Okay, as I posted before, my lathe is dead and really not worth fixing. (Old Craftsman, long tube stylem, bearings are shot, motor is salvaged, stand is crap.)
I'm looking at a few options, and I KNOW that I really should not consider the ones at Harbor Freight, but with money tight right now, I really am tempted.
Are there some actual valid reasons I should avoid these? (I'm looking at a 12" capacity lathe)
Mark
Will last you a looooong time And hold resale value. While lots of folks do decent work on HF, it'll lose 75% of its value when you walk out the door. Also, I recommend Not buying HF unless you have a store near you where you can get up close and personal with the product - it also helps that it is easier to return the DOAs.
If money is really tight, try this...
Mr. Moose wrote:
Sun, Nov 6, 2005, 3:22am (EST+5) snipped-for-privacy@pacbell.net (Mr.=A0Moose), but it's only 11:30 Sat here: Okay, as I posted before, my lathe is dead I KNOW that I really should not consider the ones at Harbor Freight, Are there some actual valid reasons I should avoid these? (I'm looking at a 12" capacity lathe)
It's your money, you're a big boy, spend it any way you want. I've got a HF lathe, had it for years. $129 I think it was new, 39" between centers, works great, much sturdier, "and" better quality, than severl I saw for around $300. I made my own stand, plywood, and it doesn't walk, or vibrade. Hmm, painted the stand white, should have painted it yellow. But, did paint the lathe yellow.
Or, you can make your own. Any size you want, metal or wood, your choice.
JOAT If it ain't broke, don't lend it.
- Red Green
Yes, they are generally not well made compared to other brands. Worth waiting for a quality tool, IMO. The gratification of a cheap tool will not last nearly as long as the wait to buy a good one.
Don't own one myself, but a good friend, who is a gunsmith and makes custom black powder rifles (he presented one of his to Ronald Reagan in the oval office, presentation of which made the cover of NRA mag way back when), owns one and loves it. he is obviously very handy with metal working tools and did a lot of customization to it, but he swears by it.
Strictly FWIW ...
Very cool, Joe, and it must be satisfying to do work on a lathe you built yourself.
Mark
Find the closest turners club and contact them. Someone always has a used lathe for sale, (American Assn. of Woodturners) robo hippy
The HF lathe I have is a visual duplicate of the Jet to which you received a link. At about 1/2 the price. Is it a duplicate in quality? No idea but it is solid and works fine.
-- dadiOH ____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at
Harbor Freight has a dozen different lathes, some good, some bad. Which were you considering? I have the 34706 which I've been happy with. It was $170 on sale and I picked it up from the store. Don't pay full price.
Well, problem solved, a Delta 46-700 showed up on Craigslist, and I picked it up, complete with stand, for $275. It also came with a few neat turning books, a video, and, even better, a 5 gallon bucket full of lathe chisels and tool rests! There are several very nice Sheffield gouges in there, and some other not-so-nice but grindable into seful tool chisels as well. Atleast 15 chisels, new they would have cost well over the $275 I paid for the lathe to start with!
It's not the "perfect dream" lathe, but it will last a couple years and get me through the craft fair season, and I can always sell it for what I paid for it, even less since I got all the cool goodies with it.
Thanks to everyone for the good input and information, it was quite helpful.
Mark
Congrats! I think you got a fine deal. 46-700 search results on the Delta site:
hello,
HF has 3 lathe ranging from (sale prices) $89 to $189.
the 2 lower end ones are not good. The main problem is that the "bed" part of the lathe, which is critical to maintain the alignment of the heads and the center is sheet metal and will bend under slight pressure. the more expensive one (which comes with a stand BTW) is much better with a cast iron bed and a good motor. this is the one that I intend to buy and at Okay, as I posted before, my lathe is dead and really not worth
So, by that statement you're implying that the tool, a lathe here, is the arbitor of the craftsmanship and not the craftsman? I saw an article a long time ago in a magazine about a guitar maker, a profession I think you're agree requires a great deal of precision, in Mexico who's only real power tool was a skilsaw mounted upside down in a kitchen table to function as literally, a table saw! Its the craftsman, NOT the tool!
Mike Berger wrote:
Neither are most wood turnings ...
If his friend is the maker I think he means, then your statement is amusingly and amazingly ill-informed.
Amen JOAT, and who cares if it loses 75% of its cost as you go out the door. Its being bought to use, not to resell. I paid $79 for mine (36066) 2 years ago and have no intention of shitcanning it. Paid 3x that for my Jet midi and I'm pleased with both. Not all of us can afford nor want to afford a $5000 Nova or whatever the tool gatherers and the professionals can afford. John
Small world. I suppose you're a member of the Wood workers Club of Houston, too, aren't you. If so, see you Saturday. I'll be the one with the WWCH hat on.
I also have a copy of the American Rifleman you mention. Somewhere I've also got the Post/Chronicle feature about him bagging a 10 point with a .40 flinter he made.
I've got one of his rocklocks stocked in cherry. Apparently the only one he ever made out of cherry, as he developed an allergy just before he got to the finishing stage on it. Chris will remember this rifle (besides the allergy) as he sweated bullets trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear with the lock. He told me he spent over 20 hours tuning it as an experiment to see if you could make a great lock out of a cheap lock. You can't, but he did improve it to a linen purse quality. Actually, the frizzen still throws great sparks, but the lock needs better internals for a quicker c*ck fall. I knew that from dry firing it before I bought it, but heck, when you REALLY want something, that little bit of common sense seems to hide or something. Actually, this is not a problem for someone who holds his shootin' iron rock solid, but I'm one of those who have to squeeze a round off as the target wiggles by.
He does excellent work, and his fancy rifles are truly works of art. Mine is a "poor boy" style of about 1810-1820. I get it out and shoot it every now and then for fun, and have been known to hit a barn from the inside with it.
Funny you posted this. At the T.A.B. two weekends ago, a couple of us were "wondering whatever happened to Chris". Nobody has seen him in a coons age, and only Badger and a few others remember how he got his camp name. Tell him Lomax was back for his first doin's in 6 years, and the next T.A.B. is the last weekend in January up near Palestine this year. The usual directions: look for pie plates, bring wood and water.
Well, I managed to really wander OT here, but at least I did mention wood, which is better than some of the other topics. Keep yer powder dry,
Roy
(Gestures with rolled up newspaper...)
Bad Mike! Bad! Bad! Bad Mike!
Maybe this was actually posted by Bay Area Dave in disguise.......?
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