Do you have any experience with the OneWay 1224 lathe? Is it a good starter lathe?
Do you have any experience with the OneWay 1224 lathe? Is it a good starter lathe?
I've got a Oneway 2436. Top notch quality and I expect that the 1224 will be the same. For a "starter" lathe, I think the Oneway might be over budget as I believe they start around $2500. You can get a lot of lathe with more capacity for the same or less. I would consider the Oneway 1224 if you were a professional or well down the road of turning and knowing exactly what you need, rather than as a starter. The problem is that you will quickly outgrow the 12" capacity if you want to turn a bowl or something like that. It's a pretty small lathe for the money. But, that all said, it's probably the best quality lathe you can buy for that size.
Man advances just in proportion that he mingles thought with his labor. - Ingersoll
Full disclosure, I’ve never turned on a Oneway lathe and while I’ve heard good things about them, they are way overpriced IMHO. I think the 1224 is like $2500 new whereas the 12” Jet and Laguna lathes sell for around $800. And for $2500 you could get the Laguna 1836 new which is an outstanding lathe (I have the Laguna 2436).
But again, I’ve never turned on one so take what a say with a large grain of salt!
tom
I had a used Oneway 1224 for a couple of years, performed great, no issues.
I wouldn't pay MSRP for one though, a bit pricey for it's capacity.
And I only sold it because I wanted a bit more over the bed capacity.
Last edited by ChrisA Edwards; 06-05-2020 at 5:02 PM.
I have two of the Oneway 1224s. My late wife bought me my first one. I have since picked up a used one. It is my favorite lathe. I have a Oneway 2436 for the big stuff. And a Robust Liberty for the in between stuff. Admitted, the Oneways are a bit pricer, but you get what you pay for. It is a lifetime small lathe.
Joe
Strongly encourage you to find and join a local woodturning group. Likely there will be several 1224 owners who would let you use one for a bit. If you want to turn tops, pens, and rolling pins, it is a lot of lathe. If you want to turn green wood blanks for bowls, which may often start out unbalanced, the extra weight (and perhaps stronger motor) of the Oneway over a Jet will be appreciated and helpful.
I've owned a Oneway 2436 since 1998. I've sold a lot of work off it, which has more than paid for it, and was worth every penny I paid for it. I've only turned twice on a 1224, and the quaility is just as good as their big lathes. Incredibly rigid, butter smooth running. Quality doesn't cost money, it makes money.
I've got Chris Edwards' old 1224 - mostly using it for spindles, boxes, and smallish hollow forms. For that work it is perfect. If I intended to do mostly green bowl turning and pieces pushing the top end of its capacity I'd opt for the next size class of machine (16"+).