I am in the market for a wood lathe. Although this will be my first lathe, I want one that will continue to please me for years to come. It should be full size (13″ x 40″ or more) and adequately powered. Jet models look good on paper. (I’d hate to have to shell out for Powermatic or Vega.) And as always, there’s Grizzly out there with what could be great value. (I’m happy with my Grizzly saws, jointer, and drill press). Please share your experience and advice.
Thank you.
Replies
Give us some idea of a budget figure, please.
Cadiddlehopper
$2,000 is high. $1,000 is OK. But if less will do the job, so much the better.
I have a Grizzly 1067Z. With your budget you have several choices that are better than Grizzlies.Cadiddlehopper
For a start, if you are partial to face plate turning then look at a lathe which has a swivel headstock- very useful and makes it easier to get at hard to reach areas.
If you are inclined to mess with used tools take a look around for a used powermatic or delta. I use a powermatic model 90 at the community college and even though the machine takes a lot of abuse and has not been that well maintained it still works great. I think if you shop around you might get something really nice for a lot less money than a new machine.
Troy
Do you have any thoughts on where best to look for a good used lathe?
Hi # one would be that all of major parts are there I know tailstocks are hard to replace. The other would be to see if it runs smoothly and to look at the electrical switches and such. I would also look for cracks in the cast iron and other signs of abuse. That is all kind of vage but I think it will be one of those you know its good when you see it. Troy
Budget be darned. ONEWAY is the best.
Frosty
Fredricksburger,
This will shock you, I know it did me..
First I hate Sears.. with a passion.. so trust me when I say you need to look at Sears.
They have a lathe NO!!!!!! not the tube thingie!
An actaul cast iron base, full sized lathe.. It has the neat options like swivel head, electronic variable speed. etc.
Now because I hate Sears I will tell you how to buy the thing for less than $500.00
I think it sells for $1099.00 or something.
Buy it when Sears has one of it's sales (say 30% off) go in and open a Sears Charge account, (another 15% off), and take the floor model (another 20% off).
Buy your gouges elsewhere. Don't buy the Craftsman set! I bought Martin Robey and have more in them and the Tormex I bought to sharpen them than the lathe cost..
Did I mention I really hate Sears?
frenchy
Not trying to hijack the thread. Did you receive the email I sent you regarding saw mills (for wood, not a bandmill) in your area. I remember you mention cherry, walnut, and maple on the cheap for mill run. Can you email me at [email protected]. Thank you very much.
Jeff
Frenchy and Fred'burg, I also have Sears at the top of my vermin to be avoided list , BUT opprotunity should never be ignored. I grabed one when they were reducing the big tool areas to sell washers/dryers etc. and changing models on the stationary tools. (their new ones are rarely better in quality) It's a 15" x 38" with a 1"-8tpi arbor and all cast. Swing the head 90 degrees and it's 21" with variable sheave speed control and enough power for most turning jobs. Buy only HHS high speed steel tools or better but never carbon steel.
It was a good week, for $888 I picked up the lathe and stand, a 6 1/4" jointer with legs and the older steel winged contractors saw. Went back later for the 13" planner for @ $285. Stopped at WW Warehouse as they closed their doors and found a Nova chuck in a split up Jet assy kit for $25 and ordered the 8-1 bushing from Packard .
Any of their lathes under these cast types are junk. Better off if you buy a mini lathe, good luck. Pat
I'm in the same boat as you, looking for my first lathe. I'm taking a pretty serious look at the new Nova 1624 that is due out in a few weeks. If I can't find a good used lathe, i suspect this will be the way I'll be heading. I believe it replaces the 3000 which seems to have a pretty good reputation. Though not a full sized lathe, I'm confident that with a few sand bags on a home made stand, it will be fine. With a low end speed of 178 and top speed of 3,000, nothing seems to touch it in this price range.
$1,000 is a tough price range. The budget is big enough to look at a variety of hobby options but not big enough to consider the serious toys like Oneway, Robust or Stubby.
If anyone has any additional thoughts on the Nova lathes, I would love to hear them.
Go used. Lathes don't get the attention that saws, planers and jointers get. I bought a patternmakers lathe for $1500 that was 24" swing x 72" between centers and it had the cross feed carriage and geared down outboard spindle.
Thanks for the tip. Where should I be looking for used lathes?
Hi Rick I have seen some nice ones on EbayI saw a walker turner lathe that looked nice not sell and the minumum price was around 500.00. Also take a look at the classifeds on OWWM.com another source is county or school district surplus auctions. Good luckTroy
If anyone is interested in an English lathe I have a nice Myford lathe for sale, it's had very little use and includes a new,made in the USA, motor. Located in CT.
Just google Craigslist for used tools. Select a city near you. Select tools from the list. Once on that page you can search "lathe" . If you see a posting that has been there a while, you will be in a great barganing position.
Hope this helps. If nothing else, it's fun to see what tools are for sale.
Bill
Great! Thanks, Bill. This is what I've been looking for.
Ditto the others on used. I picked up a mid 1930's Walker-Turner, Driver Series and love it, Cast Iron legs and 3" thick maple bed, Three face plates. FREE.
Keep an eye open.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I started with an old delta school lathe very heavy but with on a 12" swing wasn't the best for bowls. I now turn on a Oneway 2436. I would recommend looking used. I think the best lathe out there for the money is the powermatic 3520 but it may be out of your price range. If you turn bowls you will want more than a 12" swing. Remember you lose size because of the bango and also rounding up your stock. The other items worth mentioning is that you will undoubtly spend 600 to 1000 on tools ( spindle gouges, bowl gouges parting tools, a chuck).
djb
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