• It's time to cast your vote in the April 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Steve Bonny for "A Book Holds What Time Lets Go" being selected as Turning of the Week for 28 April, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

How many lathes have you owned?

How many lathes have you owned?

  • 0 - I've always relied on the kindness of stangers

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1

    Votes: 8 7.1%

  • 2

    Votes: 22 19.6%

  • 3

    Votes: 40 35.7%

  • 4

    Votes: 17 15.2%

  • Were we supposed to keep count??

    Votes: 25 22.3%
  • Total voters
    112
Douglas Ladendorf

Douglas Ladendorf

Joined
Jan 26, 2013
Messages
277
Likes
28
Location
Pennington, New Jersey
This place needs to liven up a bit! It's a wood turning forum that's all turning all the time for goodness sake! I'm sure new guys like me poke around here all the time and though the knowledge is deep the daily updates are a bit scant. Here is something I hope will be fun and informational at the same time.

How many lathes have you owned? Why the change or add? What did you love/hate about them? Is there a new one in your near future?

My own answer is a qualified "two" lathes (but really one). I picked up a used Rikon midi lathe and a week later found a larger Delta with 14" swing. Sold the Rikon to a 13 year old kid (and parents) who was just getting started and loving it. As for my Delta, it has a broken speed handle but I can still rev it up with a bit more effort. After about a year and a half I'm still by far the weaker team member and learning each time I pick up a tool and turn it on. Of course that doesn't stop me from thinking about the next one... :rolleyes:
 
Douglas

15 MOL
Bought a cheap delta Rockwell 5 speeds 12" swing. In 1975 so been at it a while.
Over a period of years bought 3 delta Rockwell lathes, 2 J-line lathes, 1 Atlas at annual auctions by the school system phasing out industrial arts. These were used some and resold once they were in good working condition.
20" Woodfast, ONEWAY 2436, ONEWAY 1018, nova comet mini lathe, Frisch mini lathe, general 260 vs, ONEWAY 2416, Jet 1221vs

Still have the woodfast, 3 Oneways, General and jet. My wife turns too and We use them all occasionally and in classes.
The Big Oneways are our primary lathes. Lots of good lathe choices out there.
Haven't found any I like more than the ONEWAY 2436 with an outboard for the shortbed work.

Al
 
Last edited:
I answered three because there wasn't an option for 2 1/2. My Delta 1440 was down at least half the time waiting on repair parts so I figure that it should only count as half a lathe. My real lathes are a Jet mini and a Robust American Beauty.

Thanks for the jump start. It looked like everybody was taking a nap. I had been thinking about a poll, but couldn't think of a good subject.
 
Al, I got to turn on a Oneway 2436 at one of our club's Hands On Workshops. Made my first bowl and discovered what it felt like to ride the bevel through a full pass on fresh cut cherry. Yeah, pretty sweet lathe.

Bill, that's my lathe! I had to replace the switch with one that fit from Grizzly. I'm giving the handle part-ordering one more attempt but not holding my breath. I think it could be machined and might even attempt something myself if I get desperate enough.

Doug
 
how many??

well three
but actually four if you count the shop smith
secondly a 36" wood fast still upset about parting ways with that one
thirdly a nova 3000 just wasn't enough lathe for doing big bowls
and now a 3520b it handles what ever i throw at it providing ii have enough ballast
and hopefully in the near future either a robust american beauty or a serious lathe
 
Three.......

Shopsmith from the 1950's, paid $200 at a garage sale. (Used it for several years, and I think it's actually a pretty good starter lathe) I bought it as an impulse buy around 1980-or 81. My Dad had one just like it when I was a boy, and this one was in good shape....and cheap.....so, I bought it! Used it for a year, or so, before my curiosity led me to give lathe turning a try about 1982.......Yowza! (lightning bolts!) :rolleyes:

Northwood lathe (16" swing, Reeves drive 600-1600rpm IIRC. Company came and went in the 1980's) If you see one of these for sale.....don't walk away, RUN! All cast iron with bondo patches. Bad choices of speeds. Reeves drive kept hanging up, and had to go inside and fiddle with it to get it going again. I think it was about $1200 new. I used it for 7-8 years before selling it for about $1000. I thought it was worth that back then, but now I look back and feel sorry for the guy that bought it from me! I'd be ashamed to sell it for more than a couple hundred bucks now.....and I'd probably still own it, because I'd likely talk everyone out of buying it!

