Need Help Brand "NEW"

[Ed Freeman]

Have never used a lathe in my life, but as a young 79 year old its time to start. Have access to all kinds of different trees. Turning bowls will be number one. Want at least 14" swing. what would you buy? Please help thanks Ed Freeman

 

[Fadi Zeidan]

You mean the midi 46-460? That is what I started with. It is great for small bowls around 6 to 10” wide and 4 or 5” deep plus all the spindle work you want to do.

I’ve done bigger hollow forms on it as I got better, but the vibration was too much and couple of years later upgraded to full size lathe.

first three were the largest I’ve done on it and the vibration was too much but got through it. Last image shows smaller bowl, worked like a charm.

 

[Ed Davidson]

For about the same money, you can get a Jet JWL-1015VS. I've always considered JET to be more reliable. A JET midi has been in my shop, and used almost every day for the past 20 years...completely trouble free.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Plenty of smaller lathes come onto the market when turners scale up to bigger machines, should be a good market in Tennessee as there are no shortage of trees there.
Knowing the types of items you want to turn helps to determine the best machine for the money.

 

[Ed Freeman]

For about the same money, you can get a Jet JWL-1015VS. I've always considered JET to be more reliable. A JET midi has been in my shop, and used almost every day for the past 20 years...completely trouble free.

Thanks Ed I meant a rockwell 46-450 as it seems so solid built, If I can find a good one. Have never used a lathe in my life (always wanted to and now going to) so know nothing. All help will be appreciated thanks,

 

[Ed Freeman]

Plenty of smaller lathes come onto the market when turners scale up to bigger machines, should be a good market in Tennessee as there are no shortage of trees there.
Knowing the types of items you want to turn helps to determine the best machine for the money.

Thanks Mike, Meant to say Rockwell 46-450,if I can find a good one. Have never used a lathe in my life, but going to, need all the help I can get Thanks Ed Freeman

 

[Dean Center]

Ed, I don't know how far afield you're willing to travel, but a forum member is selling a lathe in the forum classified section that might suit you well. It's a Jet 1221 that is similar to and maybe a little superior to the Delta, and you can get parts and support for it.

Another suggestion that worked out for me, is to contact nearby turning clubs or check out their newsletters. The newsletters often have classifieds, and club members often know about other members that are thinking about selling their lathe. You can find a listing of AAW local chapters on the main web site, woodturner.org.

 

[Bill Boehme]

If you want to turn spindles then an old Rockwell/Delta 46-450 would be OK, but for bowls the minimum speed is too fast and the 12 inch swing would limit what you could turn. That's a really old lathe and if you find one it is likely to be in poor condition unless you get really lucky. Since you are completely new to turning I would caution against buying an old machine like that because you lack the experience to give it a thorough evaluation and make an informed judgement of its worth. My recommendation is to get a new (or nearly new) mini or midi lathe to start off and eventually getting a full size lathe. You'll never outgrow the usefulness of a mini lathe. Even though I have a full size lathe I still use my Jet 1014 mini lathe for smaller projects.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Ed, Most clubs will entertain a visitor to attend a club meeting, you can let them announce you are looking for a lathe at the meeting and give them your contact information.
A monthly club meeting is a great way to get ahead on the learning curve of wood turning. When selecting a wood lathe, knowing the size, shape and length of the items
to be turned helps in selecting a machine that will work for the turner. The better quality midi lathes offer bed extensions so the turner can extend the length of their lathe
if they need to turn longer spindle work. If you want to turn bowls and hollow vessels then a machine with a larger capacity swing is more important then the bed length.
For larger diameter hollow vessels you want to have horsepower, torque and speed control in which a VFD control is an optimal choice. For larger heavier turned pieces
you want a machine with plenty of mass and weight to counter the effects of large heavy out of round pieces.

 

[Rick Crawford]

Ed, as mentioned above, seek out a local club. You should be able to find a member that will give you enough tutelage so that you can narrow your choices of the lathe that will work best for you. Don't be in a hurry to purchase, do your homework first.

 

[Robert D Evans]

If you are planning on turning bowls, I would highly recommend getting a lathe that has variable speed. Most of the belt and pulley lathes turn too fast for turning an out of balance bowl blank. The slow speed pulley on my Delta Rockwell lathe is about 900 rpm. Much easier to dial in a variable speed lathe to keep the lathe from walking around the shop. Be aware that buying the lathe is only the beginning. You'll need turning tools too.

 

[Steven Wright]

I have been learning on a nova comet II. It is light years ahead of the old craftsman I started with. I am not disappointed with it at all. I want a full size lathe and will get one when I can.

 

[Gene Mohr]

Ed, I am not sure what you ended up buying but I bought a Laguna Revo 12 16 with the 10" extension. I can also turn bowl on the outside up to 16". So far I am loving this lathe even though I have only had it 3 weeks. It is fun to turn wood.