Nerp
Leo is mostly right about the numbers. He is simply too trusting of
advertisers :-) Unfortunately there is no standard of measurement for lathe
size. For instance a 15 x 40 lathe may mean a swing of 15" diameter or of
15" radius over the ways. This does not account for the space taken up by
the tool rest. The 40 is _supposed_ to mean the lathe will turn a spindle of
40" length but does not generally account for the distance taken up by the
ends of the spur and tail stock centers let along a chuck. It can take some
reading of the fine print to determine exactly what the lathe gives. On the
other hand a lathe needs to swing a diameter of 4 1/2 inches to accomodate a
3" square baseball bat blank. Any lathe on the market that handles a spindle
of 38" or more should be fine.
---
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com

"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

wrote: I have looked at several sites for lathes, and
have seen lathes that say 12in. wood lathe, or 15in. wood lathe. is this
the limit the the wood length you can you?? I am looking for something
that can make a baseball bat (33in.). What should i look for?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The numbers you have cited above refer to the "swing" of the lathe. The
swing is the largest diameter which will fit over the ways. It is TWICE
the distance from the spindle to the ways. To turn a baseball bat, you
need a swing of about 4"--any lathe you encounter is going to exceed that.
The toolrest assembly attaches to the ways, and the bat is going to have
to clear that too, so you really need a little more swing than 4". You
also need a little extra swing because the piece you start with is going
to be fatter than a baseball bat until you finish it.

The more critical measurement is the length from spindle to tailstock.
Every attachment you use, and the tailstock itself, use up part of the
length. If you start with a wood length greater than 33", you have to
take that into account. The Jet 1236 would probably do the job. Harbor
Freight has a Chinese knockoff with lower quality, but still usable, for
much less money, especially when it goes on sale (which happens fairly
often.)