Buying a wood lathe, need advice

[MichaelBikel]

My boss & his wife have a jet 1221 variable speed (12" x21") wood lathe that they are selling. He wants $500-550 for it and said it comes with the tools and a few other odds and ends.

I found another lathe, a jet 1236 which is also a variable speed, but 1236 (12 x 36"). The guy sounds trustworthy, says the clutch is new and that it comes with a few accessories. He said he would take $200 for it.

I don't want to spend $500, but my bosses lathe is probably large enough. The 1236 is probably too big (and heavy) but the price is really getting me. What would you guys recommend?

Thanks,

-Michael

 

[MichaelBikel]

The 1236 is the actual lathe

The 1221 is a random pic from the net

 

[Falcon67]

LOL, buy both flip one. A 12x36 wood lathe for $200 seems a steal to me. One thing I can tell you about lathes, since I have 2 metal lathes - buy too small and you'll regret it. You can turn small parts on a big machine, but can't turn big parts on a small machine without extreme compromises.

 

[garagelogician]

I agree, buy both and flip the one you don't want. You can't lose.

 

[MichaelBikel]

You think I can flip the small one? I felt like $500 wasn't a terrible price but trying to flip it for $600 won't happen

 

[jimreed2160]

If you are serious about turning, you need both. I have the smaller and use it for odds/ends and pens. It is an outstanding lathe but cannot be used for longer turnings like furniture legs. The larger lathe is much better for larger work. It sounds like a good price and could be a steal depending on what comes with it. Good lathe chisels and accessories are not cheap.

So I think you need both. You will find that turning is a lot of fun and you can easily resell the tools if you want to move on.

Good luck making shavings.

 

[JimNC]

I believe that the 1221 has variable speed while the 1236 has a sheaves drive. Normally I'd say start larger, but the 1236 is the consummate beginners lathe, and a throwaway at that. It's unstable, so you can't really turn larger pieces without significant frustration.

Bottom line, I'd look at new prices for the 1221 and see if you have room to work him down or at least get him to include a chuck or some tools. You can always use a small lathe even if you buy bigger later, you won't ever enjoy using a cheap lathe.

I have owned 7 or 8 lathes and have turned on most lathes available in the US. I currently have a OneWay, a Stubby, and a Vicmarc.

Edit: I forgot about the abysmal rotating headstock, forget about using it unless you just want to chase the lathe around the shop.

 

[MichaelBikel]

I believe that the 1221 has variable speed while the 1236 has a sheaves drive. Normally I'd say start larger, but the 1236 is the consummate beginners lathe, and a throwaway at that. It's unstable, so you can't really turn larger pieces without significant frustration.

Bottom line, I'd look at new prices for the 1221 and see if you have room to work him down or at least get him to include a chuck or some tools. You can always use a small lathe even if you buy bigger later, you won't ever enjoy using a cheap lathe.

I have owned 7 or 8 lathes and have turned on most lathes available in the US. I currently have a OneWay, a Stubby, and a Vicmarc.

Edit: I forgot about the abysmal rotating headstock, forget about using it unless you just want to chase the lathe around the shop.

You'll have to explain about the rotating headstock, I'm new to this...

 

[JimNC]

You'll have to explain about the rotating headstock, I'm new to this...

On the 1236 you can unlock the headstock and pivot it so it faces forward. In theory (and marketing) this allows you to turn larger pieces than you can with the headstock over the ways. In reality you mount an unbalanced piece that's moving too fast (the drive doesn't go slow enough) and the lathe jumps all over. When you work up the nerve to take a cut you get a catch and snap the toolrest.

When I had that lathe I modified the stand by bolting plywood to the back and sides to make it more rigid, and then I put 5 bags of concrete on the bottom shelf. Not long after I traded it for a couple dozen pen blanks because I really wanted to try some larger bowls.

 

[gungatim]

depends on what you plan to do with it and how much you get into turning.

if all you're making is pens and ornaments the smaller one will suffice, but that price is nothing to brag about unless he's got plenty of high end turning tools to go with it.

I would go with the large one myself (and I did--delta version almost identical unit). I paid $160 for mine and have done everything from pens to table legs. most non-production lathes aren't going to be very stable, you'll see many ways of adding weight from sadbags on a shelf to full blown cabinets filled with sand. it's easy to overcome the stability issue, not so much the size issue.

there are lots of versions of the smaller Jet lathe out there, Grizzly's is only $250 new. all similarly made and likely from the same factory...

 

[yeldogt]

For those wishing to test the waters with a lathe -- a small bench top unit (Jet 1015) is most likely the lesser of all the evils. They pop up all the time w/ decent tools for very little money. Do you have any experience ...? What are your reasons for purchase?

I would google to see if you have a local club -- or maybe take a class. Both will quickly get you acquainted with various tools and equipment. I took a class when thinking about getting into turning about 10 years ago ... it saved me from making (some) expensive mistakes. Most people get into the hobby without much knowledge and end up buying all the wrong stuff, only to sell it or give it away laterif they enjoy the hobby. Like most things .. good tools and equipment make a difference . especially early on.

The 1221 and 1236 look good on paper but they fall flat -- they don't perform well enough as larger lathes and they are too big for what is really a bench top design. They both have bad balance w/ poor leg design -- the whole point of a larger wood lathe is turning larger items ... they don't excel. When I was going to my local club regularly there was always someone giving or trying to sell very good equipment for almost nothing.

I like turning larger -- so have no use for a small lathe. Mine will do small is required. Understand that most lathes are based on metalwork design and don't work all that well as wood lathes ... unless you want to make pens/spindles and small vases all day. I ended up with a Robust after buying a Powermatic from the estate of a club member for maybe 20% of what he had into all the stuff. I ended up giving it to another member -- I was glad to get someone to get it out of my space

 

[MichaelBikel]

Thanks guys, the larger model has sold off craigslist and I don't want to spend what my boss wants for his 1221. I think i'll try to find someone who can show me the ropes before I get too invested. Thanks again-M

 

[kaymccampbell]

And don't buy one with an open tailstock. The heavier the tailstock, the less vibratio/chatter on that end.

 

[2Big2Ride]

Don't short change the value of the included tools. We might have nearly as much in tools, four-jaw chucks, hollowing tools, sharpening equipment, additional tool rests, and various drives and live centers as the actual lathe. Price some of the better gouges to get an idea of their value and you may find $500 is a steal. Don't bother with bargain gouges unless you just want them for practice sharpening.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Don't short change the value of the included tools. We might have nearly as much in tools, four-jaw chucks, hollowing tools, sharpening equipment, additional tool rests, and various drives and live centers as the actual lathe. Price some of the better gouges to get an idea of their value and you may find $500 is a steal. Don't bother with bargain gouges unless you just want them for practice sharpening.

^^^^^^^^^THIS

I have 2 lathes, an old Powermatic 45 and and older South Bend Heavy 10 (metal lathe) and I have WAY more in tooling for both of them than I do the machines. Without the right tooling, they are just big paper weights.

Phil