Axminster mini lathe - hobby vs. trade

[McAldo]

I just registered, hello everybody!
I am a complete beginner and looking for a mini lather I could move to the workbench every time I need turning (shed is tiny and badly ventilated, so I need to move it to a sheltered workbench outside).
I heard SIP and Draper are cheap but not that good, so I am considering axminster, and I read all I could about them here on the forum (and read Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning a few times back to back)
If anybody has experience with Axminster lathes, or anyway feels like giving me some advice, I'd be really grateful.

I have found these three (Sorry can't post links:
jet-jet-jml-1014-mini-wood-lathe-prod362338/
axminster-hobby-series-ah-1218vs-woodturning-lathe-prod890273/
jet-jet-jwl-1220-woodturning-lathe-prod724867/


I am very tempted with the 'hobby' one. I understand that hobby is rated for 100 hours work per year, and trade (the jet ones) are 1000 hours per year.
Considering I am a full time dad with a full time job at night, realistically I won't be able to enjoy turning more than 8 hours per week. I'd like to make , among other things, woodwinds so the hollow tailstock on the hobby sounds particularly attractive.
Sizewise I could do with the 350mm/250mm swing of the small jet, considering I can fit an extension bed to any of them, but the 450mm/300mm swing of the other two is attractive. They all have 8tpi, I understand 16 is more common, not sure?

Could anybody tell me if the hobby could fit the bill, considering I cannot spend lots of time turning?
Aside of the rated hours, what's the difference between these lathes? On paper they sound so similar, aside of a £180 difference, surely there must be a reason.
Any other model you would advise considering?


Sorry if the question is a bit generic, I wrote a more detailed message, but the forum logged me off while writing, so I lost it and after a night of work I am too knackered to write more

My max budget is 550. But 200 will probably go towards tools, wet grinder, jig, sandpaper and finishing material, face protector, pen jig, perhaps a chuck, an auger. I'd love a bowl saver too, even if I won't be turning anything massive, but probably at a latter time.

Thanks
Aldo

 

[McAldo]

Update: I just spoken with Axminster staff, and actually all the lathes have an hollow tail stock fro boring, so that's not an issue. Even if they were suggesting using a drill press instead so not to put strains on the lathe motor. But then, most deep drilling I'll do is one inch or less in diameter, max 350mm in depth but mostly around 130mm, so I guess it should be ok to use the lathe?

 

[chipmunk]

Hi Aldo,
Welcome to the forum.

It is tricky to recommend a first lathe for anybody - especially if on a tight budget but I'll try to help.

The differences between the lathes on your list are mostly in the quality of the components and the level of finishing.

For example the motors on the Jet lathes are continuously rated which means you don't need to switch off occasionally as you ought to do with the Hobby rated lathes - But in practice this isn't a big deal for an occasional turner. The other thing you may notice is that the levers and knobs on the hobby lathes are sometimes rough or somewhat clunky (e.g. the Axminster AWSL toolrest locking handle) but arguably this is just reasonable cost-cutting. Something's got to give and it still does the job.

I think that your idea of using a lathe for drilling instead of a drill-press is fine - you just need a shop-made scrapwood platter mounted squarely on a morse taper fitted on the bottom to go into the tailstock and away you go.

Given that you have no turning tools or grinder then I'd suggest that you go ahead and buy one of the hobby rated lathes and then you will have money left for other essentials. If you search on here you'll find suggestions for starter tool sets but you can get along perfectly well without a chuck (you will need a Jacobs chuck on an arbour though) and definitely without a bowl saver - sorry :wink:

Hope this helps
Jon

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Aldo and welcome
Theres a nice little Record lathe for sale in the for sale section if thats of any use to you??

 

[bugbear]

The cynic in me points out that quite often second lathes are in quite good condition.

You can view this as either a comment on some people who start turning as a hobby, or as a pointer to a good source of value for money equipment.

Can anyone recommend a good list of s/h equipment - do the magazines still have "for sales" in the back, or has eBay killed all that?

BugBear

 

[Martin10]

Hi Aldo

I bought the Jet 1014 in January as a first lathe. My choice was influenced by the fact that, at the time it came with a free chuck that brought the cost down to similar to the Axminster (I bought it from them). I have been very pleased with it and not found any negatives so far.

