Hi,

I'm new woodturning. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for a
long time but have never really had the opportunity to try or the nerve to
just run out and buy a lathe. I've been turning for a couple of weeks now on
a Ridgid 1200 lathe (from Home Depot) that I borrowed from my
brother-in-law. I've only been able to do facework.....making a few bowls
and am pretty much working on trial and error. I've been doing lots of
reading. I haven't been able to turn between centers because I can't get
the centers to line up on this cheapy lathe. That Ridgid and it's
lightweight stand sure shakes and rattles a lot!

Anyway, Monday I ordered a Jet Mini from Woodcraft ($199) based on
information I've obtained from this newsgroup. Thanks! It's scheduled to
be delivered on Friday. I can't wait. I'm gonna be building a substantial
bench for it in the near future but need to be able to mount it to something
in the mean time. I've got a small stand constructed from 2"x2" angle iron
that I'd like to use temporarily until I can build a bench. The stand is 25
inches long by 14 inches wide. It's got a bottom shelf that I can place
bags of quickrete on for weight and stability and with a few layers of glued
together plywood and bolted down on top will be about the right height for
me.

My concern is length and width. Is it too small to even use as a temporary
stand? Jet states the overall dimensions of the Mini are 24-5/8 x 7-1/4 x
14. Is the Mini gonna bolt to this stand for temporary purposes? Is the
stated 24 5/8 overall length, the length of the base, or the distance
between the handwheels. What I really need to know is the distance between
the mounting bolt holes and/or rubber feet in the base? I realize that in a
couple of days, I'll have all the answers to these questions when the lathe
arrives, but I'd like to line another stand up if necessary because I know
when it gets here I'm gonna want to use it immediately.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Walker

P.S. I've found a guy in a local woodturning club that gives turning lessons
so I'm thinking about getting some formal instruction. Is that recommended?

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 10:20:50 -0600, "Walker"
wrote:

I'm gonna be building a substantial
bench for it in the near future but need to be able to mount it to something
in the mean time.

I've been turning with my Jet mini for over 2 years now, turning
pieces as large (literally!) as you can fit on the lathe, IOW, about
14" long by about 9" in diameter, of green elm...probably 30-40 pounds
of wood. Never had the lathe fastened down and never had any problems
with it hopping away. It will vibrate from time to time, especially
if I have an unbalanced piece turning too fast. That's a hint to set
the speed lower.

Incidentally, the bench is wood, fastened to the floor and the wall,
so it can't add its own harmonics to the equation. Works okay so far,
and I turn almost every day.


--
Chuck *#:^)
chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
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September 11, 2001 - Never Forget


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On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 10:20:50 -0600, "Walker"
wrote:


Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Walker

P.S. I've found a guy in a local woodturning club that gives turning lessons
so I'm thinking about getting some formal instruction. Is that recommended?

I am certaqinly no expert turner but I'd suggest taking classes. You
will be surprised what you can learn "hands on" and watching any
turning you can (including videos). I've found most folks to be real
helpful.

Hello Walker,
The distance between the bolts is 23 3/4 inches from center to center. You
should have enough bench for your Jet Mini.
By your post it sounds to me that you intend to push the capacity of your new
lathe to the max.
I have one of the original model(blue)Jet Mini lathes. It has served me well
however,
I only use the lathe for small items. Speed is the main detractor. At 500 rpm
(lowest speed) an out of round, unbalanced piece of wood does not have to meet
the capacity of the lathe to create out of control vibration and can be very
dangerous. I guess I am cautioning you(a novis turner) to please be careful
and not exceed the capacity of the lathe.
The lathe has a ten inch swing but it may not be wise to place a ten inch
diameter
turning blank of substantial mass between centers. Start small and work your
way up and use good common sense.
Good luck and safe turning.
Bill Sullivan
Fort Myers, FL

distance between the bolts is 23 3/4 inches

Thanks for the info. My new Mini came in yesterday. It was delivered to my
front door from Woodcraft in 3 days. Wow! Anyway, I unboxed the Mini and
placed it up on the stand I wanted to use and was able to drill usable bolt
holes in the stand. I haven't turned with it yet, though. I cut, glued and
clamped the plywood pieces together last night for the bench top. Hopefully,
I can get it mounted and actually try it tonight. I can't wait!

you intend to push the capacity of your new lathe to the max.

