Which of the 14" has the best performance and trouble free history?
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14" midi lathes performance
- Thread starter Ed Jarvis
- Start date
I see a lot of great reviews for the Record Power Harold and the Rikon 70-1420 VSR. I own. Larger Record Power and it has been a great lathe.
I have an obscure wahuda which is the company that made the lathes for axminster tools certain years. It's been trouble free and another good thing about it is the spindle is 1.25-8 and everything else is the same as my big lathe also.
I replaced my Nova 14 DR (which ran flawlessly for all the years I had it and is still running today) with the Nova Neptune 15" direct drive. The Neptune is one sweet lathe.
The Jet 14" lathe was very similar in fit and function to it's very popular 16" lathe, except that it had mechanical variable speed. The method of variable speed was for the belt to ride up and down on a pair of pulley sheaves. The downsides were a high minimum speed, and the sheaves, which were made of pot metal and could fail. The sheaves are no longer available, so if one fails, you have a large doorstop. I don't know if they're still making/selling this lathe, but on the used market, it would be one to steer clear of.
If Jet still sells one, perhaps it's gotten the more modern electronic variable speed. In that case, it would be a nice full length lathe, capable of turning a very functional 12" bowl. Not much need to go larger.)
If Jet still sells one, perhaps it's gotten the more modern electronic variable speed. In that case, it would be a nice full length lathe, capable of turning a very functional 12" bowl. Not much need to go larger.)
@Ed Jarvis, do you have a price threshold which cannot, shall not, be violated? If I knew that number, I could give opinions, at least based on my personal ownership over the years.
I really dislike Delta inventing the term "midi lathe" as their answer to the Jet "mini lathe". Just a dumb word. Anyway, is the 14" category a starting point in your search? Is 12" off the table, and 16" out of reach? Even these numbers are a bit arbitrary, because price is usually what turners have to limit themselves to.
I currently have a 23 year old Vicmarc VL200 shortbed, 16" x 16". This IS a "lifetime" machine, I'll never wear it out. They also have a VL200 long bed version. But Vicmarc lathes are a financial stretch compared to some other makes, unless you build up a bare lathe yourself. I also have a 2-year old Oneway 1224 (midi, my arse!) with accessory bed extension. 100% of my turning interests are covered by these two machines. Heck, a VL200 long bed would make me a one-lathe turner. Honestly, my Oneway 1224 w/extension makes me a one-lathe turner. Anyway, I've also owned a 24" lathe (yeah, a Vicmarc), and two separate 10" lathes (Jet 1014, followed by the higher quality but very similar Vicmarc VL100). So, I've been all over the map, size-wise. But my project size interest has remained consistent over 30 years of turning- the diameters I show below.
I'm sitting at my kitchen table right now. Grabbed a tape measure and grabbed some dishes. The dinner plate on the left, 10-1/4". The small plate, 6-3/4". The bowl, 6-1/4". I could grab a mixing bowl or two to expand the research. This is an easy exercise for a turner, a new/upgrade lathe buyer, to help guide the lathe purchase, to put some reality into the purchasing decision.
All three of these items, shaped as bowls or plates or vessels, can be easily turned on a 12" lathe. (Yes, at some diameter the lump of wood may compete for space with the banjo, but that won't be every project, and it can be worked around.)
I've been referencing Richard Raffan videos a lot in recent times (and why not? 50 years of professional turning), and for the last 3-4 years he's been shooting a lot of video running hard a 12" lathe to make wonderful, practical-sized turned objects, both utility and artistic. That said, he just now stepped it up to a 16" lathe for, I believe he stated, the extra mass of the bigger machine vs. just wanting more swing. He mounts some wonky chunks of wood and runs them at high speeds making heavy cuts.
I don't have a direct answer to your direct question, but hopefully I added some food for thought to guide your decision making. Maybe you'll be able to focus in on a machine that meets your actual and not just perceived needs and wants, and you'll find the way to buy the best quality machine in that size range to suit. I have no interest in restaurant-size salad bowls- made three years ago and quit. Lots of work, lots of mess. Smaller size wood (12"-16" lathe size wood and smaller) is far easier to come by, far easier to process, and offers, to me, anyway, every bit of craft skill and artwork potential to satisfy my turning desires.
(Original question- "Which of the 14" has the best performance and trouble free history?" If price were no object, and sticking to a min. 14'ish inch machine, in no particular order there are three I'd consider- Oneway 16" series, Vicmarc 2xx series, and Robust Scout or Sweet 16 series.)
I hope this helps your purchase planning.
