Wood lathe?

[ybuck]

Hello.
So the last time i use a wood lathe was in high school shop class. About 30 years ago.
So i want to build my own pot calls.
Any suggestions for a lathe?
New, used, i would use it for building calls only.
How much can i expect to spend, say on a good used one?
Thanks for your help, and any other info is appreciated as well.

[mastevt]

Keep an eye on Craigs list.  I found my Jet on there for $300.

[Mabren2]

Definitely keep an eye on Craigslist, and any other outlet you know of for a used one. You should be able to find a good used Jet, Delta, Rikon, Nova, etc. between $300-$500, depending on the size and options (variable speed, etc). I have a Jet 1221vs that I bought as a new open box for $450. It is a perfect lathe for pot calls in my opinion, and can handle bowls up to the 10" range as well. Another good thing about going the used route is sometimes you can get some accessories included. I read the saying that "the lathe is the cheap part," multiple times in my search, and had no idea how true it was until I started buying everything. Tools, chucks, etc. add up very quickly, so if you have the opportunity to make a package deal on some of that stuff it will likely be well worth it.

A couple other things I'll add:

- You can get by with smaller than the 1221 I mentioned, say a Jet 1015, but based on my experience on my machine the 1221 is about as small as you'll want to go if you don't want to have to remove the tail stock to turn the inside of the pot. Most models have bed extension options that will fix this, but again that's more money, and something that I have seen included fairly cheap on used machines.

-My Jet is listed at 1hp, and I don't think I would want much smaller than that.

-Electronic variable speed is awesome! I didn't consider it much at first, because I wanted to stay as cheap as possible, but man am I glad I got it. Being able to change speeds on the fly is great, and I don't think I would buy a machine without it now.

Good luck!

[ybuck]

thanks so much for the info guys.
Steve.

[jbird]

The Jet 1221VS can be bought on sale right now for $719 with free shipping and no tax at Beaver Tool in case you are interested in a new one.

[MattinIdaho]

I know there are several lathe threads on here and I've read all that I could find.
But I'll ask on this one also. Anyone have experience with the Harbour Freight 5 speed? I've read all of the reviews I could find on it as well as any other lathe I could find. This one seems to get very good reviews and is very inexpensive. Anyone with experience running one?

[Mabren2]

I know there are several lathe threads on here and I've read all that I could find.
But I'll ask on this one also. Anyone have experience with the Harbour Freight 5 speed? I've read all of the reviews I could find on it as well as any other lathe I could find. This one seems to get very good reviews and is very inexpensive. Anyone with experience running one?

I don't have experience running one, but I did consider it heavily when I bought my lathe for the exact reasons you mention. There are a few reasons why I didn't, and a couple now that I have a little experience that I'm glad I didn't. The main reason that I didn't buy that machine is that I got a great deal on a Jet that I am confident I could get my money back on if I found out turning wasn't for me. With the HF being so cheap new, resale is going to be next to nothing, so I was willing to pay a couple hundred bucks more for the "name", knowing that it would hold its value.  That was just my experience and opinion, and not a reason for everyone not to buy the HF in itself. Another reason that I didn't go the HF route is that I believe I read several posts where it took people several tries to get a satisfactory machine, and I seem to remember that parts if needed were very hard to come by making it essentially a throw away machine if a problem arises. I'm going from memory here, and could be confusing with a different machine, so please make your own conclusions on that.

After having some experience on the lathe, I am glad I didn't buy the HF because I knew I wanted to do more than just pot calls. The motor is 1/2 HP, which is gonna be a little underpowered if you're really trying to turn a 10" blank. Also, the minimum speed of 750 RPM is gonna be way too fast for a larger blank, especially on a machine that size.

If you know without a doubt that all you will ever turn is pot calls, I think that HF lathe will serve you well provided you get one of the good ones. If you have any desire to turn small bowls or anything bigger than a pot, I strongly suggest you hold out for a machine that will be more capable and safer.

[MattinIdaho]

I know there are several lathe threads on here and I've read all that I could find.
But I'll ask on this one also. Anyone have experience with the Harbour Freight 5 speed? I've read all of the reviews I could find on it as well as any other lathe I could find. This one seems to get very good reviews and is very inexpensive. Anyone with experience running one?

I don't have experience running one, but I did consider it heavily when I bought my lathe for the exact reasons you mention. There are a few reasons why I didn't, and a couple now that I have a little experience that I'm glad I didn't. The main reason that I didn't buy that machine is that I got a great deal on a Jet that I am confident I could get my money back on if I found out turning wasn't for me. With the HF being so cheap new, resale is going to be next to nothing, so I was willing to pay a couple hundred bucks more for the "name", knowing that it would hold its value.  That was just my experience and opinion, and not a reason for everyone not to buy the HF in itself. Another reason that I didn't go the HF route is that I believe I read several posts where it took people several tries to get a satisfactory machine, and I seem to remember that parts if needed were very hard to come by making it essentially a throw away machine if a problem arises. I'm going from memory here, and could be confusing with a different machine, so please make your own conclusions on that.

After having some experience on the lathe, I am glad I didn't buy the HF because I knew I wanted to do more than just pot calls. The motor is 1/2 HP, which is gonna be a little underpowered if you're really trying to turn a 10" blank. Also, the minimum speed of 750 RPM is gonna be way too fast for a larger blank, especially on a machine that size.

If you know without a doubt that all you will ever turn is pot calls, I think that HF lathe will serve you well provided you get one of the good ones. If you have any desire to turn small bowels or anything bigger than a pot, I strongly suggest you hold out for a machine that will be more capable and safer.

Fantastic write up!! Thanks for the reply!!

[Mabren2]

No problem, that's what this forum is all about. I just hope you don't try to turn small "bowels" on whatever machine you decide on, haha changed that to "bowls"! Good luck!

[tackett77]

The $200 lathe from Harbor Freight is a great starter lathe.  It will do everything you need.