Lathe
Crossposted to rec.crafts.woodturning Lee Tollett writes: Hi guys I have been building things for 30 some odd years, but never worked with a lathe. This Christmas I will buy a new one and start doing some turning. I would like to keep it under $1000. Do any of you have a good suggestion as to which brand and model to get?? It mostly be used to turn bowls, not spindles. I have a Jet 12x36 ($500 on amazon). Keep an eye on the lower RPM's. I like it a lot, but I wish I could go slower than 550 RPM's for bigger bowls. But a lot of the lathes in this price range (Jet, Delta) can't go much slower. As a novice, alarge chunk of wood spinning at 500RPM is scary. Some beef up the Jet 1236 with plywood and sand to prevent vibration. The bigger Delta/Jet lathes are better at reducing vibration, but the lowest speeds are about the same. I think the $900 Jet goes to 450rpm. The Nova 1624-44 ($1000) goes down to 218RPM, and I am envious of that low speed. Also - expect to pay a lot for tools and sharpening equip eventually. For starters, look for a sale on the Woodcraft slow-speed 8" grinder. ($95 today, about $80 on sale) Also get the Harbor Freight HSS lathe chisels ($37 today). I don't remember if they go on sale often. That set doesn't include a decent bowl chisel. So that might be about $50 more. The HF set will let you practice your sharpening techniques on cheap steel. It's easy to spend as much on tools for the lathe as on the lathe itself. I think I'm around 3x-4x now. If you are serious about bowls, the Nova would be a good choice over a Jet or Delta (says a Jet owner). However, if your total price is $1000, you won't have much for tools. http://www.teknatool.com/products/La...va%20_1624.htm |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:20 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter