Lathe dilemma

[Dixie_piper]

I may finally be getting a lathe inn the near future! now to the dilemma;
I've narrowed it down to 2 from Grizzly;
7"x12" (G8688) $525
9"X19" (G4000) $975

Now I know BIGGER IS BETTER, the dilemma is end costs. The G4000 would eat up my whole budget, but it comes with a 7-1/4" 4 jaw chuck w/ reversible jaws. If you look it up on grizzly's site, I think the only othe major part I'd have left to but would be the Jacobs chuck and a set of cutting tools, am I right on this?
I'm reading everything I can find on lathes, just wanting some insight before I break the bank and have to wait another 3 months saving up for tooling. With the smaller lathe I could afford a one shot bulk purchase, either way, right around $1,000 is gonna be my max allowance here. Advice, opinions?

[TRS]

Check craigslist; with a $1000 budget you can probably find a really nice metal lathe.

[Dixie_piper]

I've considered that, but I'm a little concerned buying used tools in that price range. I've been burnt that way before.

[Jos]

Hi Adam,

if it needs to be one of these two, it should be the G 4000. 7" of extra length make a lot of a difference, and You will save a lot of time that You'll spend fumbling around with tools that won't fit easily on the smaller one (my lathe is 10", and I spend a lot of time fumbling around. Looking for a bigger one, too.). If You're able to spend another 100 $, I'd even give the next bigger one, G 0602, a thought.
I'm absolutely sure that You can find much better lathes on craigslist or so, but I would've issues about that, too. Old lathes are mostly very big and heavy, it's not clear if You can get spare parts, and some are in questionable condition. If You're able to repair a lathe by yourself, this might be an option... otherwise, not so much.

Regards, Jens

[taharris]

I don't know boo about metal lathes, but I know that you can turn a pipe on a wood lathe if you also have a 4 jaw pin chuck (with 2 jaws removed) and a jacob's chuck to hold a drill bit.

You can get a Jet Mini for around $450.

Open question: Why is a metal lathe better for pipe making than a wood lathe?

[Dixie_piper]

I don't know boo about metal lathes, but I know that you can turn a pipe on a wood lathe if you also have a 4 jaw pin chuck (with 2 jaws removed) and a jacob's chuck to hold a drill bit.

You can get a Jet Mini for around $450.

Open question: Why is a metal lathe better for pipe making than a wood lathe?

That's a question of MUCH debate. I'm wanting to go with the metal lathe because it'll serve more purposes for myself than just pipes. Thanks for your input

[KurtHuhn]

Every time someone buys a 7x12 lathe, a kitten drowns in a burlap bag.

There is not a good place to buy those things. They're cheaply made, they fall apart, they require loads of work and additional money to get them to the point where they can be used, and even then the gibs go out of whack every damn time you use it. Please don't bother. Ignore this advice at your own peril, and at the expense of your wallet.

If you really want a miniature lathe, look at Sherline and Taig. They are in the same price range as the crappy 7x12, but are much more solidly built, and are made by craftsmen who actually care about the quality of their work.

That said, even a Taig or Sherline won't be big enough to drill and shape stummels on. If this is your goal, look at a larger lathe. The 9x19 I have no opinion on, having no experience with it. However the Jet 9x20 is a solid machine, and isn't too far away from that price. I'll let someone else chime in on the Grizzly 9x19.

[e Markle]

I'd encourage you to not buy that grizzly 4000. A buddy of mine just bought that a couple of months ago, and it was a pain to set up. He ended up placing 3 or 4 more orders with grizzly to get parts he thought were included. On top of that, the spindle (39mm x 4mm) is a very odd thread. We couldn't find any chucks that came with that thread from the factory, and we ended up having to get an adapter made at a local machine shop - that was an extra $260... just for the adapter, not the chuck.

I bought a Jet BD 920 off craigslist. It's a solid lathe, and I got a good price on it. Granted, it took several months of watching craigslist, but I got what I wanted.

