Hello Phil,
Sounds like you have been doing your homework. I've long been a
proponent of the Nova lathes and I am very fond of my NOVA DVR 3000;
however, if your primary use for the lathe will be spindle work, you
need length more than swing over the bed. I never cared for the 12"
swing Jet, but I think they did their homework and came up with a
pretty good lathe with the 1442. It should meet your requirements
unless you become hooked on turning large things and therefore need a
big lathe.
As far as tools go, Robert Sorby tools are excellent. I have several
that I purchased early on, like 15 years ago, that I'm still using
although they are not quite as long as they were at first. Crown tools
are also good as are Hamlet tools. For spindle work, I would recommend
the purchase of the following:
Roughing Gouge, as least 1" wide
1/2" spindle gouge
3/8" spindle gouge
1" skew chisel
3/16" parting tool
There are a number of other fine tools, but these will meet your
initial needs to turn spindles for those tables. If you decide to try
bowls, you will need to add a bowl gouge or two. I like to have a 3/8"
bowl gouge and a 1/2" or 5/8" bowl gouge. I personally like the swept
back wings on the bowl gouges and also on my spindle gouges. Actually,
I use the Ellsworth Style or Irish grind on all of my bowl gouges.
You will also need a grinder to sharpen your tools and I highly
recommend the use of sharpening jigs. I can sharpen tools freehand, but
I like the consistent shape of the grind using a jig such as the Oneway
Wolverine system or the Robert Sorby jig.
A pretty good book to start your education is Keith Rowley's
"Woodturning A Foundation Course". I also like Richard Raffan's books.
If possible join a woodturning club near you and get a little help with
some hands on guidance. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't
recommend that you subscribe to my magazine, More Woodturning. There is
also a lot of good information at my website.
Welcome to the world of woodturning and the best of luck with your
turning.
Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com
wrote:
Occasional lurker, first time poster here...
I have been offered a brand spanking new lathe in the $1000 range (by
my mother) in exchange for converting some cherry I've been air-drying
for a couple of years into 2 custom end-tables with turned legs. The
closest I've come to turning wood is watching that Yoder fella on PBS.
As of right now, it looks like table legs are going to be my primary
turning projects, at least right off the bat. Chair legs and spindle
work sound appealing as well. Pens and platters, not so much. I've
seen some segmented bowls and the like, and that looks interesting and
challenging, both from the flat and round perspectives. So, that's
what I feel like turning, having never turned anything G.
I feel like I've done my due diligence (thank you Google) but there are
some organic touchy-feely questions I'd like to ask:
1. Is the Jet 1442 a good lathe for the money? My reading revealed a
strong support for the Nova 3000 in that price range, but I could only
find the electronic speed control model for $2200 or so. Anyone have a
lead on the manual speed adjust? I assume it will be considerably less
expensive.
2. Is the Jet 1442 the last lathe I'm likely to ever need? I
understand that $5K on a Oneway is likely to be the last lathe I'll
ever need, but realistically? In my mind, the Jet 1442 appears to be
on the same par with a solid contractor's saw, but definitely no
Unisaur. However, lots of folks get by with contractor's saws, and
make beautiful stuff with them.
3. Am I missing some critical point in lathe comparisons? Jet, Delta,
Grizzly and Nova were all machines I looked at in the price range, and
the 1HP motor and price sold me on Jet over the others. I figured that
with a twisty headstock, the extra swing wasn't worth the money, but
the larger motor was. I also like the fact that, apparently, the Jet
can be put closer to the wall than the other models. Mass was also a
consideration.
4. I'm thinking of purchasing midrange turning tools--we'd all like
the Sorby stuff, but is a Sorby gouge 3 or 4 times better than an
off-brand? Any recommendations to that effect?
5. Am I missing anything? Am I now an informed consumer?
Thanks, y'all.
-Phil Crow