Chris Walker

[Chris Walker]

My name is Chris, from the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. I'm about to embark on this glorious journey into wood turning, and I would love to have your input on some of the likely purchases I'm considering.

For the lathe I've pretty much decided on the Jet 1440, for quality and size of unit, as well as price considerations. With that choice in mind, I'm thinking about the following accessory choices:

• Chuck: Teknatool Nova G3 bundle with woodworm screw
• Lathe tools: Carter and Son chisels, starting with the 5/8 bowl gouge and probably some carbide tips.

On the chisels, I'd rather spend more on truly good tools than waste 80 or 90 bucks on a mediocre set. But I'd like to hear what you think, including some guidance of the necessary tool types to acquire.

Thanks in advance for any advice. It is much appreciated.
Chris

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome,


Please add a face shield to your tool kit and wear it whenever the lathe is on. That means it is on when you flip the switch.

if you can find a quality class or a mentor that will not only shorten the learning curve but make your adventure safer and a whole lot more fun.

A good place to connect with with mentors and find about classes are the local AAW chapters.
https://woodturner.org/Woodturner/R...spx?hkey=1c4d6fa8-6094-4dd1-888a-e0c3e2809c3e

if you plan on using the Ellsworth grind(a good reason to take a class if you haven’t decided) take a look at the robust gouge (5/8” bar).
For bowl turning I only use the 5/8” bowl gouge Ellsworth grind, 3/8” spindle gouge, and on a few bowls with recalcitrant grain a 1 1/4 round nose scraper.

 

[Robert D Evans]

Howdy Chris,
I started turning earlier last year and was in the same situation as you. I bought a 6 piece set of the Robert Sorby turning tools. They are full size and have served me well. You can add additional tools as you learn, but those in the basic set will certainly get you started. It might be a cheaper way to get the basic tools than buying them individually.

Later on, you can make some of the tools you want by buying the HSS off the internet and turning your own handle. Welcome to the bottomless vortex of woodturning.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Welcome aboard. Buying tools is always a lot to think about. Thompson V10 tools hold a edge better in my experience. The wife got me a Carter SRG for Christmas and I really like it better than the Sorby I had, and it has a much different grind. If you want carbide look at Hunter, expensive but you can get very smooth cuts.

Jet makes a good lathe and I cannot tell you anything about the 1440. I have a 1442 with a reeves drive but I do not nthink the new design has that anymore. I works but is not preferable and I ended up getting a PM3520B.

For a chuck you will want something larger than a G3 for that lathe. I have 4 Super Nova II. They have done everything I need to do.

I will echo Al find a club. Look at the AAW site Click on Chapters and then Chapters again for a search. I do not know where Stockton is but there are 10 or more clubs that are pretty well all up and down the state.

 

[Rob Price]

Look for the supernova anniversary bundle. I found one at a great price- came with 50/100/130 mm jaws. A great set. It’s my second supernova. It is direct threaded for 1 1/4” spindles so just make sure that will fit your lathe buy it saves you from buying the insert which can sometimes add to runout.

 

[Chris Walker]

Thank you all for the input.A lotto consider, to be sure. I'm looking over the options, and I'll make a decision soon. I am getting a faceshield, Hockenberry! Iam now leaning toward the Sorby set, but I need to research the Carter SRG.

Thanks again, gents!

 

[Bill Boehme]

@Chris Walker
I would stay away from the Jet 1440 based on my experience with imported Reeves drive lathes. The problem is that it uses variable spacing Reeves pulleys that are made of die cast zinc or similar material that aren't able to withstand the loads created during bowl turning. About fifteen years ago I had a similar Reeves drive lathe made by Delta and Jet had a 1442 Reeves drive lathe. The Delta was a worse maintenance headache, but the Jet also had problems with the Reeve pulleys failing. The drive belts wear out fast, the lathe is loud, and speed varies with load torque. I spent much more time repairing my lathe than actually turning anything. It's possible that Jet might have corrected the problems with the Reeves pulleys, but I have my doubts.

 

[Mike Johnson]

If you own a Reeves drive lathe you always want to have a spare set of pulleys on hand along with new drive belts. If you use a chewed up drive belt on the Reeves drive this will speed up the demise of the Reeves drive pulley failures. As the Reeves drive pulleys wear out they also cause the drive belts to fail prematurely. The die cast zinc pulleys are fragile components if you allow them to get stuck on the spindle or motor shaft, they will not stand up to any mechanical forces like a screw driver or pliers prying on the pulley halves to get them free. A weekly or monthly preventative maintenance program is required on these components depending on the hours of use. An application of WD40 or your favorite lube cleaner applied to the pulley shafts will help remove the grime on the shafts that hang up the movement of the Reeves drives on the pulley shafts. If you are forced to applying mechanical force to the pulleys the hub is the only part of the die cast pulley that can withstand the prying forces, moderate forces applied to any other part of the pulley will result in cracking and breaking the pulley.

 

[Chris Walker]

@Chris Walker
I would stay away from the Jet 1440 based on my experience with imported Reeves drive lathes. The problem is that it uses variable spacing Reeves pulleys that are made of die cast zinc or similar material that aren't able to withstand the loads created during bowl turning. About fifteen years ago I had a similar Reeves drive lathe made by Delta and Jet had a 1442 Reeves drive lathe. The Delta was a worse maintenance headache, but the Jet also had problems with the Reeve pulleys failing. The drive belts wear out fast, the lathe is loud, and speed varies with load torque. I spent much more time repairing my lathe than actually turning anything. It's possible that Jet might have corrected the problems with the Reeves pulleys, but I have my doubts.

Bill, thanks for that input. I've done some more research and am now looking at Jets EVS model, the 1640. I came to the conclusion the Nova 1624 was not a good risk.

 

[hockenbery]

now looking at Jets EVS model, the 1640.

The new jet 1640 is solid machine that I enjoy turning on.
I get to demo on one a couple times a year when I do demos.
It’s a good machine.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Welcome to the forum and the world of woodturning!

 

[Timothy White]

The Nova 1624 is a great lathe. But it isn’t variable speed.
Welcome to the forum!