Hope you enjoy turning, whatever choice you make. If you have any specific questions about the 1014 just PM me.

Martin

 

[finneyb]

Hi Aldo,

My tuppence worth.
Either Jet or Axminster are sound. Hobby will do you just fine - I'd put money on that you will not be at the lathe 8 hours every week of the year.

Also consider Axminster's AWVSL900 @ £285 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... rod886607/ benefits are longer between centres, swivel headstock allowing larger bowls to be turned, sliding headstock which I find to be more comfortable when turning. Comes with its own stand - albeit pressed steel but its good enough. Variable speed - mechanical rather than electronic will very rarely go wrong. Although electronic is nice.

Bowl saver - nice thought - but you will never get your money back on the wood you save. What they are useful for IMHO is making a nest of bowls. I'd spend the money on a band saw - but if you get a 8tpi hand saw (approx. £10) a band saw will not be a priority. Axminster has one for £400, but as I said not a priority.

Hope that helps

Brian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There's a Graduate for £250 in Banbury - a few posts ago. Get in quickly!

 

[McAldo]

Thanks so much for all the replies, much appreciated!
As a complete beginner is great to get so much useful advice.

As I mentioned, my original message was somewhat more detailed but I lost it upon submitting. Probably all for the best as very long posts are boring to read through But there is something I should have remember to mention.
Unfortunately, living in London, I never really considered getting a car as it wouldn't really get much use.
So I am quite restricted as for buying second hand lathes, as understandably most sellers prefer pickup in person.

 

[McAldo]

Hi Aldo,
Welcome to the forum.

It is tricky to recommend a first lathe for anybody - especially if on a tight budget but I'll try to help.

The differences between the lathes on your list are mostly in the quality of the components and the level of finishing.

For example the motors on the Jet lathes are continuously rated which means you don't need to switch off occasionally as you ought to do with the Hobby rated lathes - But in practice this isn't a big deal for an occasional turner. The other thing you may notice is that the levers and knobs on the hobby lathes are sometimes rough or somewhat clunky (e.g. the Axminster AWSL toolrest locking handle) but arguably this is just reasonable cost-cutting. Something's got to give and it still does the job.

I think that your idea of using a lathe for drilling instead of a drill-press is fine - you just need a shop-made scrapwood platter mounted squarely on a morse taper fitted on the bottom to go into the tailstock and away you go.

Given that you have no turning tools or grinder then I'd suggest that you go ahead and buy one of the hobby rated lathes and then you will have money left for other essentials. If you search on here you'll find suggestions for starter tool sets but you can get along perfectly well without a chuck (you will need a Jacobs chuck on an arbour though) and definitely without a bowl saver - sorry :wink:

Hope this helps
Jon

Hi Jon, thanks so much for clarifying and for all the advice.
I am glad you think that the hobby lathes are still good enough, I see the usual advice to beginners is not to skimp on the lathe as that will end up costing more on the long run than getting a good lathe, so I was really nervous about choosing one.
I see you are not the only one pointing out that bowl savers are not that great after all, thanks for saving me money
Out of curiosity, is it possible to make multiple platters or bowls with normal straight tools?
I quite like the idea of making matching sets, like flat plate, soup platen and little dessert plate/bowl. But then, that's the kind of "yeah, and then I could do this, that and that" attitude of the clueless beginner watching turners with 30 years of experience effortlessly churning out little wonders on youtube

 

[McAldo]

Hello Aldo and welcome
Theres a nice little Record lathe for sale in the for sale section if thats of any use to you??

Thanks Paul, just checked that out and, was I local and had a car, I would certainly get it.
Given you mention Record, if you don't mind me asking, are Record lathes better than Jets?
I hear they are quite solid, very similarly priced, and they use a 3/4 16tpi mount which I was told is generally preferable so not to use adapters.

 

[McAldo]

The cynic in me points out that quite often second lathes are in quite good condition.

You can view this as either a comment on some people who start turning as a hobby, or as a pointer to a good source of value for money equipment.

Can anyone recommend a good list of s/h equipment - do the magazines still have "for sales" in the back, or has eBay killed all that?

