Adam Crankshaw

[Adam Crankshaw]

Hi There,

My name is Adam. I have been interested in woodturning for upwards of 15 years but just recently started my journey of learning the craft. My 4 year old son and I got hooked on wood turning videos over the past year so during our COVID lockdown, I decided to purchase a small lathe and get started. As I assume it happens to most, I got hooked. I currently have the WEN 8X12. I have a starter set of HSS tools as well as a carbide tool. I have a Nova G3 chuck and an assortment of jaws. I also invested in a slow speed grinder and wolverine sharpening system. I turn almost daily.

I have turned a little bit of everything but I really like turning pepper mills and small bowls. I have yet to settle on one thing to specialize in and will probably continue to experiment with different projects.

I am ready to increase the size and power of my lathe and have been given the green light from my wife.

I am currently between the Laguna 1216 and the Jet 1221vs....possibly the Rikon 70-220. I like the outboard turning option of the Laguna but don't know that the 1HP motor would really have the oomph to turn that size blank efficiently.....and it only has a 2 year warranty vs 5 years for the Jet. I would purchase the outboard turning kit for the laguna and probably the stand. For the Jet, I would probably get the stand as well.

I realize this was an introduction post but is there anyone out there that has used each of the laguna, Jet and Rikon and can just say "I have used all of these and you should go with this one because...."

Looking forward to being part of this online community and continuing to learn from all of your collective experience.

Thanks, Adam

 

[Lamar Wright]

Welcome to the forum Adam. You will learn a lot from the turners on this forum and they are gladly to help you. I have the Jet 1640 with the swivel head that allows outboard work which I like very much. Just take your time and give yourself time to choose the right lathe for you. Happy turning!

 

[Adam Crankshaw]

Thanks for your input Lamar.

I've been debating between these three models for a month now but just can't make the decision.

Either one will be a welcome improvement from my tiny little WEN, just want to make sure I am choosing the right one.

I am going to wait to see if anyone has a STRONG opinion on any one in particular.

Nice to meet you.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Andrew welcome aboard. I have no experience with any of those but two of our officers have bought the Laguna this year and both are really satisfied with it. The new Jet is also a good choice but I do not know anyone with one.

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome,
You’ll likely get mores discussion posting the late question in the “discussion” section.

Most lathes for sale today will have some satisfied owners.
I like the Jet a lot. It is nice machine with lots of features. Belt change is easy! Tool rest and banjo lock in place well.

I got mine to lug around to club events and workshops.
I’ve done small hollow forms and NE bowls in demos. With the small motor I go Slow on the roughing but then it’s
Turning near the normal speed on a big lathe.

 

[John Torchick]

Welcome!

 

[David Hill]

Welcome from another Texan!
I'm in the Cuero area.
I've worked with a number of lathes in my journey--started small and worked up, mostly buying used and upgrading (10 or so total) now have just big lathes. I like my Nova 16/44 but have a bigger Laguna and a Beauty. Come by some time, I have wood you can turn if you're looking to try a bigger lathe.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome to the AAW forum, Adam. I'm not familiar with the Rikon and Laguna lathes that you mentioned, but they seem to be good lathes. I have used the Jet 1221 vs several times and have been very impressed. Jet also has a long history of knowledgeable customer support.

 

[Tom De Winter]

Don't know if this will be across all vendors but Klingspore's has 15% off on Jet.

https://www.woodworkingshop.com/html/BlackFriday.html

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Welcome to the forum! Aloha from Maui

 

[Adam Crankshaw]

Thank you all for your posts and suggestions. It been a little while but I wanted to chime in that I went with the Laguna 12/16 with stand and I am really liking it. I had an issue with the reverse switch and had to be sent a new one. Easy swap out and I was also able to bypass the switch until I received the new one. It's power is a HUGE improvement over my first lathe. So far I have turned a half dozen pepper mills, a few live edge bowls and a couple snowmen. Starting to work out the details of multi axis turnings to see if I can figure it out. Thanks again for your posts.

 

[Tom Beatty]

Adam
Glad you found the lathe you like. Have you thought about joining a local AAW. Chapter. There is one in Austin, the Central Texas Woodturners. Always a good source for info and while they are probably not meeting in person, most chapters have are doing zoom meetings.