# Is a Jet Pen lathe worth buying?



## armyturner

To go along with my last post, I have found a place that has new Jet pen lathes for less than $100. They would be a little more portable for my purposes. My question is does anyone use these, and are they worth buying? I am aware that they are no longer produced and parts may be hard to come by. Any input would be appreciated. These accessories are also included: Includes MT-0 pen mandrel with nine, 10mm outside-diameter bushings, 3-pc. chisel set, spur and live centers, knock-out tool, tool rest, â€œstay-putâ€ wrenches and safety goggles.


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## redfishsc

If this is your only lathe, I'd say "no" as MT-0 products are hard to find, and you will invariably want something to use on it that you can't find an MT-0 taper for. 


If this is a second lathe, why not? You can use the bigger lathe for your specialty stuff. I seriously considered this little Jet lathe but found it MUCH better to buy a used Midi (Delta). Much easier to find parts for. Yes, more expensive, but much, much more versitile, powerful, useful, and stable. 

I'm hoping Eagle will chime in here. He is the one that "warned" me about the inadequacies of the tiny Jet. 

I'd get the TurnCrafter Plus from Penn State Industries for a few bucks more if you are really pinching pennies and HAVE to buy a new lathe.


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## leehljp

I do not know about the quality of that lathe itself, but as far as buying a "pen size lathe",  I have the Taig, and it is very adequate as a pen turning lathe. I now have two lathes - A Rikon and the Taig that I bought two years ago this coming Christmas. The Taig did well and still does well. I did want to get into turning bowls (which I haven't yet) so I bought the 12 inch Rikon. I now use both.

Back to the Taig. It was designed and built as a small hobby metal lathe and as such has some very good tolerances. I bought the add-ons to make it a small wood/pen lathe and in comparing it to my 12 inch lathe for pens, it does every bit as good. Set up and changing bushings and blanks are about the same. Speed and power are similar. I have a half HP motor on the Taig. Parts for the Taig are readily available from PSI, LeeValley and other places on the internet.

I can't tell you if the Jet pen lathe is worth it or not, but for portability and quality, the Taig is; but it costs more too. I think you can get the Taig from PSI under a different name at a little cheaper price.


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## DFM

Another issue with the smallest lathes is that you are limited if you ever want to turn a larger project like a gavel, ornament or bowl.


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## ctEaglesc

AS I said in your other post, There are other options available.
Since you are wanting to turn only pens the ) taper isn't an issue UNLESS you decide you want to turn some of the kits that require a "B" mandrel.The stumbling blocks are not innsurmountable but they may be a stumbling block for a new pen crafter.
The stay put wrenches are soft steel and easily strip out and you DO need a wrench for them.An lathe with lever adustments would be better.
The JPL is only 2 speed and have a belt that may be a problem replacing.
Even if you add the "extras" that come with it(Most of which come with it anyway I would strongly urge you to pass on this one.
Bruce Boone has one asn I think he said he uses it for a dedicated buffer.
The turncrafter line looks good and I think they have them with VS if you feel that is a plus.
Chisels can be had from HF for around $35.00-40.00 and they will be more than you need for turning pens.


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## beamer

I'm with Eagle. A fellow member of our local club has one that we carry around to various pen turning get-togethers. I have used it once, and it turned a pen. That's about all I can say about it. The 2-speed deal is in a range that I think is not quite appropriate. The higher speed is really quick, and I like that. But the lower speed is still a little fast for my tastes when it comes to sanding and finishing. That belt is just dying to be chewed up, too.

As for quality? It's built for it's purpose, but that may not be adequate. The adjustments are kind of annoying. Like others said, you need a wrench for the tool rest. The thing I dislike most is the stamped-steel tool rest. It just felt cheap to me. 

I'm not trying to badmouth the tool. It's a nifty little gizmo. If all you ever want to do is turn pens using kits that fit on its mandrel, it's a nice portable solution. Portable. I say that because moving my jet mini around is a little heavy. But, if you are going to set up a spot for it permanently, a bigger lathe might yield an easier time. Especially if you plan to turn anything other than pens or spindles.


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## ctEaglesc

Didn't you say you were a tank commaner?
Don't you have a motor pool for the tanks?
Don't they have a machine shop?
Is there a metal working lathe in the machine shop?


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## Rudy Vey

> _Originally posted by armyturner_
> <br />To go along with my last post, I have found a place that has new Jet pen lathes for less than $100. They would be a little more portable for my purposes. My question is does anyone use these, and are they worth buying? I am aware that they are no longer produced and parts may be hard to come by. Any input would be appreciated. These accessories are also included: Includes MT-0 pen mandrel with nine, 10mm outside-diameter bushings, 3-pc. chisel set, spur and live centers, knock-out tool, tool rest, â€œstay-putâ€ wrenches and safety goggles.



I came back from my local Woodcraft store yesterday and they had about 30 or so Jet Minis sitting around. They told me that both types of Jet Minis are discontinued (even the VS) and the non-VS is going to be somewhere around $190-200. Definately a much better deal than the pen lathe, you get MT2 tapers, and I have never seen anywhere MT0 taper stuff.


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## mrcook4570

I had the JPL once upon a time.  There is no comparison between it and a mini lathe.  The JPL is grossly underpowered and the belts are not durable.


