I have an about 7 year old Penn State Ind. Turn Crafter Pro that has been a great lathe and am thinking I want to upgrade to a 12" Midi or bigger with VS and reverse.Ifyou were to go buy one what would you get Jet, Rikkon, Nova, Turncrafter or other.
Get the lathe that fits your needs the best.
You should determine what type of turning you do the most, 2nd most, etc.
Then buy accordingly. If at all possible try out the lathes you are interested in before buying one. Ask around. If you have a local turning club, ask to try some member's lathes first.
If not, try a Woodcraft store. They might have several set up for use already.
It doesn't hurt to ask, or try one out before buying.
Think of it like buying a car. You wouldn't buy one without a test drive, right? Buying a lathe is a lot like that.
I would not depend on a poll from the web to make my buying decisions for me.
Don't know where you are, but I've got my Jet 1220VS for sale. If you're close enough, you're welcome to stop by and and least try it to see how you like it.
If you're not close, I'd do what Herb suggested, try finding a local turning club and talk to them.
Lil,
Same here, if you are in or near NJ you are welcome to try my Nova.
Ag
Well, variable speed is great once you have it, and very convenient. Of the above lathes, I have an older Jet, and for the size it is a good lathe. Not even sure if the others were out when I got it. 1 hp motor is good, and variable speed is a must for me. If you want to get serious about bowls, then you do want some thing with more hp. and size.
robo hippy
thanks for the offers to try before I buy. I am on the downwards side of getting back to normal after arm surgery and getting back into the shop. I hope in about a month or so I am in a position to get turning again.
My first one also was a Penn State 10" with 1/2hp and it always worked great. I wanted to turn at 12" and at the time Penn State did not have the one they have now. I would positively get the 12" with extension and it still costs less then $500. Great lathe and great price.
Arlin
I've read good things about the Grizzly 766 which has a 22 inch swing and is in the 1600.00 range. The Nova DVR is very intriguing since there is no belt to worry about.
I'm in the market for a bigger lathe in the 1500 to 2000 price range so these are two I'm thinking about. Used is a possibility but I want electronic variable speed so it's a bit harder to find these on the used market.
There is a grizzly g0766 on craigslist at Kenosha wi He wants $ 1300 and change for it. He claims he only turned 4 bowls but has 2 small kids and no time for turning. I thought about going to look, it's 4 hr each way no traffic. Decided to get a new one figure it will be $1875 to my door and new with full warranty. I don't know grizzly's warranty policy.
It is like I was told from the start you can turn small stuff on a big lathe but not big stuff on a small one.
good luck
Why a midi, and what is your budget? If I was upgrading from a mini lathe, I'd go for a full size lathe. If I couldn't afford a full size new, then I'd look for a full size used. As they say, you can always turn small stuff on a big lathe, but you can't turn big stuff on small lathe. If all you ever want to do is pens, some spindle work, and small bowls, then a midi might be for you. Otherwise, I'd consider upgrading to a full size lathe.