Replies

1. 
   ruffcut | Mar 27, 2004 05:38am | #1

   I was recently in the market for a moritse machine, and I looked at the one from HF.  It looked like a piece of junk to me, I couldn't get away from it fast enough. 

   Also looked at the lathe, and was not at all impressed. 

   To me, half the fun of woodworking is using the tools.  I am a tool junkie.  I have learned the hard way that if you don't get the right size and quality tool  the first time, you will wind up spending more to replace the junk than if you do it right the first time. In my opinion, there is absolutely no substitute for quality. 

   good luck in whatever you decide.     Regards Ruffcut

2. 
   jako17 | Mar 27, 2004 06:09am | #2

   As one pays more than that for a couple of good chisels what do you expect?If you need a boat anchor buy one with enough weight to do the job as these won't even do that well!

3. 
   CharlieD | Mar 27, 2004 08:09am | #3

   I've got a Central Machinery lathe bought on the advice of the late ToolDoc here on Knots. He suggested that it is identical to the Jat lathe that sells for $500, except for the paint job and the switching. I checked the HF lathe out and compared it to the Jet, and had to agree, with the exception that I also felt that the adjustment levers were cheesy on the HF. (My idea is that they're both made overseas in the same factory and bought, dressed up and resold.) I bought it, and was out the door for less than $200, including an extended warranty. I had a problem with tool rest alignment, and they fixed me up quite nicely, and quickly. I was surprised at the service that I got.

   Now, I don't have the model you're looking at; mine's shorter but has a stronger motor and a cast iron bed. It's worth the extra $100 for those enhancements. The motor strength has been a blessing, and the weight of the cast iron keeps vibration to a minimum. I've looked at the model you're showing, and I think it's probably going to leave you itching to upgrade in no time, or worse, might sour you to turning altogether. I think the one I've got normally costs around $250. I'd wait for a sale, but I wouldn't be afraid to buy that machine at all. Months into this, I have no plans to upgrade, and enjoy my lathe almost daily.

   I was in Mike Clark's fly rod shop a couple of days ago; this may not ring a bell for you, but he makes world-renowned bamboo fly rods. Eric Clapton fishes one of Mike's rods. I asked how he fashions the reel seat, and he took me to the back of the shop and showed me...you guessed it, a Central Machinery mini-lathe.

   It's the tool, not the name (assuming a company will stand behind what they sell. HF did, for me anyway.)

   Remember that you'll also need a set of turning tools. HF sells a set that I probably should have bought according to others here that have bought them. I thought the ferrules on the handles looked half-azzed. I'm talking about the HSS set, for around $40, not the cheesy little Chinese set. I think they were "Windsor" brand. I bought the Buck Brothers set of four at HD for $30. They're OK, nothing to get all heated up over. Not even HSS. But they get the job done, and are quick and easy to sharpen.

   You'll probably want a good book on turning, too; I like Mike Darlow's books, others here swear by Richard Raffin.

   Anyway, nice tools are great, but we don't always have the $ we'd like to; I sure don't. If not for the HF lathe and ToolDoc, I'd never have turned a single piece of wood, and would have missed out on a great deal of fun.

   Edit: I just looked and they're selling my lathe for $279. Here's a link:

   http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34706.

   Guess you'll have to cpoy and paste. Note that another enormous benefit to this lathe is the rotating headstock; locks at 45, 90, and 180 degrees. great for outboard turning.

   Charlie

   I tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut

   
   

   ---

   Edited 3/27/2004 1:16 am ET by CharlieD

4. 
   BG | Mar 27, 2004 12:56pm | #4

   Tommyboy,

   That morticing machine says 2.3 Amps..can that possibly be true?  That would give it the power of my 1/4 sheet finishing sander.....hardly enough power to mortice 1/4" ply I would think.  Maybe it's a missprint...
5. 
   sailalex | Mar 27, 2004 02:31pm | #5

   I will never again buy a tool from HF from which I expect accurate results like a lathe; a hammer is okay but if you exepect accuracy then it is a big gamble. I bought one of their bench drill presses for $39.95 that I thought was a great deal until after about 6 months when it developed runout of about 1/32". One usually needs a drill press ( or any other machine that produces accurate results) to drill accurate holes but if it doesn't , then why have it?

