Need suggestions on a lathe

[eganders]

Folks,

I don't do bowls (at least not yet) and I don't use a lathe all that much anymore (lots of craftsman furniture), but I still do turnings now and then. I have done many turnings over the years that vary from

1/2 inch to 6 inches or so in diameter to over 3 ft in length. Sometimes I had to splice two together to get the length I needed. I have done all this with (ugh!) a 40 year old Sears Craftsman "tube" lathe that I bought NEW. I tried a friend's Delta 46-715 and liked it. I also know that Delta has a new midi 46-460 lathe that appears to be very nice. The 46-715 has been discontinued, so I would probably have to buy it used.

I don't want to spend over $600 or $700 (would prefer less) because I don't use the lathe a lot, but I would like the smoothness and chatter freedom that I can expect from a quality lathe. Although I know it would be nice, I don't want a used 400 lb. behemoth. I have read about the Grizzly and Shop Fox lathes, but I also heard the mixed results. The Sears has made a smooth cut hard to do (possible, but hard).

With these facts in mind, I would like to ask you-all what you would suggest.

[Phisherman]

Concentrate on the stand to fix the vibration issue. Cast iron legs or hollow wooden legs filled with sand will help vibration and stability. I have an under-the-lathe shelf stacked with sandbags. Out of your price range, but a variable DC motor is great because a small speed change can eliminate vibration quickly and easily. Even with a quality lathe, sharp tools make all the difference.

[RonB]

I have had good luck with Grizzly products but I will admit that when I bought my lathe, I stepped around them. Not that their machines were bad; but others seemed better.

You might look at the JET machines. I ended up buying a JET 1442 a year or so after their introduction and I have been pleased. The 1442 is probably out of the price range you mentioned now, because it was right at $800 4-5 years ago. Some of their smaller machines also looked pretty good at the time.

I agree with Phisherman. Before you throw in the towel with the existing lathe. It is not unusual to see very heavy home-made timber sands weighted down with sandbags or such. If you can stabilize the base, and firmly attach the machine to a rock-solid base you might take care of some of the problem.

Rib

[eganders]

The banjo on the Sears is stamped steel and hard to get adjusted. I would like a quality machine. At my age, I think I can do better. I would really like the Delts 46-715, but I can't find one in the local area and getting it sent from out of state (I live in Ann Arbor, MI) is over $200. Delta has stopped making the machine. They apparently are going with a midi at about $600 and then the bigger machines jump up to well over $1,000. I wonder about the Grizzly lathes, but I have not heard great things.

[Lew Hodgett]

would really like the Delts 46-715, but I can't find one in the local area and getting it sent from out of state (I live in Ann Arbor, MI) is over $200.

Bumper sticker found on a car in Columbus, OH.

"Directions to Ann Arbor," "North till you smell it," "West till you step in it."

Lew

[Han]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:Csg0m.869$NF6.221 @nwrddc02.gnilink.net:

I visited the Medical Center for a few days a few years ago (research with a collegue from way back) and found Ann Arbor a very nice college town with very good food in quite a few places. The visit was not on my tab , and was successful from my point of view: I am coauthor on a nice paper in the J Clin Invest with as first author Matt Hyman.

[Lew Hodgett]

I would agree, Ann Arbor is a very nice town and has some neat places to eat or at least it did have when I covered it, but that has nothing to do with the rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University.

Probably one of the best known sports rivalries in the entire country.

Woody and Bo made sure it got lots of ink.

Lew