BugBear

I see your point. Actually, I am not adverse at all to buying second hand, and I'd be more than happy getting a second hand bundle with lathe, tools and other bits and bobs, as sometimes you find on ebay.
But my main problem is that I don't really need a car here in London, so I never got one. So I am restricted to the very few sellers which will be ok with shipping, or are so local that a taxi will do.
Actually, my quest for lathes started with a record plus tools and chuck auction in Wallington, just 5 minutes away. I still regret not having put an higher bid as it went for 135, just over my bid, and the seller was ok with dropping it at my house. I would have started turning 6 weeks ago. But then, I really had no clue about market prices at the time.

 

[McAldo]

Hi Aldo

I bought the Jet 1014 in January as a first lathe. My choice was influenced by the fact that, at the time it came with a free chuck that brought the cost down to similar to the Axminster (I bought it from them). I have been very pleased with it and not found any negatives so far.

Hope you enjoy turning, whatever choice you make. If you have any specific questions about the 1014 just PM me.

Martin

Thanks for the feedback Martin. Unfortunately Axminster is not offering extras to sweeten the deal at this time.
Out of curiosity, do you find the 250mm max diameter restrictive at all in regard to what you can turn? That was my main reason for considering the more expensive model in the Jet line too. Not much because I expect to turn 350mm diameter all that often, but my neighbour is offering me some tree surgery left overs over the next months, so the flexibility might come useful..
Or I can just get a chain saw and rough out my spindlesbefore mounting I guess.

Aldo

 

[McAldo]

Hi Aldo,

My tuppence worth.
Either Jet or Axminster are sound. Hobby will do you just fine - I'd put money on that you will not be at the lathe 8 hours every week of the year.

Also consider Axminster's AWVSL900 @ £285 http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... rod886607/ benefits are longer between centres, swivel headstock allowing larger bowls to be turned, sliding headstock which I find to be more comfortable when turning. Comes with its own stand - albeit pressed steel but its good enough. Variable speed - mechanical rather than electronic will very rarely go wrong. Although electronic is nice.

Bowl saver - nice thought - but you will never get your money back on the wood you save. What they are useful for IMHO is making a nest of bowls. I'd spend the money on a band saw - but if you get a 8tpi hand saw (approx. £10) a band saw will not be a priority. Axminster has one for £400, but as I said not a priority.

Hope that helps

Brian

Hi Brian, thanks so much. Yes, it does help a lot and I find it reassuring that you think the hobby line is good enough.
I have been considering swivel head models, and they look really handy.
My main problem is that the shed is really tiny and, given I rent, there is no way I can add a second shed just for turning. Also, very little ventilation and close walls full of hanging gardening tools which I wouldn't know where else to put while keeping them handy (furious wives waking you up 'cause they can't find their favourite spade don't make for good weekends ). Not the safest place to turn, a rogue spindle or bowl would play pinball big time in there.
So, I really need to move the lathe to the sheltered area outside for turning.
I guess I could fit a few removable wheels to the model you suggest and wheel it out as needed, but I really need to check its size.
Also, and here I would seek your advice, is 2000 rpm limiting for small items?
It's nice to leave options open but the bulk of what I would turn is going to be quite small, some pen sized or smaller.

You are certainly right that my 8 hours per week won't happen every week, and most of that time might well be spent measuring, cutting and gluing rather than turning, considering I am quite new to woodworking anyway and only have basic tools.
Band saw sounds nice but yeah, being space and budget what they are, I have a set of decent saws and probably I'll have to stick to that.

Thanks for the advice regarding the bowl saver. My idea was as you suggest to make matching nesting items, rather than speeding up hollowing of blanks (and send the leftovers back in the hope arguing for a partial refund ), but I understand it's probably a gimmick.

Thanks so much for all the help!

Aldo

 

[McAldo]

There's a Graduate for £250 in Banbury - a few posts ago. Get in quickly!

Thanks for pointing that out Phil, much appreciated.
Unfortunately, not having a car, most second hand items are not an option for me, despite of that lather probably being an excellent one

 

[finneyb]

Also, and here I would seek your advice, is 2000 rpm limiting for small items?
It's nice to leave options open but the bulk of what I would turn is going to be quite small, some pen sized or smaller.


