I turn windsor chair legs. Besides an occasional handle or other miscellaneous items I don't use a lathe for anything else. I never turn bowls. I use a jet 1221 vsr with an extension bed. I manage quite well with this lathe but feel that it is underpowered for the work I put it through. I believe it was designed with pen turning in mind. If I had a couple thousand to spend what would be the right lathe,or type of lathe for this application? I don't need duplicators or any other accessories,just a good solid spindle turning lathe. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Or is the jet as good as I'm going to find elsewhere? thanks---Jack
>>>I turn windsor chair legs. Besides an occasional handle or other miscellaneous items I don't use a lathe for anything else. ...If I had a couple thousand to spend what would be the right lathe,or type of lathe for this application?
Jack,
There may be plenty of lathes good for that. I also turn a lot of spindles, although not chair legs. I have several lathes and quite a bit of experience with them. If I were looking for a spindle lathe I'd look for a Jet 1642evs. It is powerful enough to turn bowls and hollow forms if you ever wanted to (I don't turn a lot), plenty of power indeed for turning even large spindles comfortably. The bed is 42" long which allows for plenty of spindle length. I've turned a shovel handle on mine.
I like it so much I bought a second one used as a spare and to set up as needed for multiple uses. I do most of my turning now on a larger lathe but I keep one of the Jet 1642 lathes set up in the shop all the time for secondary use.
The 1642 has a very capable VFD-driven variable speed drive which makes some tasks much easier. It has stout enough banjo and tailstock. It uses the larger 1-1/4" x 8 tpi spindle thread that many of the even larger lathes use. There are two models, one runs on 115v power advertised as 1.5hp and one a little more powerful that needs 230v. Both of mine are the 115v models and they are plenty powerful.
Also, lots of turning clubs have this same lathe for demos, used by local and "professional" demonstrators. Jet discontinued construction of the 1642 after it came out with a newer model, the slightly shorter 1640. Most of the used 1642s you will find are the 115v models. I paid $1600 for my second 1642 but some are asking $1700-$1800. You might find a nice one for $2000 and have money left over for new chucks or something.
There may well be someone near you that has one and would let you try it. Might ask at a turning club.
I have a Nova DVR lathe and I like it. I have an early version, but they have come out with several since then. The Nova Galaxy will turn 16" bowls and 44" between centers and comes with it's own stand. It's $2400, a little out of your price range, but they may have other versions or you might catch one on sale.
Doesn't the 1221 have a 3/4 horse motor? I turned for 20 years or more on lathes with 3/4 horse and never had a lack of power for spindle turning. I can hog off a lot of wood without stalling it. I turned for several years on a mini with 1/2 horse and again for spindles it wasn't a problem. What tools are you using. I used a 1221 to demo on just the other day and it had plenty of power to hog off wood on my hand mirror heads which usually takes more power than spindle turning.
Not that stepping up to a bigger lathe isn't a good thing. The Nova is a great lathe as well as the Jet 1642. They do have bigger motors and are heavier.
I picked up a used Jet 1642, 1 1/2hp for $1000. I still need to wire a remote switch on it, but it would serve your needs well. One way 1224 with extension would also be nice.
Like I said,it serves me well. I'm just worrying that because it was designed for light work I might be better off with a bigger tool. I don't want to destroy it by overworking it. So far in two years no problems though so maybe I'm worrying for nothing.
I don't think that one is designed for light work. The Jet 1016 is more of a pen lathe but even that will take a lot of abuse. I turned bowls for 3 solid days on one of those and was able to stop it easily with larger cuts but it still worked fine. The 1221 weighs a lot more, has a bigger motor and I'm sure larger heavier duty bearings. Now if you were turning 20 legs a day it might wear out faster.
All that being said there's nothing like the rigidity of a heavier lathe. Everything seems to just run smoother on a heavier well made lathe. I'm not saying you won't enjoy owning a larger lathe I just think you are reading to much into that smaller lathe. It's better quality and heavier than many of the "full size" lathes we all bought 20 years ago.
Check the Colt midi lathe at studios of Bradlyrm or Barry Gross at Arizona Silhouette The lathe originally sold for $950.it is on sale now for $799. 1HP 14" swing, bed extension available. I have owned the jet 12-21, delta mini lathe, although they were both decent lathes the Colt midi lathe is far superior in my opinion.
I'm also fond of my Jet 1642evs, especially its Electronic Variable Speed Control.
Note that Jet no longer makes this lathe. The 42 is the number of inches between centers. It has been replaced with the JWL-1640EVS, which is still more capacity than your stated need for 36".
A local auction site has a Technatool 1624 44 Lathe up for sale at the end of the month. My guess is it will go for less than $500, but it''s and auction so who knows. If you are interested let me know. It's in VA, near Richmond. I could make arrangements to ship it to you. E-mail me and I will send you the auction site.
That's a great offer. I thank you but I decided to stick with what I have and make the most of it. I did get some good info on what to look for when I do decide to upgrade though.
Is anyone else interested or would you, Jack be interested at any price?
If anyone is interested, let me know, and I will work out the details with you. They have not opened a time to view the sale, but I will go when they do.
