Looking for recommendation for 14 inch lathe (20-24 inch)

[David Muehlbauer]

I'd like to upgrade just a little from my 12x16 midi lathe and am considering several 14" models. That size best fits my workspace, and I would prefer 110v to avoid re-wiring. I predominately turn bowls and smaller spindles and pens. Powermatic has a 14X20 but a lot more than I'd like to spend. So, the one's I have found so far are:

1. Wen 34035 (least expensive)
2. Grizzly G0844
3. Nova Comet 14DR
4. Wahuda
5. Record Power Coronet Herald

Anyone have experience with one of these, or another model in that size that I haven't found? Appreciate any feedback.

 

[BobCoates]

Have no experience with any of these, but looked at spec and the Wahuda looks impressive. But I have never heard of them. Hopefully others can chime in. Features which I liked are:
1) Has 1 hp
2) 1 1/4 8 spindle which would allow your chucks to fit your next lathe.
3) uses a vfd to give you a wider speed range without changing belts. 0 to 1750 would be all that I would use ( have never used above 1200 on my 3520b for bowls)

Good luck

Bob

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

I don't have experience with any of those lathes, but the Wahuda appears to be the same (except for voltage and spindle thread) as the Axminster AT350WL, which has pretty good ratings on their site: https://www.axminstertools.com/us/axminster-trade-series-at1416vs-woodturning-lathe-501214
I do have a Wahuda 8" jointer and though I haven't used it much lately (it doesn't make things round), it blew through tons of white oak dunnage that I was milling into usable lumber when I first got it. One of the carbide inserts was broken when I got it and customer service had a full sleeve of replacements out to me in less than a week.

 

[Ed Jarvis]

I have a Vicmarc VL200 I am well pleased bought used

 

[Dean Center]

Jet has made a 14" lathe, but it had a Reeves drive to produce variable speed, and those require a lot of attention. I can't really recommend any Reeves drive lathe. The latest iteration of the Jet might have electronic variable speed, and if so, that would be a good one to add to your list. Laguna has been advertising the heck out of their newish 15" lathe.

Personally, I think 14" should be a sweet spot in the market, but apparently I'm in a small minority on the subject and historically they have not been as common as 12" and 16" lathes, to the best of my knowledge. 16" lathes are very prevalent, are not much more money than 14" lathes, and there are a great many choices.

 

[Steven Forrest]

You might also consider a Nova DVR (they may have renamed them) - I used to have a DVR XP and it was a very competent lathe, modest footprint, versatile. 16 inch swing. They show up not uncommonly in the used ads, too - that's how I got mine. I'd still have it except something premium came up at a price that couldn't be beat.

 

[Larry Mitchell]

Check into the “Harvey Turbo T-40“…very pleased with mine.

 

[Doug Freeman]

There’s a reason 16” lathes are very prevalent - easy to do 14” dia work. For inside the home, 14-15” is about as large of bowl/platter likely to be used. If you have room, a Nova Galaxi (16x44) would be worth a look. There’s also the Saturn, 16x24 I think, but needsweight added, quite a bit lighter than the Galaxi.

 

[Bill Blasic]

I have the Nova 14DR and I was very skeptical of it due to bearing placement. But I have had it for a few years and it has worked flawlessly. Now this is not the Powermatic 14" lathe by any means but it will do the same things at less than 1/4 the cost of the other. Because of the bearing placement if you ever break a belt you do not have to pull the shaft out of the lathe to replace it (one of my dreaded fears). I just picked up another lathe with the same basic bearing setup. Now one caveat I will state is that I have 9 different woodturning lathes and even though I can be down there every day I have at least 7 of them set up with different projects so any one of my lathes may not see the same amount of use your lathe gets every day. The majority of these lathes have been in use for 15 years or better with students learning and folks doing hands on 3 or 4 times a year plus my own use. Now I'm not telling you to buy it I'm telling you because you asked and if it was a piece of crap I would have told you so. Me myself I tell everyone "Buy your last lathe 1st".

 

[Doug Freeman]

"Buy your last lathe 1st"

How?