Original Australian Woodfast 16" swing long bed lathe......this still might be my last lathe, but who knows! Had this one for 22 years, and counting! I have nothing but praise for this lathe. All cast iron, good castings. Everything made well. Base was made by CSUSA, and sold for a little less than $2000 in 1992, when I bought it new. Originally, it was 5-speed and changed pulleys.......never again! I converted it to variable speed about 7 years ago, a great upgrade. I love this lathe......! :cool:


Thinking that Vicmarc VL240 19 1/3" swing, swivel head, looks pretty darn good to me. I see an Australian company has it for $5100, but the shipping must be in outer space!

ooc
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0694.JPG
    IMG_0694.JPG
    404.7 KB · Views: 52
  • IMG_0693.JPG
    IMG_0693.JPG
    401.3 KB · Views: 46
Last edited:
Good question, had to think about that one.

1. Zyliss Electric Drill attachment, used it to turn furniture spindles when I was stationed in Germany in the 80's.
2. Shopsmith 1990 still turning parts for furniture. Used it until 2000
3. Jet 1014 Mini Lathe.. discovered pen turning around 2000 and went a little nuts.. Still have a lot of kits that I haven't turned. :-)
4. Delta 755 first "real" lathe.. Learned bowls, hollow forms on that one.
5. Jet 1220, not sure why I got that lathe, but think it was because it was almost free which is my favorite price. :-)
6. Powermatic 3520b bought in 2009 Still my primary lathe.
7. Jet 1642 bought in 2011 to use as a student lathe. It's paid for its self in that capacity.

So the answer is 6 1/4 cause the zyliss contraption should never have been in my shop. I used it on two pieces and it's in the attic of my shop somewhere...
 
First was an Atlas 4 speed with 1/2 hp motor. Then 3520A, then Robust Beauty, then jet mini, then Robust Liberty. I still have the last 3.

robo hippy
 
A delta 1440 , which I got rid of before it wore out.
Then my wife bought me a Jet 1014 v, still have that. A nice lathe.
I still have my Stubby S500. A great little lathe. Perfect for my shop.
 
I started with an electric drill and a sharpened screw driver. Bought a shopsmith. Not a good lathe but did turn quite a bit of work with it. At least after I learned that you actually had to sharpen a tool occasionally. Sold it and bought a Delta 46-700. Chased it around the room a lot. The slow speed was too fast for a beginning bowl turner like me. It also vibrated a lot. I had an order due out and had to wait for the second set of brocken pulleys so I ordered a Nova Comet mini lathe. What a difference. It was so smooth my turning improved over night. I sold the Delta as soon as I got it working.
In the meantime I had purchased a J-line that was in pieces. My friend Joe Looper had it and a machinist rebuilt the spindle with a 1 1/4 thread. I had to build the tailstock quill. I ordered a quill from Delta that was 1/16 too large and machined it down on my friends metal lathe. Added a DC motor to it and built the missing tool rest. It was a good machine. Eventually I raised the headstock and tailstock with hard maple blocks to give me a 16" swing.
Sold that lathe and bought a Nova 3000. Another good lathe. I only had a few minor complaints and they improve all of those complaints with the new version. The bed was too narrow so everytime you loosened the Banjo is tilted down making fine adjustments a little guess work. The new lathe has a wider bed. I bought the outboard extension for doing larger platters but it vibrated so much I had to add a piece of all thread rod going from it to the floor. I would set it up and adjust the nut under it to put tension on the extension and that worked. I got around the headstock alignment problem by aligning the headstock perfectly. Then I drilled a hole at the joint between the headstock and bed ways. All I had to do to realign the headstock was stick a drill bit in that hole and lock the headstock down and it would be perfectly realigned. the tailstock was little weak but they beefed that up on the 16/24 also. I eventually put a VFD motor on it and made it a really nice lathe. I had 2 bed extensions so I could do almost any work I needed.
My next step up is my current lathe. A powermatic 3520A. A really sweet lathe. There really isn't much I don't like about it.
I've owned quite a few mini lathes during all the other lathe purchases. After I sold the Nova Comet I had a Jet 10 mini, then a Rikon10 inch and now a Delta 46-460. the Delta is a really sweet lathe. I hope the company can get their act together and produce more things like this lathe.
I've turned on most of the top of the line lathes and most of what they offer that my powermatic doesn't is simply ease of use. Kind of like driving a Ford and then getting behind the wheel of a Mercedes. they both get you there but it sure is sweet in M car.
 
