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My Jet 1640 Arrived!

Pete Staehling

Pete Staehling

Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
48
Likes
15
Location
Tallahassee, FL
It got here yesterday and is up and running. Wow is it a heavy beast to set up alone. I probably should have held out for some help with the lifting, but I managed even without mechanical assistance. At 68 I ought to know better. I am not as strong as I once was and should have better judgement by now. I guess that overdue wisdom has been delayed in arriving.

Anyway, the lathe arrived on time in good shape even if the good judgement didn't and it seems to be a really nice machine. It will take me a while to get used to it, but it sure is a lot more machine than my little HF mini.

I am in the middle of a shop revamping and a paying project (wood, but not turning related) so I won't have too much time to turn for a while, but I will steal a little time here and there :)
 
With a couple of basic tools, one person can move good sized equipment and set them up if they take their time and plan the heavy lifts properly. Having an extra set of hands cuts the time greatly but increases the potential for other errors. Once you move a few machines and set them up you quickly learn how to take them apart into manageable pieces to reduce the risk of getting hurt from lifting heavy pieces or dropping them. When using motorized equipment to load, move, unload equipment you need to know the proper method in rigging the equipment and a smooth operator that knows how to gently operate the motorized equipment while moving the load. Plenty of videos on YouTube that show people making expensive mistakes moving heavy loads with motorized equipment.

Enjoy your new machine!
 
Pete Staehling said:
It got here yesterday and is up and running. Wow is it a heavy beast to set up alone. I probably should have held out for some help with the lifting, but I managed even without mechanical assistance. At 68 I ought to know better. I am not as strong as I once was and should have better judgement by now. I guess that overdue wisdom has been delayed in arriving.:)
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Pete, I’m the same way and 68 also. You just get so excited and can’t wait to get the thing going. Enjoy the new lathe.
 
Hi Pete, congratulations on your Jet 1640. I have a 1640 also and I really like mine. It's funny, I bought mine when I was 68 also and I'm 70 now. Haven't had a minutes problem with it. I know about heavy, had to use a block an tackle to lift mine off the ground so that I could assemble it ! :D.......... Hope you have many hours of enjoyment with your new lathe. Happy turning!
 
Lamar Wright said:
Hi Pete, congratulations on your Jet 1640. I have a 1640 also and I really like mine. It's funny, I bought mine when I was 68 also and I'm 70 now. Haven't had a minutes problem with it. I know about heavy, had to use a block an tackle to lift mine off the ground so that I could assemble it ! :D.......... Hope you have many hours of enjoyment with your new lathe. Happy turning!
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I took everything off the rails, flipped them over, put the legs on, flipped the assembly upright, and then put the head, banjo, and tail stock back on. That at least broke it down into smaller chunks to lift. They were still pretty heavy though and a helper would have still been a good idea.
 
Congratulations on the new Jet 1640. I know all about better judgement being delayed in transit. And, I've paid the price with three back surgeries as a result of multiple instances of better judgement not being exercised. It finally occurred to me that I'm no longer 25 ... that was a half century ago.
 
Pete, congratulations on the new lathe. You will enjoy the big step up from the HF mini. I have bought two new lathes in the last couple of years and another advantage to being in. a club I had no problem getting help from the members.
 
I bought a hydraulic table years ago.
It meets the recommendations in my BACK owners manual.

Make assembling and moving most lathes and easy job. Bought a ONEWAY at a symposium. They put it in the truck. At home I Slid the parts onto the hydraulic table, Set the legs, lowered the bed onto the legs and bolted them.
Same for headstock.

Also serves as a auxiliary table for the bandsaw. Slide a big blank off the hand truck, pump the hydraulic to the bandsaw height, lock the wheels, cut the blank, the roll it to the lathe all with no lifting.
 
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