I really dislike Delta inventing the term "midi lathe" as their answer to the Jet "mini lathe". Just a dumb word. Anyway, is the 14" category a starting point in your search? Is 12" off the table, and 16" out of reach? Even these numbers are a bit arbitrary, because price is usually what turners have to limit themselves to.
I currently have a 23 year old Vicmarc VL200 shortbed, 16" x 16". This IS a "lifetime" machine, I'll never wear it out. They also have a VL200 long bed version. But Vicmarc lathes are a financial stretch compared to some other makes, unless you build up a bare lathe yourself. I also have a 2-year old Oneway 1224 (midi, my arse!) with accessory bed extension. 100% of my turning interests are covered by these two machines. Heck, a VL200 long bed would make me a one-lathe turner. Honestly, my Oneway 1224 w/extension makes me a one-lathe turner. Anyway, I've also owned a 24" lathe (yeah, a Vicmarc), and two separate 10" lathes (Jet 1014, followed by the higher quality but very similar Vicmarc VL100). So, I've been all over the map, size-wise. But my project size interest has remained consistent over 30 years of turning- the diameters I show below.
I'm sitting at my kitchen table right now. Grabbed a tape measure and grabbed some dishes. The dinner plate on the left, 10-1/4". The small plate, 6-3/4". The bowl, 6-1/4". I could grab a mixing bowl or two to expand the research. This is an easy exercise for a turner, a new/upgrade lathe buyer, to help guide the lathe purchase, to put some reality into the purchasing decision.
All three of these items, shaped as bowls or plates or vessels, can be easily turned on a 12" lathe. (Yes, at some diameter the lump of wood may compete for space with the banjo, but that won't be every project, and it can be worked around.)
I've been referencing Richard Raffan videos a lot in recent times (and why not? 50 years of professional turning), and for the last 3-4 years he's been shooting a lot of video running hard a 12" lathe to make wonderful, practical-sized turned objects, both utility and artistic. That said, he just now stepped it up to a 16" lathe for, I believe he stated, the extra mass of the bigger machine vs. just wanting more swing. He mounts some wonky chunks of wood and runs them at high speeds making heavy cuts.
I don't have a direct answer to your direct question, but hopefully I added some food for thought to guide your decision making. Maybe you'll be able to focus in on a machine that meets your actual and not just perceived needs and wants, and you'll find the way to buy the best quality machine in that size range to suit. I have no interest in restaurant-size salad bowls- made three years ago and quit. Lots of work, lots of mess. Smaller size wood (12"-16" lathe size wood and smaller) is far easier to come by, far easier to process, and offers, to me, anyway, every bit of craft skill and artwork potential to satisfy my turning desires.
(Original question- "Which of the 14" has the best performance and trouble free history?" If price were no object, and sticking to a min. 14'ish inch machine, in no particular order there are three I'd consider- Oneway 16" series, Vicmarc 2xx series, and Robust Scout or Sweet 16 series.)
I hope this helps your purchase planning.
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What do you mean by performance? All lathes spin, and the rest is up to what size motor spins it. I’m not sure how you would rate performance from one to the other?
I think performance can be judged by looking at the subtle things that add up to the total package- banjo and tailstock operation- their cam locks and fit to the bed; motor controller details; headstock spindle and bearing design; casting quality and heft; motor spec and quality; things like this. I no longer own either machine, but at first glance my former Jet 1014, followed by the curiously nearly, but not fully identical Vicmarc VL100, showed the Vic to be the superior design and functioning lathe. The two came to market in the similar time of the 1990s (don't know which was first). Regardless of which came first, Vicmarc delivered the superior version.
I don't know when the first Jet lathe was made (but I believe they were blue and called JWL 12-36). The first Vicmarc was made in 1984. Nova 1000 lathe was made in 1978. I know jet and Delta each had 10" lathes about the same time and they were Mini Lathes, Jet advanced its mini to VS. Delta years later brought out the 12 1/2" branded as midi which Jet had advanced to12" and 12 1/2" also. About then other makers joined the market. The distinction of Mini and Midi has always meant mini less than 12" and Midi 12" and up to 15". 16" and larger are full sized lathes. My two oldest lathes are my Vicmarc VL100 VS Serial #103 from craft Supplies and my 8" Nova Mercury VS both pre year 2000 area?
A couple years ago I tracked down the buyer of my VL100 to see if they'd want to sell it back to me. They'd sold it to someone else, but inquired with them on my behalf. A firm "I ain't selling it!" came back to me. Sigh. I do miss that little machine. I think I bought mine pre-2005 sometime, sold it in 2011 when the VL200 came my way from a friend. I needed the space, the 100 had to go. If I would have kept it, I would have had The Three Bears in my shop- VL300/200/100.
I wonder how the OP thinks performance is measured?