I'm getting ready to purchase my first wood lathe, and I wanted to see if
anyone had any experience with or opinions about the Central Machinery wood
lathe from Harbor Freight. From what I've read, this is a Chinese copy of
the Jet 1236:

12'' x 33-3/8'' WOOD LATHE WITH REVERSIBLE HEAD Pivoting headstock for
extra-large bowl turning capacity. Headstock rotates and locks in position
at 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. Includes stand, tool rest, drive center, 6''
disc, and Allen wrenches.
a.. Swing over bed: 12''
b.. Motor: 3/4 HP, 120V, 60 Hz
c.. Speeds: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400
RPM
d.. Turning distance between centers: 33-3/8"
e.. CSA listed
Shipping weight: 184 lbs.


Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chuck

I just left my local Woodcraft store and they had a Jet mini with a nice 4
jaw Nova chuck for $269.00 on sale. This would be a much better value than
any HF lathe.

AZCRAIG


"caaron" wrote in message
...
I'm getting ready to purchase my first wood lathe, and I wanted to see if
anyone had any experience with or opinions about the Central Machinery
wood lathe from Harbor Freight. From what I've read, this is a Chinese
copy of the Jet 1236:

12'' x 33-3/8'' WOOD LATHE WITH REVERSIBLE HEAD Pivoting headstock for
extra-large bowl turning capacity. Headstock rotates and locks in position
at 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. Includes stand, tool rest, drive center, 6''
disc, and Allen wrenches.
a.. Swing over bed: 12''
b.. Motor: 3/4 HP, 120V, 60 Hz
c.. Speeds: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400
RPM
d.. Turning distance between centers: 33-3/8"
e.. CSA listed
Shipping weight: 184 lbs.


Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chuck

My first lathe was a HF, cost about $129. My thinking was if I found I was
not adept at turning or just did not like woodturning I could just forget
the whole thing and not have too much invested. As it turned out the HF
served the purpose well. After about a month I sold the HF for $50 and
bought a real lathe. As suggested in the other post, the Jet Mini would be a
much better buy.
Hope this helps

LB

Chuck,

The Jet mini is a great lathe. You would be very pleased with the fit and
finish. Everything works smoothly. I don't get this feeling from the Central
Mach. lathes. I think you would be happy with a better quality lathe like
the Jet with good resale value if you ever want to move up. The chuck it
comes with from Woodcraft is a very nice little chuck. The combination makes
it a great value.

Have fun,

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"caaron" wrote in message
...
I'm getting ready to purchase my first wood lathe, and I wanted to see if
anyone had any experience with or opinions about the Central Machinery
wood lathe from Harbor Freight. From what I've read, this is a Chinese
copy of the Jet 1236:

12'' x 33-3/8'' WOOD LATHE WITH REVERSIBLE HEAD Pivoting headstock for
extra-large bowl turning capacity. Headstock rotates and locks in position
at 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. Includes stand, tool rest, drive center, 6''
disc, and Allen wrenches.
a.. Swing over bed: 12''
b.. Motor: 3/4 HP, 120V, 60 Hz
c.. Speeds: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400
RPM
d.. Turning distance between centers: 33-3/8"
e.. CSA listed
Shipping weight: 184 lbs.


Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chuck

I plan on turning bowls, mostly, so a Mini lathe is probably too small for
me. The reason I asked about the Harbor Freight lathe was that it is full
size, low priced, and I had heard of several turners who bought it and were
very happy with it. This wasn't true of the other lathes they sell at
Harbor Freight--just this one, their 34706, which is a knock off of the Jet
1236 lathe. Although I am aware that Harbor Freight sells some really cheap
tools and that some are lousy I heard that this particular lathe was pretty
good. I was hoping to hear from anyone who actually has one or has used one
to see if there was any compelling reason not get one as a starter lathe.

Thanks,

Chuck


"cm" wrote in message
...
Chuck,

The Jet mini is a great lathe. You would be very pleased with the fit and
finish. Everything works smoothly. I don't get this feeling from the
Central Mach. lathes. I think you would be happy with a better quality
lathe like the Jet with good resale value if you ever want to move up.
The chuck it comes with from Woodcraft is a very nice little chuck. The
combination makes it a great value.

