"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in message
...
Sorry, I am not sure who started this thread, but I think an observation
is in order. Most of us who turn a lot started on cheaper lathes. They
turns wood around and let us attack it with sharp tools. Now I have a
better lathe than when I started. It lets me turn wood around and attack
it with sharp tools. I still have and use that first lathe, a Canadian
Tire monotube with 3/4" x 16 spindle. It turns a lot of pens and
spatulas these days not to mention the occasional bowl for old times
sake. People complain about the monotube. It is not a $5000.00
heavyweight but it is a lot of fun.
--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
http://www.roundthewoods.com
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Darrell,
I'll back you up on the monotube. I started on one also, the HF version with
the 2 piece tube. In the beginning, I didn't llike that and spent some time
smoothing out the transition between tubes. Now that I have the bigger Jet
1236, I've removed the second tube section and have a mini. Unbolt that
section and you have a 16 inch platter/bowl lathe (requires a separate tool
rest) so long as you don't over load it with heavy cuts, or put a load on
that's too unbalanced. If you stay within the limits of the machine, you can
have a lot of fun with it.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX