new lathe

[johnluc]

hi.
I am fairly new to woodturning and at present have an old thyme lathe.i am looking to replace it and was thinking of a jet 1442 or jet 1642, has anyone got any comments on my choice of new lathe. thanks johnluc.

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Johnluc and welcome
Sorry can't help with you question as i only have a Perform lathe,though Jet are supposed to be good.
Paul.J.

 

[dickm]

er - which Tyme have you got? I'm biased, 'cos I have an old Avon, but I'm not convinced you need to change even from the Cub, unless you want to go seriously big.

 

[timj]

Hi Johnluc i have had a 1442 for about a year now and cannot find fault with it ( my first lathe was a ml 8 ) but when i done a two day course at axminster last year i used a 1642 and rearly liked the vairable speed which would be better for rearly big pieces. hope this may be of some help Tim.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi johnluc

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[CHJ]

Welcome to the forum johnluc, as you seem to have a reasonable budget for your new lathe I would definitely recommend that you obtain a variable speed lathe.

Of these you have two choices:
1; Mechanical, usually coned pulleys which have a small servicing overhead about once a month if to be kept in good working order.

2:Electronic variable speed (single phase invertor driving a 3 phase motor)
minimum maintenance, soft (gentle) starting, better torque and motor protection, better power performance (slightly more economical to run)

As far as your Jet choices, I have no personal experience of them myself but they have a reasonable reputation as a brand, I would however also observe that at the upper end of your budget lathes like the 1Hp Hegner and one or two others come into the frame.

Have you considered a second user machine? A little used upper bracket machine could be better value for money.

 

[johnluc]

Hi
thanks all for your replies,my old thyme lathe is giving up so a new one is required & as I live in france good used machines are hard to find location, language etc, took on board what chas has said and have almost decided on a Fox F46-718 supalathe from poolewood (cheaper than buying here even with del) has anyone got any comments on this model.thanks again for the welcome to the forum. John

 

[Anonymous]

Hi John,

sorry I can't help you on the Fox or the Jet lathes. I am interested to find out more about these variable speed lathes though. Why are they 3 phase? Can the power not be varied when using single phase?

I'd love an electonic variable speed lathe but I think I'd be jumping the gun a little getting one so soon after starting turning.

John, keep us updated on what you get in the end.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[kkwall]

Hi John,


I have the Jet 1642 and it is a very good lathe.


The only drawback is the size of bowl that it can turn. In theory it can turn a reasonable size as the headstock turns at 90 degrees to the lathe bed, but the stability of the bed, and vibration/noise make turning something too big difficult.


Recently whilst trying to turn a large elm burr, my banjo snapped in two, but this had more to do with the angle I was turning than the quality of the machinery.


In summary I cannot fault it for everyday pieces, and medium sized bowls, but I am wanting to turn larger items, and will really need to invest uin another machine.


Currently I am looking for a Union Jubilee or Viceroy lathe, but more of a bowl turning than one with a long lathe bed.


If you may at somepoint want to do larger pieces, then perhaps you should go up a model, and get something with a cast iron bed. May be cheaper in the long run.


Hope this helps.

 

[TEP]

Hi Dave.

Re - the 3 phase question for variable speed. (I'm no electrician)

You can vary the speed on single phase, ie. power hand drills, but at low speed they run out of power. There is also a direct current variable drive like the one fitted to the last Carbatec lathes. OK at high speed, but at low revs. you could stop the machine with your hand.

3 phase is the only way to go if you wish to convert to variable speed. You can run a 2hp 3 phase Delta Star motor off the normal house single phase power through a phase converter. I doubt you would be going to 2hp though, as 3 phase motors are a bit more powerful, and smoother running than their single phase counterparts, so most house hold lathes would be happy on 1hp.

As I said I'm no electrician, so don't go quoting me, but I have converted two lathes of my own to variable speed and have already been through all the questions.

Good luck if you go ahead.

 

[CHJ]

Why are they 3 phase? Can the power not be varied when using single phase?
Dave

The speed of the motor is governed by the frequency of the supply.