This suggests that each person buying a lathe knows exactly what size and features will be needed for the rest of their life. I guess everyone should by a (insert name of favorite lathe here) and the rest of the mfrs should just stop production.

 

[Bill Blasic]

No it means that most of all real woodturners start with a lathe and end up buying more than 1 or 2 before they find the one they will keep for the rest of their life. Buy that one and you have a lathe that you can sell when you are done. Yes it might mean saving for awhile. Until that time I tell everyone that will listen to join a club or find someone to give you lessons or at least show you their lathe so you can make an educated decision about what you are looking for in a lathe. With the amount and differences in lathes it is sage advice for most.

 

[Michael Marchlik]

I bought a PM 2014 last year as an upgrade to a Nova Comet 14. Both are 14 inch swing but the Powermatic wins hands down in terms of build quality and power. I wanted a solid machine that I could operate on 110v. The PM came up on top after looking at a lot of machines - as a newer turner, it is confusing trying to compare machines, especially the motors and drive systems. I ended up with the attached spreadsheet of 19 models comparing across multiple features. Also got it on sale...

 

[Rob Fridenberg]

"Buy your last lathe 1st"
I almost did that - as a newb turner (and a lover of fine tools!) I was ready to buy a Oneway 2436 for $6k+, but I decided to slow down and buy a used lathe to figure out if I liked turning and would keep up with it.

So far, my $800 old Powermatic 90 has been doing what I need for the last few years. I have other hobbies which keep me from the lathe so I have not felt a need to upgrade yet. I did use the extra cash to buy a proper cyclone dust collector and a nice bandsaw.

 

[Doug Freeman]

No it means that most of all real woodturners start with a lathe and end up buying more than 1 or 2 before they find the one they will keep for the rest of their life.

Thanks for making my point - someone buying their 1st lathe is not a “real woodturner”, they may have never put tool to wood.

Through the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or tenth they figure out what they want/need, or decide they need bigger or smaller to support a desired direction, or figure out turning is not their thing.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, first, figure out what you will be turning. If you are going to be turning some bowls, then 1 hp is underpowered for all but the smallest bowls. 1 1/2 hp and 220 volt work better, especially if you do any coring. For mid sized lathes (to me, mini lathes are 12 inch and under, mid are 16 to 18, and full are 20+). Other than that, I tend to buy the better quality tools as I can abuse them more with fewer problems. Best bet is to buy used as the cost is less, and you generally get other things with it, including tools and chucks. Check with the nearest club.

robo hippy

 

[Dean Center]

I bought a PM 2014 last year as an upgrade to a Nova Comet 14. Both are 14 inch swing but the Powermatic wins hands down in terms of build quality and power. I wanted a solid machine that I could operate on 110v. The PM came up on top after looking at a lot of machines - as a newer turner, it is confusing trying to compare machines, especially the motors and drive systems. I ended up with the attached spreadsheet of 19 models comparing across multiple features. Also got it on sale...

That's a very useful spreadsheet, Michael. More importantly, you've GOT to change your avatar. We've got some pretty strange ones on here, but yours is still creeping me out and it's been 10 minutes since I last looked at it.

 

[Tom McClellan]

I have to say I don't understand the market for the PM 2014. The $2100 price compared to the jet back when it was $2300 (and on sale for $2100) didn't make sense. The jet is a much sturdier/heavier full size lathe with bigger motor (but still 110v), more swing, more distance between centers and sliding head feature that is useful for hollowing or sliding down just to keep footprint compact if that is important. I bought mine about two years back and it works flawlessly. Now that the jet is moving up closer to 3000 (maybe closer to 2500 on sale), it's a little more, but it is still a different (better) class of machine and I would gladly pay the difference to get the jet.

Coming from another angle, is the PM really worth 2x the cost of the jet 1221? Motor is a difference, but you aren't turning big stuff anyways on either lathe and for spindles the jet 1221 will work just as well.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Tom I've seen folks that buy that lathe concerned with space. Myself there is an absolute huge difference between Jet 1221 and the PM 2014 and I would go so far to say twice the cost would be OK for ma as I have used the Jet 1221 a few times and really do not like it, only if the choice was only between those 2 lathes. Now I own the Jet 1220 vs and a Jet 1642 and I would take another 16" lathe before spending that much on a 14" lathe even as nice as that PM looks.

