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What Lathe should I buy?

What should I buy?
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2/12/2022 9:16 PM

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Powermatic 3520c. It might be a little overkill, but it seems to be a better lathe than the others except for the high dollar ones which i can't afford. I have a new credit card with 0% and 10% cash back in the first 3 billing periods, makes it even more enticing. Thanks again, Joe.
2/12/2022 10:21 AM

Joe,

You got a lot of good advice regarding lathe selection so I won’t repeat it.  Only one:  know what you expect to be making and buy the size/features that will let you do it within your budget.

 

I have three lathes (don’t ask why!).  They all serve different purposes.

  1. I have a Jet mini that is over 20 years old.  It was one of my first lathes and I used it to do the stuff you described—pens and similar.  I still use it for pen type turnings and bottle stoppers.  Mostly I use it as a horizontal drill press.
  2. I also have a Delta midi—I think the model number is 46-460.  I don’t know if they still sell them but it is listed on Amazon for about $1100 without a stand.  It has a 12.5 inch swing capacity and I think about 16-18 inches long.  I bought it as part of their intro promo and paid less than $1,000 which included a stand.  It has variable speed, reversible and electronic speed control (three belt ranges).  It does not have speed readout which would be nice.  It has a 1 hp motor, reversible, 24 position indexing.  I like the lathe and still use it for larger (than the Jet) spindle work like pepper mills and vases.  I bought I about 5 years ago when my budget and space were restricted.  It has a 1 x 8 spindle so could use all of my chucks, faceplates etc.  I should also mention that at the time I had a Jet 1236 which I sold to buy the Delta.  No reason to discuss this (it was also about 20 years old and has bend replaced by other models.
  3. When I retired and had a few extra bucks, I bought a Powermatic 2014.  It has a 14 inch swing and 20 inch bed.  I also bought, at the time, the bed extension which makes the bed 36 inches (I think) long.  Haven’t needed it yet!  I bought this about 4 years ago and love it.  I think I paid about $2,300 which included the extension and stand.  It has a 1 hp motor which claims to produce 3 hp power???  I don’t understand that but it certainly has enough power to do what I need.  I wanted to buy the 2020 model but it would have required rewiring my shop for 230 volt.  The 2014 runs on 115 volts.  That would have added a few hundred bucks.  The 2014 without stand is selling for about $2500 now.  It has electronic variable speed (2 or 3 belts, I’d have to look), 24 position indexing, reversible, digital speed readout, sliding (but not rotating) headstock and 1.25 by 8 spindle.  I did need to get an adapter for my chucks and faceplates. I use it mostly for bowl, platters and larger vases and boxes (BoC).  While I would like a Robust ($6,000 range!) I don’t have the budget or space for such a monster.  The 2014 does everything I need it to do.  One thing I would have liked is a drop down tailstock support that is available on some of the bigger Jet, and Powermatic models.

I hope this helps.  Choosing a lathe can be complicated and you are certainly doing the right thing by researching and soliciting help and comments from club members.  Feel free to call if you would like more info.  732-905-5728.

 

Good luck on your purchase.

Tom Puskar

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows

 
2/12/2022 10:17 AM

Joe -

My turning path seems familiar to yours. I used a Delta Midi-lathe for a number of years with good results. My principal turning efforts at that time were custom made pens - principally fountain pens. I also dabbled a little in doing antique furniture repairs, so was doing replacement spindles and other items as needed in fixing stuff.


I got active in a few woodworking clubs and went to some seminars and realized that as time went on, I might want to go bigger! I purchased a Nova DVR XP lathe to help with that. It's an interesting lathe in that it is a solid state, direct drive DC motor with full speed adjustments. It has lots of torque and can throw large items without issue. I bought into the outboard turning attachment and a bed extender to finish it out. I also traded my Delta in and got a smaller Nova midi to use for other steps in pen creation. The big Nova is on a heavy home made stand, and like Bruce said, I've got a holder in the bottom of the stand to hold sand bags to increase the weight when needed. The lathe and stand are on locking wheels, so it goes where I need it which is a help. I am very pleased with my purchase - wish it was a Robust American Beauty, but I also still have not hit the lottery!


A few things to keep in mind when doing the upgrade. Most of your additions to the Turncrafter will not work on the larger lathe. My Delta had a 1" headstock, the Nova has a 1 1/8. Chucks from the Delta don't work on the Nova. The banjo on the Delta was smaller than the new Nova one, so all my custom made tool rests needed replacement. My collet set for chucking pen parts was made for the smaller Delta - new collet set needed. And the story goes on.


So my point is plan on spending a good amount of cash on top of the lathe purchase to buy the needed accessories. You might want to look into the Nova chucks with an insert to allow you to change the insert so they can be used on either lathe.


Since the pandemic, lathes are difficult to find - shipping delays all over the place. Be sure where ever you purchase has the lathe in stock. I know some folks that have made the purchase and are waiting months for delivery.


Have fun either way!!! Kevin

2/12/2022 9:54 AM

Joe,

Kevin's response covered many of the important things to consider. Size, weight, horsepower, electric power requirements the space you have available, have to match what you want to make. If you want to make bowls and hollow vessels you may want a lathe that has some weight to it, (and then has a shelf under it for extra sandbags). Electronic variable speed is a necessity in my book. I have a Powermatic 3520A and it has served me quite well for about 15 years. I can turn a 20" bowl from an out of round/out of balance log pretty easily. But there are other great brands out there.

Good luck,

Bruce
2/11/2022 9:37 PM

Thanks Kevin, I currently have a 12 in Turncrafter benchtop lathe and have pretty much only been making small things like pens, bottle stoppers, key chains, screwdriver handles and other similar items. I'm interested in getting a larger lathe that I won't outgrow. I would like to get into turning bowls and hollow vessels like the ones demonstrated at the last meeting. I saw a Powermatic 100-year anniversary 3520c lathe at 10% off and free shipping that looks pretty nice and is quite heavy at 726 pounds. I'm really interested in what people are using and if they're happy with it, likes or dislikes. I want to thank everyone that replied, I'm still researching, but think I'm leaning towards the Powermatic. Doug Cummings has a 3520b which is probably the same lathe and he is happy with his. Thanks again everyone, I'm still interested in any info.
2/11/2022 1:34 PM

I was recently approached with a question as to what lathe would I recommend. I struggled with providing an answer, as the question is just too broad. I wasn't being difficult, its just hard to recommend a tool without knowing how it will be used, and what the person is expecting from the new purchase.


Here was my answer - take a look and please feel free to participate in this thread - it will help lots more people out who are also looking to potentially purchase a lathe -


My reply to being asked what lathe to buy -


Wow. That's a tough one, as depending on what you plan on turning as well as your budget, there are lots of choices. Full size lathes move from costs of a Jet (lower) to a Robust (expensive). Powermatic, Laguna and a few others fit in the middle of that range.


Picking a lathe should include some very definite things set by what you want to turn - bed length, swing height, power (both horsepower of the motor and power requirement of the lathe), as well as brand preferences. Variable speed should be a must - but look for continuously variable, versus multiple speed ranges that require a belt change.


If you plan on turning very large things, then you might also want to consider a head stock that can do outboard turning (Robust and Nova are two I know of).


Everyone here will provide you some really good options - but to get closer to what you really need, I would be more specific on what you plan on doing with it. Most of the brands available today are good in their own way, you can't go wrong with most of them, but it is something else to have any specific one do everything you want - or fit your budget!


How would you have replied - or, what would you have recommended???? Please reply to this thread on our website to keep the discussion going
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