Hi, I'm Dan. I've been turning for about 20 years. I started when I was transferred from Vancouver BC to Seattle and bought a floor model Craftsman 12" lathe for $50 (parts missing). I started like many others turning pens and other spindle projects and after I purchased my first scroll jaw chuck, moved to bowls and vases. I now really enjoy vases and weed pots. I now live in a community that has their own beach, so there is plenty of driftwood wanting to be turned into something, so driftwood weed pots are the order of the day. I have a small shop (12 x 20) and I'm looking to upgrade my current lathe (14/43 Craftex) to a Jet or Laguna and hope to get some real world advice about these lathes on this forum.