Aldo

2000 rpm limiting? - I don't think it is. But, I'm not a speed freak - others are.
Accidents do happen and it is usually due to excessive rpms.

If you are going to move the lathe to turn you do want a smaller lathe - they are not lightweight - so this moves away from my suggestion.
Just a thought, it's best, if not essential, to have the lathe bed level when turning - if you're moving each time you turn this may need looking at.

Any clubs nearby? - some have small lathes they rent out to try.

Brian

 

[Martin10]

Hi Aldo

I bought the Jet 1014 in January as a first lathe. My choice was influenced by the fact that, at the time it came with a free chuck that brought the cost down to similar to the Axminster (I bought it from them). I have been very pleased with it and not found any negatives so far.

Hope you enjoy turning, whatever choice you make. If you have any specific questions about the 1014 just PM me.

Martin

Thanks for the feedback Martin. Unfortunately Axminster is not offering extras to sweeten the deal at this time.
Out of curiosity, do you find the 250mm max diameter restrictive at all in regard to what you can turn? That was my main reason for considering the more expensive model in the Jet line too. Not much because I expect to turn 350mm diameter all that often, but my neighbour is offering me some tree surgery left overs over the next months, so the flexibility might come useful..
Or I can just get a chain saw and rough out my spindlesbefore mounting I guess.

Aldo

The point is that any lathe will have limitations. Personally as a new turner I decided that I probably wanted to master techniques etc before I tried scary stuff with huge lumps of wood. If I want to move on to something bigger it will be big, heavy and have enough grunt to turn the wood without problems. The Jet mini has the advantage that I can move it around my garage, and can free up bench space if I need it.

Swings and roundabouts!

Martin

 

[McAldo]

2000 rpm limiting? - I don't think it is. But, I'm not a speed freak - others are.
Accidents do happen and it is usually due to excessive rpms.

If you are going to move the lathe to turn you do want a smaller lathe - they are not lightweight - so this moves away from my suggestion.
Just a thought, it's best, if not essential, to have the lathe bed level when turning - if you're moving each time you turn this may need looking at.

Any clubs nearby? - some have small lathes they rent out to try.

Brian

Thanks Brian, good to know speeds over 2000 are not that necessary even with very small items. Sorry, perhaps it was a silly question, but I really know little
I had read in my handbook that lathe level and centres alignment should be checked and corrected before securing the lathe to the bench, and was wondering if moving it every time would affect this. Thanks for confirming it will.
I'll have to figure out a way to correct things quickly I guess.

I got in touch with a turners club in Northern London. They were really helpful and even offered me contact details for somebody giving lessons, but a bit too far away for me to visit regularly or to rent a lathe from them, provided they do.
Yesterday I sent a mail to the Croydon club, which is closer. Perhaps I can ask them about renting.
For sure, I hope to attend one of their meeting, so I can see them working. Embarrassingly I never really watched anybody turning in real life

 

[McAldo]

The point is that any lathe will have limitations. Personally as a new turner I decided that I probably wanted to master techniques etc before I tried scary stuff with huge lumps of wood. If I want to move on to something bigger it will be big, heavy and have enough grunt to turn the wood without problems. The Jet mini has the advantage that I can move it around my garage, and can free up bench space if I need it.

Swings and roundabouts!

Martin

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your advice.
Yep, that makes perfectly sense. Actually, being my first priority to be able to move the lathe frequently, I should consider whether the advantage of very occasionally turning wider items is really worth 10kg additional strain on my back

 

[chipmunk]

Out of curiosity, is it possible to make multiple platters or bowls with normal straight tools?
I quite like the idea of making matching sets, like flat plate, soup platen and little dessert plate/bowl. But then, that's the kind of "yeah, and then I could do this, that and that" attitude of the clueless beginner watching turners with 30 years of experience effortlessly churning out little wonders on youtube

Well you could use a parting tool to cut out a cone from the centre of your bowl blank before starting conventional hollowing in order to save some of the wood. But it's not something I'd recommend from day one as there can be quite a lot of leverage on the tool as it'll be overhanging quite a long way from the toolrest near to the centre of the blank. You'd also need to widen the kerf of the cut so that the tool doesn't bind. It's not an easy cut to make safely.

HTH
Jon