Turning Interest, but which Lathe?

[Canuck]

Hi,
Many of you have sparked my interest in turning. I have been looking at the Midi lathes out there and can't seem to decide on the best starter. I have been reading about the Delta LA200, Jet 1014 and Joe at the Raleigh Woodcraft store was showing off the new Rikon 70-100. It appears that the Rikon has a lot of nice features (easy access for belt/speed changes, wider tool rest, 16" width w/o extension, indexing spindle lock etc.). And the Rikon is a wee bit cheaper than the Delta or the Jet.


I guess I need a little direction here. I plan on using it for small stuff (small bowls, pepper mills , AND MAYBE PENS - you guys are soooooo good with pens that I would be embarrassed to post any of my creations.)


Just wondering what drove you guys to select a particular midi lathe brand.:-D


Thanks Bunch!

Wayne

 

[clowman]

I got the delta midi for a couple of reasons.
1> I used that particular model in Woodguy's class, and liked it.
2> Woodguy said he liked his
3> Insominac said he liked his
4> Klingspor had "Delta days". 10% off, plus a $50 mail in rebate.

I like my delta midi alot. It would be extremely nice to have a variable speed, but the Jet variable speed was $380 opposed to my $220 I got the delta for. I think the Delta midi is perfect for what I want to do (for now). Jet mini or Jet mini with variable speed would probally be great as well.

 

[Monty]

I don't know... if I were you I would seriously look at that Rikon. It has some pretty nice features for a lathe of its size - just as you pointed out. I have not seen it in person, but it looks good on paper.

Like Clay said, I also like my Delta just fine... but I got it at a good price, and the Rikon wasn't around when I bought. I sure would like to have that extra 2" of swing. It even has an extra inch of spindle travel in the tailstock! If it looks well built in person, I don't think I would pay more $$$ for the Delta.

 

[Jonz]

I'm no marketing genius, mind you, but if I was selling a machine thats job is to take a hard substance and spin it really fast, then "self-ejecting" is a term I would steer clear of. :lol:

 

[cskipper]

I have the Jet Midi with the variable speed option. The Rikon was not available at WC in Greenville, SC when I bought mine. I used the Jet in class and that was a contributing factor to me choosing it over the Delta.

As for turning pens - jump right in - there are members who are really good, getting better (I'm in this class) and just starting out. They are quick to maka and you get immediate gratification or a refresher course in four letter words.

 

[Big Mike]

I have not used the Rikon personally but several of my internet acquaintances have recently purchased one. To this point I have not seen any bad reviews.

I have turned on both the conventional 6 speed Jet mini and the Jet VS mini and they are both fine machines. The Jet VS mini is a little anemic in the lower speed ranges. These are fine machines and I have turned a 7" diameter by 9" tall segmented vase on one with no problems. Not recommending turning a piece of solid wood that large on the machine by any stretch of the imagination.

The only other thing I will say about getting into woodturning is, if you become addicted to this fascinating aspect of our hobby the Mini, Midi sized lathes will not be enough for you. They are a great place to start and you can do wonderful work on them but if you hope to turn things larger than 10 or 12" in diameter or several inches thick in solid wood they will be inadequate for the most part. When I first started turning I thought I could be satisfied turning just small stuff but as my skills progressed I found that I had a desire to spin larger and larger pieces of wood. I have turned 15 1/2" diameter stuff now and that is just as big as my chicken heart needs....It gets scary when it gets big.:roll: :lol:

 

[Monty]

Yea, I would have to figure out what that "self-ejecting" thing means. If it means self-ejecting live center, that would be nice. On some lathes you can just crank the tailstock spindle all the way back, and the live center will bottom out and loosen itself in the morse taper. Not so with the midi. You have to tap it out with a rod, and I have actually ejected the center tip out of one of my live centers before.

The only other thing I will say about getting into woodturning is, if you become addicted to this fascinating aspect of our hobby the Mini, Midi sized lathes will not be enough for you.

IMHO, this is the primary reason NOT to spend a lot on a mini lathe. You can pretty much guarantee that it will not be the last lathe you'll buy!!! :mrgreen:

 

[gsdoby]

I have the Jet Mini. The other one I looked at mainly was the Delta. The Jet was on sale the day I made a purchase and was a factor. I had used a Jet that my cousin owns and was pleased with it. He had a larger(1236) model. I liked all of the ones I looked at and did not see much difference between the Delta and Jet. I do not know anything about the Rikon. One thing to keep in mind, the lathe is not your only expense. The quality of the lathe is important, but so is a good set of sharp tools as well as any other accessories for whatever type of turning you do. Good luck with your turning.

 

[DavidF]

gsdoby makes a good point - I was discussing this in the live chat with WG recently and from a $220 lathe we ended up at a total spend of just about $1000! with chucks and tools etc - best budget for this amount before you start.

 

[NCPete]

$1000!!! wonder if I can find another steal like my Jet TS? ;-)

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

You may want to check out woodnet and search for the Rikon midi. A number of those guys purchased one and ended up taking it back. I can't remember the exact reasons though. Also I am not sure if they were legitimate complaints or not. I would try to find someone that actually has one and get their perspective on it. It does seem like an ok deal though.

 

[Monty]

Here

 

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Thanks for looking up that thread Monty, I have been extremely busy this morning or else I would have included it also. Its probably anyones guess as to who has the better lathe. Probably more of just a preference thing when you get down to it. I will say that the Jet variable speed is very nice. You don't have to adjust the belt constantly for different speeds.

 

[Big Mike]

Interesting reviews, Monty. I have not heard those complaints as of yet from any of my acquaintances. I hope they don't have those things to look forward to.... And you are also correct about buying a full sized lathe and being done with it. It is just a matter of money.... have you got enough?

 

[cskipper]

I didn't have the money for a bigger lathe at the time, but my interest was high. I know me and that meant that starting with the midi made sense. Everything I have bought for it - chucks and all will work on a bigger lathe, tools will work. I didn't want to invest $1000+-ish until I was sure it was something I really enjoyed. I knew odds were that I would eventually upgrade but there was a chance I wouldn't. But I also wanted to get started while my enthusiasm was high and again didn't have the extra money. I needed to be sure I'll really like something before I'll make that $1000+ investment!

 

[DavidF]

So if you don't mind me asking Cathy, what was your total investment from scratch - Lathe, tools chucks etc before you could turn your first item?

 

[cskipper]

A guess would be about $500 not counting the turning tools. I think the lathe was on sale for around $250, the Nove Midi chuck was about $120, Drill chuck about $40, pen press about $40, the starter kit which included the mandrel, bushings, drill bit, 5 pen kits, high friction polish and I don't remember what else - I don't remember. We bought the 5 piece Crown set over a year ago when we hoped I could get to a class in Charlotte, and I only know they weren't cheap. I know that the "stuff" - chucks, live center, cost at least as much as the lathe.

I made sure to ask if the chucks would fit a larger lathe and all will. So the only thing I'll eventually be out is the price of the lathe itself - and I may be able to sell it.

I've got all the receipts except for the turning tools if you really want to know exact $.

 

[DavidF]

So if you add $250 for a set of tools, I wasn't a million miles away from my $1,000!

 

[gsdoby]

Just a note, but my initial investment was around $800, again proving your $1000 is a good estimate.

 

[cskipper]

Yes, your $1000 was in the ball park. I misread your post as saying go ahead and buy the $1000 lathe not that that was a fair estimate of start-up costs. Sorry for the confusion.