Have fun,

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"caaron" wrote in message
...
I'm getting ready to purchase my first wood lathe, and I wanted to see if
anyone had any experience with or opinions about the Central Machinery
wood lathe from Harbor Freight. From what I've read, this is a Chinese
copy of the Jet 1236:

12'' x 33-3/8'' WOOD LATHE WITH REVERSIBLE HEAD Pivoting headstock for
extra-large bowl turning capacity. Headstock rotates and locks in
position at 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. Includes stand, tool rest, drive
center, 6'' disc, and Allen wrenches.
a.. Swing over bed: 12''
b.. Motor: 3/4 HP, 120V, 60 Hz
c.. Speeds: 600, 750, 910, 1080, 1260, 1460, 1680, 1910, 2150, and 2400
RPM
d.. Turning distance between centers: 33-3/8"
e.. CSA listed
Shipping weight: 184 lbs.


Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chuck

"caaron" wrote in message
...
I plan on turning bowls, mostly, so a Mini lathe is probably too small for
me. The reason I asked about the Harbor Freight lathe was that it is full
size, low priced, and I had heard of several turners who bought it and were
very happy with it.

Hope you own a bandsaw. That low end speed can be a challenge at capacity.
You'll want as well-balanced a blank as possible to start with. Means
circular, and nibble those triangles off the ends to get the CG as close to
possible to the center of rotation.

I am a believer in pin chucks and/or pin jaws because they are very secure
in their resistance to fly-away.

"caaron" wrote in
:

I plan on turning bowls, mostly, so a Mini lathe is probably too small
for me. snip

If you're planning on turning bowls, you'll find that a 12" lathe, from any
builder, is too small for much of your work...

Should you buy this one, don't plan on using it for your 'primary' for very
long.

Patriarch, on his second...

I thought that was the purpose of the pivoting headstock--to rotate so that
I could accomodate larger bowls. Is that correct or did I misunderstand the
purpose of the pivoting headstock?

Chuck

"Patriarch" wrote in message
. 97.136...
"caaron" wrote in
:

I plan on turning bowls, mostly, so a Mini lathe is probably too small
for me. snip

If you're planning on turning bowls, you'll find that a 12" lathe, from
any
builder, is too small for much of your work...

Should you buy this one, don't plan on using it for your 'primary' for
very
long.

Patriarch, on his second...

"caaron" wrote: I thought that was the purpose of the pivoting
headstock--to rotate so that I could accomodate larger bowls. Is that
correct or did I misunderstand the purpose of the pivoting headstock?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No, you did not misunderstand, but you were mislead by the hype. A rotating
head will do that in theory, but for a number of practical reasons it seldom
works out:

1.) The crank-shaped toolrest extension that you need with the head turned
will break as soon as you try to use it. There have been foot injuries from
this.

2.) With the head turned, the tailstock cannot be used to stabilize a
heavy, unbalanced piece. This is IMPORTANT.

3.) The Reeves variable speed drive on the Jet 1236 and the HF clone stalls
easily. This will be especially annoying if you try to turn anything really
large.

However, the 12" swing will permit you to turn bowls that are quite large
enough to be satisfying. The rotating head is useful for working the inside
of bowls with good visibility and minimal leaning. It also helps to get
the tool handle away from the ways and tailstock for more freedom.

Chuck,

The pivoting headstock will be of little use for two or more reasons. The HF
lathe does not have enough cast iron or low enough rpms to make use of this
feature if you are turning a bowl larger than 12". The tool rest set up
will not be strong enough to extend far enough to make use of this feature
on a large bowl. At best the pivoting headstock would make it easier to sand
or turn in certain situations on a bowl that could be turned over the ways.
I think you would have the same problem on the Jet equivalent.

Many have been happy with that HF lathe as a starter lathe. I am pretty
confident they are not turning bowls that require the headstock pivot. You
might be able to turn platters this way?

I am sure it would be fine as long as you turn over the ways. Most important
thing is that you get a lathe and start having some fun.

Take care,

AZCRAIG

www.vintagetrailersforsale.com


"caaron" wrote in message
...
I thought that was the purpose of the pivoting headstock--to rotate so that
I could accomodate larger bowls. Is that correct or did I misunderstand
the purpose of the pivoting headstock?

Chuck

"Patriarch" wrote in message
. 97.136...
"caaron" wrote in
:

I plan on turning bowls, mostly, so a Mini lathe is probably too small
for me. snip

If you're planning on turning bowls, you'll find that a 12" lathe, from
any
builder, is too small for much of your work...

Should you buy this one, don't plan on using it for your 'primary' for
very
long.

Patriarch, on his second...