Let's see this is what I have now.
Vega 2600 Bowl lathe
General 160-18
Harrison Union Graduate Bowl Lathe
Delta Midi Original
2 Jet Mini's 10-14
Micro lathe (from about 1950 all cast Iron 4" x 12"
Shop Smith
Delta 46-700
Carba Tech
Jet 9-20 Metal
Harbor freight 7-10 Metal
Craftsmen Atlas 6-18 Metal
These have been sold
2 Shop Smith 10ER
1 Delta 46-700 chop down to bowl lathe total bed length 24"
Jet mini 10-14
Total owned 17 still have 13. SWMBO says NO more tell some goes,yea right
 
Three? The first one, in 1965, was ordered from an ad on the inside back page of Popular Mechanics Magazine. It cost $12.98 plus shipping. I also bought the optional 1/4 horse motor for about $20.00 and assembled the system on a 2' x 4' piece of plywood. The amenities consisted of a spur drive center, a tiny face plate and a DEAD tailstock center. The reason for the purchase? I was building a pine cobbler's bench for the family room of our new house and needed to turn two pedestals to connect the top to the base. With this lathe and a set of Craftsman turining tools (that never got sharpened for another 30 years or so) and no previous experience, I turned a pair of 13" L x 5.5" D pedestals that in retrospect were not too bad. (We stilll use the table.) Fast forward 30 years. I retired and moved across the continent to Southern Oregon and one day remembered the old lathe. I dug it out and began to play around with it and succeeded in making a few doo-dads that weren't tooo bad. However, it did not take long to realize the limitations of the lathe, and lacking any guidance, I bought a Grizzly 16" lathe which, despite some limitations, let me learn the basics of woodturning. About 15 years ago I sold it and bought a Oneway 24/32 with an outboard extenion that have been very happy with.
 
My first lathe was a Grizzly GO642. It had Reeves drive :mad: and a rpm range of 600 to 2400. Never could get the head stock and tail stock to match up. Kept it for about 4 or 5 years and then sold it to get a Jet 1642. This has been my lathe now for about 3 years. Two years ago bought a Rikon variable speed mini as a Black Friday special from Woodcraft. Got it so my wife could help me finish up pens. I'm now using it to teach her how to turn. My dream lathe would be a Robust American Beauty. I'll try one out when I take my 3 day class at Jimmy Clewes next month. My wife will be in the class too and maybe she'll see how nice it is and say, "go for it." :D
 
Started on a Delta Midi in 06. Did not know anything about turning and struggled to find info I needed. In about 2010 bought a Jet 1442 and continued to buy accessories and tools. Not extremely happy with the reeves drive. Retired 12/12 and decided by Christmas 2013 I needed a serious retirement Christmas present and got a 3520B. Cannot believe how great it is turning on this.
 
Seems like 3 is a popular number. I guess most people follow a similar pattern.

I had a Perform CCSL as my first lathe, I still use it regularly for demos. Small lathe with similar castings to the Jet, with a bed extension. Good little lathe to learn on but I wanted a bigger machine...

Next was a Jet 1442. Loved this machine and served me well for about 6 years. It also took me from enthusiastic amateur to full time professional turner. Although rated as a professional lathe, the Jet wasn't quite man enough for the work I was putting it through and it started showing signs of wear so I needed to upgrade...

Trouble was, the Jet with bed extension could handle 5ft between centres and 13" over the bed without turning the headstock. If I was to upgrade it had to be bigger than this but a new machine would be starting at around £6000, which was a bit out of reach!!

I've always liked old cast iron machines after my experience as a joiner, using these old beasts so I looked into the possibility of an older machine. I found a 1950 Wadkin RS8 on EBay. Nearly 6ft between centres, 16" over the bed, with a gap bed allowing 27", and the option for outboard turning. Delivered for £1400. Bargin!!

Had it for nearly 3 years and I love it!

