lathe decisions!

[Dave jackson]

Hi all. I'm a carpenter by trade and am looking to further my recreational woodworking by purchasing a lathe. I currently own several old Delta and several newer Jet tools which i absolutely love. It would seem a new Jet lathe would be a no brainer, but i have a question i can't seem to find an answer to anywhere else on the net. The lathe i purchase will more than likely become a production tool when not being used for fun stuff, so i would like to find a duplicator for it. I have seen duplicators for the delta, but many of the reviews of the new delta lathes at amazon are more negative towards delta's quality lately. The jet reviews are more promising, but I dunno if there is a duplicator for the jet.(1446 or 1236). Anyone have any suggestions? I'm also not against trying a new brand name as long as it is a quality machine. Thanks, Dave

[patriarch]

"Dave jackson" wrote in news:oxuUc.652$ [e-mail]:

rec.crafts.woodturning might have more information for you....

[Fred the Red Shirt]

If you can get a good look at a duplicator you may find that it is possible to adapt one company's duplicator to another company's lathe. Roy Underhill showed how to make a lathe duplicator on one of his shows from scratch, starting with a tree of course.

[DJ Delorie]

The first time I read this, I read "shoes". It didn't strike me as odd at first, either.

[MikeS]

DELTA, Regarding Quality:

I have the Delta 1440 lathe. When I received it the tailsock would not extend. I called service and they sent me a new one ( over night ). Since then the machine has been fine. I turn on average 3 nights a week ( about 12 hours a week ). I paid 550 for mine on sale. I've had the lathe for a little over 1 year.

DELTA, What I dislike about the machine:

1: No Reverse. A reverse would be really nice for finish sanding.

2: Needs a lower speed: I periodically turn bowls in the 8" range. Often from logs. While the machine is sturdy enough, I would feel more comfortable with a slower speed for the initial rounding.

3: Horse Power. The machine is 3/4 HP. This is not really a complaint as I suspect the lower horse power teaches you to use the gouges properly. If you get too aggressive with a gouge it is possible to stop the spindle.

Other Brands:

JET:

When I was looking I liked the high end Jet Lathes ( 1642, 1442 ). Both more expensive then the Lathe I bought.

Here is an article about a 1642 lathe that I looked at when I was shopping:

ONEWAY ( ).

Someday I'll buy one of these....If I can get the wife to look the otherway while I write out the check.

Hope this is helpful. Can't help on the duplicators as I have never used one or shopped for one...