If you tried to do this with a conventional 1ph induction motor you would soon run out of useful power due to its design (magnetic slippage) and it would stall.

A three phase motor will just rotate at a speed relative to the supply frequency (within reasonable limits).

The electronic invertors used to control them convert the 1ph supply to 3ph, modify the frequency to control the speed and also adjust the supplied voltage (hence current consumed and power available) to suit the applied load so that the speed stays pretty constant (reduced magnetic slippage)

Simplified but near enough I think.

Single phase variable speed motors as found on some small machines and hand tools are Universal (commutators) Motors (AC or DC) and can be controlled by a simple resistor or a more sophisticated electronic power controller, they tend to be noisy because they run at higher RPM to achieve the power output and are not normally used for larger HP applications.

The only advantage universal motors have is that they are generally more compact for the same power output than an AC motor, set against this increased noise, wear, heat etc.

 

[Bodrighy]

[

Simplified but near enough I think.

:? 8-[ :sign3: I knew that!!!
Pete

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for the electrical info. Can't say I understand the any of the details but at least I understand the lack of power at low speeds.

I mentioned to swmbo the idea of getting a new lathe....you should have seen her face!

Dave

 

[TEP]

Hi Dave.

A variable speed lathe doesn't make you a better turner. Yes, it makes life easier if your a production turner, and helps if you are trying to turn huge unbalanced pieces of wood. BUT a problem that often arises is that people try to swing sizes of timber that are too big for the size of lathe.

You want to turn big safely, get a big lathe.


Good turning!

 

[shedhead]

Hi Johnluc,
I use the Jet 1442 lathe and have no complaints with it . It is far more stable than my first lathe. I did have the Perform CCBL, it to was a good lathe but had slight problems when tightening tool rest.

 

[CHJ]

You want to turn big safely, get a big lathe.

Sound advice Tam, but variable speed also encourages you to slow down for sanding, finishing etc. and get optimum balance for even small pieces, as opposed to having to change belt positions for the former and hope its better for the latter.
A bit like an automatic car, one less chore and more time to concentrate on the task in hand.

 

[TEP]

I agree with what you say Chas, and I wouldn't be without my speed control, but there are a lot of turners out there who can't afford the prices asked for these electronic variable speed machines.

I thought twice about the cost, which is why I did the conversions myself. (I've already aired my views of the cost of wood turning lathes) Also as a hobby turner I used to do the belt changes and not think much of it. It was only once I got variable speed that it made me think about what I had been doing. I still say it's good to have, but not needed.

 

[CHJ]

Yes Tam, the cost overhead applied to woodworking kit in general seems rather high at times, when you compare it with the equivalent hobby level metal work kit. The fact that you can buy a self darkening welding helmet for half the price of the one most of us use for dust control, and a quite reasonable metal machine lathe is less than the basic bit of cast iron in most wood lathes can not be just down to quantity of sales.

The electronic speed controlled machines if made with standard 3ph motors rather than trendy stylised limited edition motors should work out cheaper than providing the mechanical drives of earlier models. But even in the interim when mechanical machines were sold with an electronic option (like mine) they had a price premium put on them for the privilege despite being no more expensive to produce, maybe even cheaper.

 

[SVB]

I have used the Jet and it is a good machine. However, if it were my money I would give the Vicmarc 175SH (£1600) a look also. It is a bit more expensive but a lot more machine.

 

[tigerturnings]

... have almost decided on a Fox F46-718 supalathe from poolewood (cheaper than buying here even with del)

Hi,

I've never dealt with Poolewood nor used that machine, but would like to draw your attention to the problems another forum member had with Poolewood's customer service. See here, here, and finally here for the details.

Again I have no personal experience, but forum members have often had good experiences buying from D B Keighley (see e.g. this thread), and the Fox lathe is available from them at a slightly better price than Poolewood offers.

Edit: I'd also second SVB's recommendation to consider a Vicmarc if the budget allows. I have one of the larger machines and consider it an excellent purchase. On the few occasions I've needed support, Phil Irons (the UK Vicmarc importer) has been very helpful.