Harbor freight Lathe Questions

[waddle13]

Need some info. please.

I am looking to buy HFs lathe. Model #65345. Any thoughts on quality and extra items I'll need to turn Turkey , Deer , and Waterfowl calls ?

Just starting out and realize it doesn't compare to the big names out there.
Is it a lathe to avoid, or acceptable?

Thank you for your wisdom and help in advance. I feel it's better to ask those with experience ,than to trust an ad or salesman .

Be blessed in all you do,Waddle13 

[Crutch]

looks to be the same as a Delta. Probably built by the same people so I would feel good about it. It is almost identical to my delta and I am happy with it although bigger would be better. Then I bought this from Penn state, It's cheap but functions great.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CUG3418CCX.html


A barracuda would probably be better however for 89 bucks the cheap one works well for me with no issues.

[Cut*N*Run]

I think it will be fine. Obviously there are better lathes, but that one will spin wood around in a circle well enough.
Here is a review: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f24/hf-10-x18-mini-wood-lathe-65345-a-24125/

Make sure you get one of their 10% (or 20%) coupons. Usually you can find and print one online.

Of course you'll need the chisels. You can mount pot call blanks to the faceplate, but you may want to get a 4 jaw chuck just for the versatility. A drill press helps for drilling the sound holes in the bottom of the pots. I tried hand drilling for a while but just couldn't get consistent enough with it. The drill press will also be good for drilling out deer and duck calls- or you could get a drill chuck with a 2mt arbor and drill right on the lathe (prob want the chuck for that too). For the deer and duck calls, you'll need some kind of mandrel- turn one yourself, get an expanding pen mandrel, or go all out and buy a collet chuck and some pin mandrels. Other than that, odds and ends like sandpaper, finish, calipers, cartridge respirator (please get one!) etc.

Dive into all the you tube videos you can find and that will help you figure thing out too. Good Luck!

[cleanslate]

I have this exact lathe and I love it. Everything functions fine on it, the headstock & tailstock line up true and there is no runout in the drive spindle. If you are on a budget, or you just want something to "get your feet wet" to see if it is something that you will like, I would personally recomend purchasing this lathe. You can get by with what is supplied with the lathe, but I would suggest getting a 4 jaw chuck, A longer toolrest for turning strikers, and upgrading the live and drive centers as soon as finances permit. This machine has a standard mt2 taper in both the head and tailstock as well as a standard size 1x8tpi drive spindle, so finding other accessories will not be a problem. You will want to get some turning tools as well if you do not already have come. Right now woodcraft is having a sale on their small pen turners set which has a skew, parting tool, round scraper, and two gouges for, I think $20-$25. That will be enough to get you hooked.

[waddle13]

Thank you all for your help. I went to Rockler yesterday and viewed 3 different levels of lathes. Still asking many questions ,and learning more all the time.

A heads-up for those who read this. Rockler had a pallet of misc. parts and pieces of various types and dimensions of wood . They were going for a buck a board foot. Picked up a bunch of Poplar and some Cedar. Unfortunately I missed out on the Mahogany   In their reg. priced woods ,picked up some great Yellowheart and Walnut. It was fairly priced and good quality.

Still doing research before I pull the trigger on setting up and using any lathe. My shop is about 85% complete so I'm looking forward to getting the lathe soon. I'm sure I'll be back on this forum asking more questions before too long.

Be blessed in all you do-Waddle13