Cheers

Richard
 
3 here too

Started with a used Montgomery Wards Powerkraft lathe. Plastic covers on the headstock and tailstock. Not exactly sturdy. Moved "up" to a used Delta 700 series with Reeves drive. Never had a problem with the drive and it worked okay bolted down to my workbench, but it still didn't provide everything that I wanted. I finally settled on a new Powermatic 3520B figuring that it would probably last me the rest of my life! However, I do find myself longing for a good mini lathe that I could take with me to craft fairs and demos, so there is probably a 4th lathe in my future somewhere...
 
o. of lathes

Scott Longberry said:
Started with a used Montgomery Wards Powerkraft lathe. Plastic covers on the headstock and tailstock. Not exactly sturdy. Moved "up" to a used Delta 700 series with Reeves drive. Never had a problem with the drive and it worked okay bolted down to my workbench, but it still didn't provide everything that I wanted. I finally settled on a new Powermatic 3520B figuring that it would probably last me the rest of my life! However, I do find myself longing for a good mini lathe that I could take with me to craft fairs and demos, so there is probably a 4th lathe in my future somewhere...
Click to expand...
Two
Started with an old 1/3 hp rockwell, pulley driven but could only turn fast.
Bought an original Austrailian Woodfast for $1500- used it for 5 years- had trouble with it blowing fuses on the invertor- talked to Odie who convinced me to inspect further to find it needed motor bearings and brushes causing the problem. fixed it and now I would NEVER sell it. It is 1 1/2 hp, cast iron base, 20 in. swing and I love it. Gary
 
Richard Findley said:
Seems like 3 is a popular number. I guess most people follow a similar pattern.

I had a Perform CCSL as my first lathe, I still use it regularly for demos. Small lathe with similar castings to the Jet, with a bed extension. Good little lathe to learn on but I wanted a bigger machine...

Next was a Jet 1442. Loved this machine and served me well for about 6 years. It also took me from enthusiastic amateur to full time professional turner. Although rated as a professional lathe, the Jet wasn't quite man enough for the work I was putting it through and it started showing signs of wear so I needed to upgrade...

Trouble was, the Jet with bed extension could handle 5ft between centres and 13" over the bed without turning the headstock. If I was to upgrade it had to be bigger than this but a new machine would be starting at around £6000, which was a bit out of reach!!

I've always liked old cast iron machines after my experience as a joiner, using these old beasts so I looked into the possibility of an older machine. I found a 1950 Wadkin RS8 on EBay. Nearly 6ft between centres, 16" over the bed, with a gap bed allowing 27", and the option for outboard turning. Delivered for £1400. Bargin!!

Had it for nearly 3 years and I love it!

Cheers

Richard
Click to expand...

I was curious about Richard's Wadkin lathe, so ran a search. Lo and behold, Richard Findley has a web page with photos. This is a very impressive lathe, for sure......1900lbs.....!

ooc

link:
http://www.turnersworkshop.co.uk/wadkin
 
Douglas Ladendorf said:
A lot of ShopSmiths in there. I had to Google Woodfast lathes as I hadn't heard of them before. It looks like Rikon has a "Woodfast series" of lathes. Did they license the design and name or are they now one and the same? http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2080338/29265/rikon-20x36-woodfast-lathe-model-70500.aspx
Click to expand...

ricon has bought or licensed the Woodfast lathe.

It I used to be made in Australia. I bought mine around 1993 from Craft supplies. They imported the bare lathe and added the base and electronics here in the US.
At the time it was one of the few choices for a 20" lathe.
 
Douglas Ladendorf said:
A lot of ShopSmiths in there. I had to Google Woodfast lathes as I hadn't heard of them before. It looks like Rikon has a "Woodfast series" of lathes. Did they license the design and name or are they now one and the same?

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2080338/29265/rikon-20x36-woodfast-lathe-model-70500.aspx
Click to expand...

The current Woodfast lathes are not the same company. Not sure what all transpired, but the original Woodfast company of Australia likely sold all the tooling, name, and rights to produce the lathe. Shortly after the new outfit started making Woodfast copies in China (?), we all heard numerous complaints about quality. Lately, I haven't heard much about Woodfast....good or bad. Knowing human nature, that's probably a good sign, since we tend to hear the complaining at a higher volume than we do satisfaction.......:rolleyes:

The new Woodfast company is now producing a swivel head lathe that has very good prospects for a bowl turner, like myself. It appears that some turners see the swivel head as an advantage, and some do not. From what I can tell, the swivel head has been accepted more enthusiastically in the international market, than it has on the American market.....given that the new Woodfast is now being marketed under several brand names in the world market. Anyway, I'm definitely interested, and think Rikon Woodfast may be seeing a developing market.......:confused:

ooc
 
Last edited:
I voted 4, then did a recount - I'm up to 5.