 

[GRJensen]

I have the PM2014 ... bought it as a 2nd lathe (I have a PM3520C).

I love the 2014 ... I have turned up to 12" on it with no problem.

 

[Spike Cornelius]

My only experience is with the pm2014 and Shopsmith, but I really love the pm! The mass, quality and features made the price no problem. I don’t have space or power for a bigger machine and my philosophy has always been that the pain of cost is outweighed by the pleasure of owning.

 

[Tony Hathcock]

You may want to look at the Laguna REVO 1524. I upgraded from a Jet 1015 variable speed and it was a massive upgrade. 110V with plenty of torque.
I have a fairly small shop and the 1524 was a nice fit.

Tony
Liberty, SC

 

[Allen Mattsen]

The Record Power (Coronet Regent) was a strong contender for me because of price, power, rotating headstock, sliding headstock.

I ended up getting a Laguna 2436 and have been very pleased. I know a lot of folks like the 1836 and 1524 models, as well. I've never had any problems with my machine(s), or Laguna. Also own a 1216.

 

[David Muehlbauer]

Based on some of the feedback from this group, I expanded my thinking (well actually expanded the diameter of my thinking), and am considering some 16" lathes with short beds (20-24"). Although the price jumps significantly, that would allow me to do larger diameter bowls. So, my new 15-16" list includes:

1. Laguna 1524
2. Grizzly 8038 (16x24)
3. Nova Saturn DRV
4. Record Power Coronet Envoy

If you have any feedback on any of these four, that would be great. Specifically, anyone who uses the Laguna have you encountered any issues with it not actually being 16" as far as accessories?

 

[Tom McClellan]

Just for comparison the jet 1640 bed length is 53” and you can slide the head down so it doesn’t stick out beyond that distance. And I saw this morning that Amazon has it on sale back at 2,299! Heavier weight, no gimmicky motor and replaceable parts.

And in the future if you find that extra 8-10 inches in the shop, you still have a full length bed lathe.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Choosing a lathe depends more on what and how you turn than any other factor.

That said, you asked. I like the Nova line. For me and what and how I turn it is an excellent choice. I have a 1624, which with the DVR upgrade is very akin to the Saturn. If I were doing it again I would have just bought the Saturn or the Galaxi (the Orion wasn't out).

I love the DVR with it's "radio button" speed presets and very low minimum speed (100 rpm for the Saturn). I love the rotating headstock, which is much better for me than a sliding headstock. I love that it's 120 V so I didn't have to hire an electrician.

I never liked the membrane buttons on my DVR, but since I put "bump stops" on the on-off switches that no longer bothers me. Similarly I wish the switches were on a mobile pendant, so I didn't have to reach for them. But I solved that by adding an emergency cut off switch strapped to the right leg.

I have had zero problems with it. Happy with my Voyager drill press, too.

 

[David Muehlbauer]

Well, I did order the Jet 1640 from Amazon. I had always wanted something like that, but it was just a little too far beyond my budget. This was too good a deal to pass up. But it clearly checks all my boxes. And all my research and all the feedback from this group was really helpful knowing what those boxes were. Should be delivered in about 3 weeks!

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Congratulations!

 

[hockenbery]

Well, I did order the Jet 1640 from Amazon. I had always wanted something like that, but it was just a little too far beyond my budget. This was too good a deal to pass up. But it clearly checks all my boxes. And all my research and all the feedback from this group was really helpful knowing what those boxes were. Should be delivered in about 3 weeks!

That is a sweet machine
You will enjoy its features.

 

[Allen Mattsen]

Congrats on the new lathe!

 

[Tom McClellan]

Congrats! It may still be 110v the same as your old one, but it’s a huge leap in capability and power. Jet 1640 is big time for the 110v field of options.

 

[Dean Center]

Excellent choice. You will be very pleased.