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## emackrell

> _Originally posted by ctEaglesc_
> <br />Didn't you say you were a tank commaner?
> Don't you have a motor pool for the tanks?
> Don't they have a machine shop?
> Is there a metal working lathe in the machine shop?



and is it.... portable?  [}][]

cheers  Eileen  [8D]


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## Randy_

This is one of those questions that is almost impossible to answer as. Depending on your specific needs and requirements the answer is yes, no, and maybe.  I owned a JPL for about 6 months...it was my starter lathe...and can speak from first hand experience.  At that price, it is "NOT" the best choice for 97 out of 100 beginning pen turners.  Pretty much all of the negatives of the lathe have been covered in the previous posts.  Its "ONLY" strong point is its small size and its portability.  It weighs 12 lbs and will fit in an attachÃ© case along with everything needed to turn a finished pen while the average mini lathe will weigh about 40-80 lbs and be 2-1/2 to 3 feet long.  The JPL s a great little machine for those very few people who absolutely have to have a very small machine.  If that is not the case, then I feel there better alternatives.  

Reasons to buy one:

1.  You are planning on turning pens inside your tank while on maneuvers.

2.  You find a new or slightly used one with lots of extras at a garage sale for $35 like I did!!!


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## JohnDrayton

I own a JPL,and I love it for what it is made for!  Parts are readily available from the manufacturer (not JET) sold by a company in Tenn.  I can,t remember the name but will look it up and post it in a few mins.


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## JohnDrayton

the web site to obtain parts for the JPL, and downloadable manual is  wmhtoolgroup.com


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## martyb

I have a Craftsman Pen Lathe that I started out with before upgrading to the PSI Turncrafter Pro (with extension bed).  I only used it for a couple months before realizing if I was going to be serious about this, I would need more power.

The Craftsman is pretty much identical to the JPL and uses a #1 MT (much easier to find accessories).  I've got the lathe, #1 MT pen mandrel, tool rest, #1 MT drill chuck and lathe guard and I'd be willing to part with it fairly cheap.  Shipping probably wouldn't be pretty.


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## jrc

I've turned about 3000 pens on my last Mini Jet Lathe


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## underdog

Jet mini lathes are to be discontinued? Not the pen lathes, but the Jet 1014s (VS and non VS) that have been around forever, and that everybody and his dog has one of?

Am I hearing this correctly?[?][:0]


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## ctEaglesc

> _Originally posted by jrc_
> <br />I've turned about 3000 pens on my last Mini Jet Lathe



There's a difference between a JET mini Lathe and a JET pen making lathe.
Off the top of my head as much as $150.00.
The JET pen making lathe has two speeds and an-O- mandrel.
Which one are you referring to?


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## kent4Him

I talked to a Jet rep at a woodworking show and he said don't buy it.  It is the worst thing that Jet ever made.  Go with the mini and you won't regret it.


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## DCBluesman

> _Originally posted by underdog_
> <br />Jet mini lathes are to be discontinued? Not the pen lathes, but the Jet 1014s (VS and non VS) that have been around forever, and that everybody and his dog has one of?
> 
> Am I hearing this correctly?[?][:0]


Here is an email I sent yesterday along with the reply that I received from Aundrea Berkey [aberkey@wmhtoolgroup.com].



> Hi Lou,
> Thanks for your e-mail.  These machines absolutely are not being discontinued.
> 
> Thank you,
> Aundrea Berkey
> WMH Tool Group
> Internet Customer Support
> www.wmhtoolgroup.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Metcalf Louis [mailto:xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 12:48 PM
> To: Aundrea Berkey
> Subject: Jet 1014 and 1014S
> 
> 
> Are these machines being discontinued?  Will WMH be adding replacement products if these are discontinued?
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Lou Metcalf


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## Randy_

I got essentially the same response from her to an email that I sent several weeks ago.  Only difference is that she specifically said the information came directly from the JET product manager.  But the other side of the story is that my local Woodcraft store manager called his JET rep and was told the 1014 was being redesigned to increase the bed length to be more competitive with the Rikon.  Additionally, I spoke directly to a person in the technical department and he told me, after checking his computer, that the 1014 was, in fact, already discontinued...the std, model; but not the VS model.  In my opinion, it is not yet clear exactly what is going on at JET??

I have sent a follow-up email to Ms. Berkey for some clarification; but have not yet received a response.

My opinion is there is a little too much contradictory information floating around to assume that there is nothing going on at JET.  A particularly puzzling piece of indisputable information is that the JET 1014 no longer shows up on the JET web site, or at least it was not there a week ago when I last checked.


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## underdog

I second the idea to skip the pen turning lathe and just get the mini. I think you can do so much more with it, and it's very portable (not as easily as the pen lathe I admit) also.


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## TellicoTurning

I hope we aren't hearing this correctly... I have a Jet Mini that I've had about 3 years... already worn out one motor.  Hate to think I might not be able to get parts when I wear out the next motor.


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## arjudy

I wouldn't buy one at any price.


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## armyturner

I went ahead and bought a Wilton to start out on and just purchased a larger lathe today (Lathe GLOAT in Casual Conversations). I have only had a chance to turn a few pens and keychains on the Wilton but I like it so far. I saw quickly that the 0 MT accessories for the JPL would be near impossible to find. Thanks to everyone for the input.


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