Started with a Sear tube lathe
then a Jet 1236
added a Jet mini
found a good deal on a Jet 1442, sold the 1236
found a good deal on a PM 3520A, sold the 1442

so that's 5 and counting...

right now all I own is the PM 3520A and the Jet mini
 
I'm up to 6 and hoping it won't get any higher!

My first was one I made out of scrap iron and an old motor. I learned a lot from this one because it was lightly built and if the tools weren't used properly results were very poor. Before this I built a small and very crude engineering lathe but never used it for woodturning.

Then an ancient Atlas engineering lathe that I adapted for woodturning. That worked very nicely because everything was very solid and robust, a treat to use after the first, but very limited and also noisy. I still have it and use it for metal work occasionally.

The third was a Tyme Cub, my first proper woodturning lathe. You can still buy them used, a well-made small lathe.

Next was a Graduate shortbed. A brilliant machine that I still use today, though lagging behind in design compared to the best modern lathes.

Because the Cub was becoming too small I changed it for a Tyme Classic. Another very good lathe that served me well for a long time. I installed electronic variable speed on this and also the Graduate. Until recently I used it for all my spindle turning.

Finally, because some of my work was pushing the Classic and the Graduate to their absolute limits, I got rid of the Classic a few weeks back and now have a Titan 315. This I hope will see me out and I shall probably be able to sell the Graduate too. The Titan is probably one of the best serious lathes on the market and I'm delighted with it. 3 HP, swivel/slide headstock, 40 mm toolrest stem, bed extension. The first thing I did with it was to make a ball from an 11 inch diameter green log. I balanced a coin on the headstock and it didn't move at all below about 430 rpm.
 
Interesting question.....

Like others, I had to think about this....

Now at 6 (or more) total:

1. Jet 1236 (Blue version) - SOLD
2. Jet 1014 Mini - STILL ACTIVE USE
3. Jet 1642 - 2HP - STILL ACTIVE USE
4. Delta LA200 - SOLD
5. Jet 1220 (6 speed) - STILL ACTIVE USE
6. Robust American Beauty - 3HP (WATB&W*) - STILL VERY ACTIVE USE!

Four 'user' lathes in the shop at present, and this does not include:

A. A fully restored A.H. Shipman 'Prize Holly' model treadle "mini-lathe" from 1881 (a 'looker' antique lathe in my living room), and
B. A working, battery-powered "toy" lathe from the 1960's (!)

I'm not sure how many more 'user' lathes I will have in the future. I am still looking for another antique lathe for a restoration project, so that may add to the 'looker lathe' list....??

Thanks for starting this poll - there HAVE TO be more people who have not yet voted. Hopefully more than 63 people will respond to the poll!

Rob

(*WATB&W - with all the bells and whistles)
 
Last edited:
lathes owned

3
Always interested in wood, I started making furniture (crude) for our house and kids (double decker bed, shelves and desks, gun cabinet for husband, computer table and shelves and printer stand, entertainment center and armoire for son. I only had winter weekends to work (full time 55 hour weeks, raising 2 kids and a husband took the rest of the time) Then house got full. Had to downsize and saw weed pots-thinking, hey I can probably do that.
So I got a cheap sears lathe (less than $200), and used that for a year or so. I saw I was going to be "hooked". Then saw in one of the books that the shopsmith had a decent lathe. Saw a $300 one at a garage sale, with missing parts (guy's father had Alzheimer's) and spent another $300, and then later another $350 getting a new motor that didn't break belts.
At a craft show I met Judy Dittmer, who has a great pictorial book outlining from tree to bowl that I had read many times (along with 3 Raffans's books) before daring to lift a gouge (never saw anyone turn). She said I'd get a bad back (which I was getting) from leaning over the Shopsmith and to raise it or get another and that OneWay was coming out with a new smaller lathe (1640), and that if I could afford it , it was the way to go. I had just retired and thinking, "why don't I treat myself, rather than having the kids get a larger inheritance"!!!!!! I ordered one the next day, got it 6 weeks later and absolutely love it. I don't want to turn anything larger than 15 1/2", as I can't lift it!!!!
So 3 and holding, Gretch
 
Four to date. I started with an old Oliver I rescued from the garbage and restored. It was a small lathe but worked well and is still in use in a friends shop. From there to a Powermatic 3520B. Then a few years back I got my Americal Beauty, which, along with a Jet Midi are the two lathes currently in my shop.
 