[Grammaton]

If you have never run a lathe before then I would suggest you buy something else. These lathes are good enough to make anything you could make on any other hobby lathe. But, they are a bit loose and rough out of the box.

I think the small one might give you trouble with the motor controller (based on what I read) whereas the larger one won't have a controller to go bad if you stall the lathe.

[Dixie_piper]

I found some reviews, most speak ill of all these lathes, particularly he 9x19 as mentioned.
I'd hate to see a good burlap sack go to waste on a kitten, so I'll abandon the 7x12 thought.
Maybe a jet wood lathe is a better idea for this budget?
Thanks again fellas!

[Dixie_piper]

I looked up the taig and sherline as you suggested Kurt, and I see you're point.
I'm most likely gonna settle for a Jet wood lathe for now, seeing as how the 9x20 is a bit out of reach.
Either way, it'll be awhile before I can do anything, so as also suggested, I'm gonna keep an eye on craigslist.
Thanks for the advice

[smokindawg]

I watched for a while on a local Craigslist here in Missouri and finally found a Jet 9x20 with the metal stand, all the original equipment, lots of cutting tools and blanks and both a 3 and 4 jaw chuck and a 5/8" Jacobs chuck. I Then purchased a chuck from Grizzly tools much like the oneway. (My Jaws fit it too) I still have less than $700 in it. I did search for quite some time and then had to drive 2 hours each way.

If it were me, (I do have the Delta wood lathe which is much like the jet) I would save my money till I find a good metal lathe. I do like the delta midi lathe and still use it, but with buying it and tooling it for pipe making, I have as much in it as the Jet metal lathe. And I much prefer the metal lathe, as I can use it for much more.

[Sasquatch]

The Jet Mini is a good lathe. It is JUST big enough to make pipes on, but it's good enough. For 1000 bucks, a Jet Mini, a good set of small tools, a 4 jaw chuck and a jacobs chuck for the tail is SUCH a vast improvement over no lathe that it makes for a reasonable investment IMHO. I realize that it's too small for many other applications and too even probably for some specialized pipe making applications, but it's a perfectly decent setup for a hobby type pipe maker.

Dawg, it sounds like you got a sweet deal!

[crichton]

I'd encourage you to not buy that grizzly 4000. A buddy of mine just bought that a couple of months ago, and it was a pain to set up. He ended up placing 3 or 4 more orders with grizzly to get parts he thought were included. On top of that, the spindle (39mm x 4mm) is a very odd thread. We couldn't find any chucks that came with that thread from the factory, and we ended up having to get an adapter made at a local machine shop - that was an extra $260... just for the adapter, not the chuck.

I bought a Jet BD 920 off craigslist. It's a solid lathe, and I got a good price on it. Granted, it took several months of watching craigslist, but I got what I wanted.

Firstly, hello everyone! I just joined up a few days ago and have enjoyed reading through all of the older threads here, some very very good information is floating around on this site! I recognize many of the members here from Smokers Forum and quite a few that I met at the West Coast Show in Vegas - hello to you all! I hope to be posting some pictures and asking questions of my own fairly soon regarding pipe making, but for now I am compelled to reply to this thread.

I am the person that Ernie is referring to in the above quote. I want to say that as of now, I am very happy with my Grizzly 9x20, however if I had known a few months ago what changes I needed to make to the machine (and what parts didn't come with it that I would need to purchase) I would have purchased the brand new Jet instead. Once you factor in the "extras" that I needed to pick up, the two machines are very close in price...and IMHO the Jet probably is the better machine in the long run. Out of the box the Grizzly won't turn pipes - it was almost a month before I had all of the additional things that I needed.

[tigercasual]

Dixie,

Check this out...

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200550 ... Lathe.aspx

I haven't used Rikon before, but I'm sure that someone here has... that looks like a good deal. I believe that is the equivalent to the JET1220VS Mini Lathe, which runs around $550

I'm still new to turning, so hopefully someone else can shed a little light on this.

Cheers,
TC