On 23 Aug 2006 17:56:25 -0700, wrote:

I apparently got lucky when I bought my 1442 a little over a year ago.. I was
going to buy the less expensive Delta but after reading all the buyers reviews,
my wife suggested that I spend the extra money and get the Jet...
I wanted the Jet mainly because I love my Jet mini, but the reviews on the Jet
were as good as the ones on the Delta were bad..

I guess it was a good choice because my brother liked my lathe and ordered one
from Amazon... and got it 3 months later!!
I guess it was a sleeper at first and then everyone decided that it was a great
lathe for the price, because they're hard to get and I guess the factory in
chi-wan is fighting to keep up with demand..

As for the last lathe, that's like the last car, truck, boat, etc.. *g*

For my use, which I guess is hobby-proffessional or something, it does
everything I want to do and the reeves type drive is ok for now... I'd like
digital speed and all, but I'd also like a Ferrari... *g*

Every once in a while, I wonder if it's fun to turn something like a 20" bowl,
so I might add or build a bowl lathe someday, but the 1442 will be my last
"general purpose" lathe until it dies or I win the lotto and get a Oneway...

I have a few "quality" tools, but mostly use "less expensive but not cheap"
chisels... Harbor Freight has a nice set for $60 but it's on sale several times
a year at $30 to $40 and a real value at that price..
A lot of my chisels are from Penn State Industries, their "Benjamin's Best"
line... nice tools with a lot of steel for an affordable price..

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lcsixw.html

I think you're very informed, Phil...
I can't speak for other lathes, but I'd recommend the jet mini (without VS) and
the Jet 1442 (with VS) in a heartbeat...

OH! I'd suggest that if you get the 1442, get the whole package... VS and
legs.... I paid about $900 for mine...




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

Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm