. These are all 1/2 horse models and still some cheaper lathes available but probably under powered for larger stuff and quality probably starts to suffer. Hope this helps.
Corey
Last edited by Corey Hallagan; 10-03-2006 at 12:19 AM.
Member
Evening Randy.
Look through the Turning Threads. You will find many on this subject. I'm sure you'll find your answer there.
Bruce
"The great thing about Wood Turning is that all you have to do is remove what's not needed to have something beautiful. Nature does tha Hard work."
M.H. Woodturning, Etc.
Peoria, Illinois 61554
Contributor
Randy I would definately look at the Rikon at Woodcraft. It is on sale for $219.99 this month. I don't think you will find more bang for the buck especially if money is short.
Bernie
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
In Memoriam
Randy,
The replies so far have pretty well covered the bases mostly. I'm not sure what you mean by "very little room;" i.e. are you pretty much limited to a mini or do you have room for a smaller floor model. I have a Harbor Freight 34706 which is a good starter lathe; it's inexpensive and it's a respectable machine. (You have to be really choosy with HF stuff; this is one of their "good" tools.) Here is a post I made to another recent request for info: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...301#post437301
Good luck with whatever you purchase!
Member
Randy,
There's another post in this forum from Pete Jordon about a new lathe
by General(model 25-200) that is supposed to come out this month.
It really looks like a small footprint workhorse with some nice features.
3/4hp,VS, a headstock that pivots and an outboard set of ways at the headstock end to be able to turn larger diameter outboard..
I've got an older Jet mini(not a VS model) that i love, but i would've
bought the General for the features it offers over the Jet if it were
available at the time. Their website is www.general.ca and i believe the
25-200 is under $400 so it's in line with the Jet VS.
Member
In Memoriam
Corey,Originally Posted by Corey Hallagan
I think you're right. But then, if Jet is planning a re-design of their Mini (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...221#post440221), the inhabitant of the throne may remain a question for a while.
Mark
Member
Corey, don't get your hopes up too high...
If you would read further in Pete's thread:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=43658
You'll see that the actual price for the new general 25-200 is US$529 at Woodcraft. The $399 price was for a different one.
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