    There may be others who have better experience than I did but the fact is IT IS A GAMBLE to buy this type of tool from HF; the price sounds unbeatable until later when you can't get accurate results and then you wish you had bought the more expensive brand. 

6. 
   Dustmight | Mar 27, 2004 02:55pm | #6

   My opinion of HF stuff in general is not real high, but there is a place for it depending on your needs and means. (I actually like their bar clamps) I can't comment on the lathe. The TS, planers, CMS, and jointer look like absolute junk from a glance.

   The mortiser is the only HF "machine" I own, and agree that it's not a good one. It does work and cuts square holes. Since I don't do alot of mortises and didn't want to invest much, it fit the bill. It's about worth the asking price, but no more. The hold down stinks, and I'm usually concerned that the machine will break when I turn it on.

   I've read alot of posts from people who've equipped their hole shops with Central Machinery tools, but I sure wouldn't want to use them on a regular basis...especially for critical tools.

7. 
   forestgirl | Mar 27, 2004 06:02pm | #7

   Tommy, I've read reports from a few people who've gotten an inexpensive Harbor Freight lathe (don't know if it was that inexpensive) and thought it was pretty cool.  Kind of a jumping off point for someone who's not sure they're really into turning or not.

   As to the mortising machine, I wouldn't go near it.  Even the Big Guys (Jet, Delta et al.) have a hard time making a benchtop mortiser that does the job well, and the machines that don't seem to be an endless source of frustration.  IMO, best to stick with Delta or Shop Fox on the mortiser.  They're in the $200 range.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

8. 
   MichaelPB | Mar 27, 2004 06:21pm | #8

   Tommy,

   I feel your pain, I am broke too and can't often afford the "right" tools and have to make do.  Some tools don't have to be well made, some nothing less than the best work well.  Hammers are an example of a tool that even the cheapest do a good job.  The mortising machine is one that if it doesn't work great, it isn't worth the money.

   Cheap lathes are not as "heavy" as bigger lathes and bounce around a lot.  Bolt the damn thing to a heavy bench, take light cuts, and don't work on huge bowls.  Another thing to do before you buy the $99 one is look around in the classifieds and also look for a local woodworking group.  Mine in Sacramento has a tool sale twice a year and every time there are beautiful old craftsman cast iron lathes for $40-$100 bucks that beat anything under $600 bucks today.  I bought mine for $40, sold the carving chisels with it for $125 (boy do I regret that part now!), it has an indexed headstock and the spindle goes through the headstock and is threaded on the outboard size to turn oversize items.

   First off, what sort of lathe work are you going to do.  If your going to be doing little pens and goblets and small round boxes it will work better for you than the $500 one you can't afford!  Besides, learning on crappy machines makes you a better worker, then imagine what you can do when you get a beautiful one!

   Best of luck!

1. 
   301 | Mar 28, 2004 07:07am | #9

   Regarding the HF lathe: A former employer gave me one of these one time, what a joke.  If I wasn't a machinist I would never have been able to make it work, every thing about it was poorly made and only semi-functional.  The 2 steel tubes that make up the bed are about as sturdy as 1/4" dowels.  When you tighten the tail-stock up it causes the rails to flex up right before your eyes.  The tailstock does not have a morris taper, the live center is pressed onto the end of a galvenized bolt that runs through the tail-stock.  Similarly the spur center has got a weird thread on the back of it that is screwed onto a shaft coming from the head.  Furthermore the spur is soooo not standard and very knaive in it's design, the point was very large (and a very wide angle as well) and the spurs were thick, dull and did not lay opposite each other.  This may not sound important but it was darned near impossible to get the spurs to "bite" into a piece no matter what you tried.  The speeds were all way too fast and it was nearly impossible to change between the speeds.  The on/off switch broke after, oh, maybe 4 uses.  When HF claims the unit weighs 88 pounds they are being very generous, I recall it being more like 40 pounds or less.  This thing is such a joke Iam surprised somebody has not been seriously hurt by one.    It all seemed like something that you would make if you were trapped on a desert island and you really needed a lathe but didn't have any real tools to work with.  Mine?  I gave it away...fast!