My first lathe in 1987 was some cheap cast aluminum (if I remember) but was able to learn some basic skills.
The second lathe I made from plans in Fine Woodworking Magazine. It was a large lathe made from massive pine and good for bowl making. I turned a lot of bowls
The next was a Koenig German lathe which was my first professional lathe but still medium sized. ( sold before moving to Germany to teach English)
The next one was a Vicmarc 100 mini lathe which I bought after moving to Germany. (sold)
The next was a large heavy hand-made steal lathe I received as a gift from a friend which I later sold because of back problems, and another move. It didn't have any speed regulation.
Now I have a medium sized Killinger 1400 which is very good but not made totally in Germany. You can google it.
I also have a small Delta for specialized tasks.

Am I satisfied, not completely. I would love to have a 10,000 dollar lathe or even a 5,000 dollar lathe, a Oneway perhaps but I can't sell enough to afford it. I am also 66 years old.
 
Last edited:
If you don't count the Craftsman I learned on at about 12, I would have to say 5ish.
took a class at Woodcraft and then spent $1000+ that week including a Delta with Reeves drive. It worked well, until I found it's faults. Reeves drive and vibration.
then I ordered a Oneway 2036 ( and when they have me the delivery date announced the 2436) that worked for about 5 or so years and sold that for a 2436.

Sold that for a long bed Robust American Beauty 3HP with tilt away (I'm a dealer).
Also had some sort of small but heavy lathe, a Sherline and now a Logan metal lathe.
 
South Bend 9" metal lathe. Somewhat limited for turning wood, so bought a:

Shopsmith.

Built a bowl lathe using a South Bend 10" headstock. sold the Shopsmith, and bought a:

Delta 46-700 . Turned out to be a POS, so sold it and bought a :

Delta 1460

Built a treadle lathe from the plans in Fine Woodworking. Dismantled the bowl lathe.

Bought a Carbatec mini lathe.

Bought a cast iron treadle lathe, sold it 2 weeks later for twice what I paid for it.

Traded the Delta 1460 and the homemade treadle lathe for a:

Nova 1500. Had steel tubes for the bed.

Built a spring pole lathe.

Bought a antique lathe, 26" swing, 8' wooden bed, flat belt drive, Babbitt bearings.

Sold the Nova, and took a Delta/Milwaukee 930 as a trade-in.

Bought a Rockwell/Delta 46-451

Sold the 930.

Bought a PM3520b

This all took place over the past 30 yrs, but I think I'm done now. Might have to sell a lathe or two to make more room, but I don't have plans to get any more.

I know, never say never......
 
My history to date:

1. Craftsman 15" VS Still running lent out
2. Delta 10" Mini Sold
3. DVR 3000 Still in use
4. 2 Rikon 12" midi's Sold
5. Powermatic 3520b Still in use
6. Jet 1220 VS Sold
7. 2 Delta 46-460's Still in use
8. Jet 1014 Sold
9. Nova Mercury Still in use
10. Jet 1642 1 1/2 HP Still in use

Also a 1904 Oliver and a real old Delta forerunner which I never had time to work on so I got rid of them. And finally a South Bend 10" metal lathe which I never found time to use so it was sold.
 
Three.

Wilton 12" mini lathe. First thing I did with it was bend a mini spindle gouge in half. :-)

Realized that I liked turning a lot (much more than the flat work I've done over the past 30+ years), got a Jet 1642 and still have it.

As of yesterday, I have a VB36 and have yet to finish installing it. LOML watched me spend the past year agonizing and researching what to get because I'm wanting to do large bowls and hollow forms. Basically driving her crazy with obsessing over which. So for Christmas she told me to order the lathe and well, it took about half a minute to get on the phone to Craft Supplies. I have to say I consider myself very, very fortunate to be able to own such a tool.