Thanks for the warning. It's not my intent to push the limit of the the
Mini. I do however want to take full advantage of it's capabilities. It was
my understanding that I would be able to turn 9.5" bowls on this lathe. But
I understand your concerns and will heed your warning because I am truly a
novice.

Walker

PukeTarget wrote:
: The lathe has a ten inch swing but it may not be wise to place a ten inch
: diameter
: turning blank of substantial mass between centers. Start small and work your
: way up and use good common sense.


Starting small is excellent advice. However, I've turned
5" thick, 9.5" diameter bowl blanks on the mini with no trouble
(and without bolting it down). They were cut round on a bandsaw before
mounting them.


-- Andy Barss

Well, I finished my little bench for my new Jet Mini last night and bolted
it down. Seems like a perfect height....spindle is about elbow's height.
After finishing the bench and getting it bolted down, I just couldn't help
my self, I had to try it out. When I plugged it in and turned it on, I could
not believe how quiet this little lathe is. You can barely hear it running.
Kinda sounds like a sewing machine. The Ridgid I was still in my shop and I
turned it on for comparison and couldn't believe the difference in sound and
smoothness of the turning. They are night and day! I had a couple 4"
diameter pieces of oak, about 12 inches long and within a very short time
turned myself a new mallet. This little lathe is great. I can't wait to get
home from work and turn something else!

My only complaint would be that the instruction manual is a little lacking.
Not much information in there for a novice. Can someone give me some basic
guidelines on turning speeds (rouging and finishing) that I should use for
the differing sizes of between-centers pieces and faceplate pieces?

Walker

Walker wrote:
My only complaint would be that the instruction manual is a little lacking.
Not much information in there for a novice. Can someone give me some basic
guidelines on turning speeds (rouging and finishing) that I should use for
the differing sizes of between-centers pieces and faceplate pieces?

Walker



Agreed. When I opened my new mini manual, I thought I had grabbed the
quick set-up guide by mistake. There's a pen turning demo at Woodcraft
tomorrow, can't wait to go down there.

Remember your physics? Energy is equal to the mass times the square of the
velocity, so doubling your speed is four times the energy to split between
moving and unmoving object. Also, a sharp tool will cut wood as well at a
lower speed as a higher, and will heat less. That's why I keep my lathe on
the lowest speed for 90% of what I do. Won't bother my cuts, and mistakes
are less likely to break things. Your slowest and mine are both about 500,
so you can do capacity bowls down to pieces the size of pens, if my
experience is worth anything. If you're turning for a living, might want
to go higher on smaller, balanced work, but you have to be a bit more
consistent on the tool. Hollowing with tiny scraping tools works better
with faster speeds, but I never go above the 1100.

Your Ridgid was a Reeves drive outfit? They're noisier than straight
belts.

"Walker" wrote in message
.. .
Well, I finished my little bench for my new Jet Mini last night and bolted
it down. Seems like a perfect height....spindle is about elbow's height.
After finishing the bench and getting it bolted down, I just couldn't help
my self, I had to try it out. When I plugged it in and turned it on, I
could
not believe how quiet this little lathe is. You can barely hear it
running.
Kinda sounds like a sewing machine. The Ridgid I was still in my shop and
I
turned it on for comparison and couldn't believe the difference in sound
and
smoothness of the turning. They are night and day! I had a couple 4"
diameter pieces of oak, about 12 inches long and within a very short time
turned myself a new mallet. This little lathe is great. I can't wait to
get
home from work and turn something else!

My only complaint would be that the instruction manual is a little
lacking.
Not much information in there for a novice. Can someone give me some
basic
guidelines on turning speeds (rouging and finishing) that I should use for
the differing sizes of between-centers pieces and faceplate pieces?

Walker