Hello all I am wanting to try my hand at turning pot calls on a lathe. Does anyone have any advice on a good starter lathe? What accessories and tools would be needed to do this as well. Thanks for any info!
I know Harbor Frieght has some. Dont know pricing.
Keep an eye on Craigslist for a used one. Wen products have some reasoanble prices. I got Drill press from them, and happy with it. Its made in China, but so is everything else affordable. PSI Industries will have an assortment of chucks, and mandrels. Youll need a variety of lathe chiesels. I use only 3. They are carbide from Rockler. Like them a whole lot more than cold steel. I recommend several chucks so your not wasting time changing jaws. A drill press is very handy, along with a good variety of bits. Its not a cheap adventure to get started, as you can see. Then your looking at call parts, glues, finishes etc.
But I guess its all depends on how serious you are.
The lathe is the cheap part. Get a good one. Not cheap Chinese crap. Get a jet. Is a good middle ground lathe. Not expensive. not cheap. Carbide tools aren't the greatest thing. They are good for some applications but the traditional tools are better and faster if you learn to sharpen correctly.
https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1015vs-10-x-15-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719110
https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1221vs-12-x-21-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719200
And if you want a smaller lather with an actual VFD--
http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/powermatic-2014-lathe-and-stand/1792014AK