It's been a long time coming but should be the last lathe I'll ever buy. And just to mention (and I have no affiliation) Roger Durst at Craft Supplies and Greg Jensen of VB. Great guys all through the process and I couldn't have asked for better people to deal with.
 
Total of 6 I think. In order of acquisition.

1. Jet 1014 Mini that I still have and use-came with a promotional complete pen turning package. My wife got it for me for Christmas after I took a pen turning class and she has been a turning widow ever since. Learned a lot with this great little machine.

2. Craftsman tube frame-got it 2nd hand but had never been used in 14 years-sat in a dry basement. Came with a workbench and a ton of tools and attachments-dirt cheap and I learned a lot with it. Sold it a few years ago because I wanted the space.

3. Jet 1642EVS-managed to sell enough of my work to pay for this new many years ago on sale-my primary lathe.

4. Jet 1014 Mini with bed extension-got it new very cheap and never used it-sold it a few years later.

5. Jet 1014 Mini-won it at a turning symposium as a door prize-sold it but shouldn't have.

6. Crafstman from about 1936 that belonged to my father-in-law-he bought it new and had it for almost 70 years. I have not set it up yet but will someday. It has many attachments including a compound slide from a metal lathe.

(7) I also have a mini metal lathe from my FIL that I would like to get working and learn how to use.

So I'm really down to 2 working lathes in my shop and enjoy them both. They have certainly earned their keep.
 
Last edited:
Three lathes
I also started out with a Shop Smith as a beginner. Quickly realized this was not heavy enough to handle rough cut out of balance wood.
Next I built a beheamoth bowl turning lathe that had a 36" swing capacity.
I powered it with a 2 hp DC motor with variable speed drive. This one worked out pretty good but lacked low end torque which is typical for DC motors.
Finally about 12 years ago bought my Stubby 750 which I am very happy with.
 
Drill press, from a popular mechanic project to turn spindles
Then a Fisch, nice little 10" lathe
My 3520B was next and that was supposed to be my last lathe....
Rockwell 45-451 spent more time restoring then turning, gave it to a new turner.
Jet 1220 came next - still for sale.
Jet 1221vs is going to be the last...I'm pretty sure
 
David Hill

Turning started as a curiousity for me, wanting to see everything that my ShopSmith would do. Once I started, well......
1. Shopsmith, was good until I started turning bigger blanks and discovered its limitations.
2. Harbor Freight 12in (copy of Jet), inexpensive way to see if I wanted to keep turning and learned the limits of the 3/4 hp motor. Gave to my son in law--waiting for it to "take"
3. Oliver 167- found by accident, restored and Wow! what a change--limited me to 12 in or thereabouts. but plenty of power. Sold it to a fellow club member.
4. Shopfox 1758--nice lathe, able to go to 17in turning, plus it swivels (haven't used that yet), Reeve drive not that bad, but 600rpm on low end sometimes a problem.
5. Nova 1624--it followed me home from Woodcraft 2 yrs ago. I can't say anything bad about it. Power and versatile.
6. Vega 1446--replaced my Oliver- 14 in throw, different from other lathes, nice variable speed (Reeve type), different banjo and tailstock--easy to use.

I like the capability of being able to have more than one project going. If I have a chance to upgrade through auctions (I like to go), etc--it'll force hard choices.
Ultimately think I'd like a big PM or OneWay---I'm always looking.
 
No of lathes

1. Delta Reeves drive - still use it as a buffing platform
2. Delta 1642 - Sold
3. Delta Midi - Sold
4 Jet Mini - Still have it
5. Rikon 12" - Still use it for small projects
6. Rikon 12 " - My wife won it in a club raffle - Still use it for small projects
7. Oneway 2436 In use
8. Oneway 2436 In use

But, these are spread between two seasonal shops, only have three in each.
 
1) Laguna 1847. Had a design issue with the motor inverter, it blew up. I fixed it and sold it.
2) Robust Sweet Sixteen, use it every day unless it's freezing out.
3) General 25-200 Maxi Lathe. Indoor/basement lathe when it's freezing out.


Happy turning
Tom
 
Four lathes... but I not done yet!:)

Well five if you count the Shopsmith I had for a very short while. Never used it as a lathe, though. Come to think, I never used it for much of anything.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top