Lathe question

[Vic Baron]

I find that on occasion I have the need for a turned item - a leg, a candleholder, etc. I'm not into pens or turning bowls or general turning for that matter. I had a full size lathe years ago and dabble a bit and still have the cutting tools. I do not have room for a full size lathe in my Shop/garage and have been looking at the Jet mini lathe. The size is about right, the $$ is in the ballpark. Can anyone comment on this product for occasional use or recommend another. Again, a full size lathe is not an option - just do not have the room.

Thanx,

Vic

[Neillarson]

I have the Jet mini and it works great. With the bed extension, it will do some decent size spindles. Good price, decent performance, good features. Another choice is the Rinkon from Woodcraft. It is a little larger, 12 " swing and 14" bed for about the same price.

[CW]

[Old guy]

My $.02

I like it.

I have a Jet 1442 lathe, and have found their service and trouble shooting to be good. The lathe was sturdy and well built.

I've used it twice on WoodCraft classes, and been pleased with it.

I understand that the electronic variable speed is pretty wimpy with torque at low speeds, and I've confirmed that in my classes.

I bought my son one as a birthday present.

Old Guy

[charlieb]

JET VS mini. Variable speed is handy when starting with unbalanced chunk of wood. Start at lowest rpm and dial it up 'til things start to wobble then dial it down slowly 'til the wobble drops to acceptable level. As the piece is roughed to round just dial the speed back up. The reality is, without variable speed, you don't change speeds back and forth because it takes time. Not difficult to change speeds, just interrupts the turning process.

charlie b

[Ralph E Lindberg]

...

Along the same line, the General Maxi lathes are just slightly larger then the Jet

Even larger (but still not full size) are the Teknatools 1624-44 and Nova DVR-XP

[Toller]

The Jet mini lathe works just fine. I prefer it for bowls because you can get around it better than a big lathe. But really, it is not that much smaller than a 12" Craftsman lathe, and you can find those for under $100.

[Old guy]

Damn,

Didn't read my post before I sent it.

Only the second paragraph is about the 1442, the rest are about the Jet Mini.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

Old Guy

[Vic Baron]

Thanks all - you've given me some stuff to ponder!

Vic