# Jet 1221VS vs Nova Comet II



## TattooedTurner (Oct 1, 2016)

Good morning from the Valley of the Sun! I got some great advice on buying a bandsaw but have run into a huge issue with my Harbor Freight 10" lathe. After having problems with out of round stock some minor investigating has revealed the drive center rotates around my live center. It was dead on when I bought it earlier this year but turning with any accuracy is impossible now and frankly, it's not worth repairing. It will make a good buffing/polishing station, but I will be getting a new lathe today. The contenders are the updated Jet 1221VS that spins at 60-3600rpm with no belt changes, on sale at Rockler for $719. It's adversary being the $529 Nova Comet II with free G3 Comet II reversible chuck, a major advantage since my Nova midi chuck can't spin in reverse. It spins at 250-4000rpm but requires changing between 3 pulleys to achieve this. I'm tired of changing pulleys but I understand a lot can be done on the middle pulley. However, drilling & buffing would still require changing pulleys. The lower speed of the Jet would be better for sanding & drilling and I don't see Nova's 4000rpm being much of an advantage over the 3600rpm top speed of the Jet. 3/4 hp on the Nova vs 1hp with the Jet, point for the Jet. Jet seems a lot beefier & weighs quite a bit more, not a disadvantage since I won't be moving it around. It seems the added weight would mean a better quality build. So once again I ask for advice, should I go ahead & get the Jet? It's $190 more but no belt changes and what appears to be better quality seems worth the price difference. Anybody have experience on both? How about your comments on one or the other from those that have used either one? I really like this updated Jet, it seems as though it's a very nice lathe for a benchtop. 
FWIW, I'll be turning 8"-10" bowls frequently, not just pens or other small spindles.


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## Dan Masshardt (Oct 1, 2016)

TattooedTurner said:


> Good morning from the Valley of the Sun! I got some great advice on buying a bandsaw but have run into a huge issue with my Harbor Freight 10" lathe. After having problems with out of round stock some minor investigating has revealed the drive center rotates around my live center. It was dead on when I bought it earlier this year but turning with any accuracy is impossible now and frankly, it's not worth repairing. It will make a good buffing/polishing station, but I will be getting a new lathe today. The contenders are the updated Jet 1221VS that spins at 60-3600rpm with no belt changes, on sale at Rockler for $719. It's adversary being the $529 Nova Comet II with free G3 Comet II reversible chuck, a major advantage since my Nova midi chuck can't spin in reverse. It spins at 250-4000rpm but requires changing between 3 pulleys to achieve this. I'm tired of changing pulleys but I understand a lot can be done on the middle pulley. However, drilling & buffing would still require changing pulleys. The lower speed of the Jet would be better for sanding & drilling and I don't see Nova's 4000rpm being much of an advantage over the 3600rpm top speed of the Jet. 3/4 hp on the Nova vs 1hp with the Jet, point for the Jet. Jet seems a lot beefier & weighs quite a bit more, not a disadvantage since I won't be moving it around. It seems the added weight would mean a better quality build. So once again I ask for advice, should I go ahead & get the Jet? It's $190 more but no belt changes and what appears to be better quality seems worth the price difference. Anybody have experience on both? How about your comments on one or the other from those that have used either one? I really like this updated Jet, it seems as though it's a very nice lathe for a benchtop.
> FWIW, I'll be turning 8"-10" bowls frequently, not just pens or other small spindles.



check out the rikon midi on sale at woodcraft this month...


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## Curly (Oct 1, 2016)

If you are going to be "turning 8"-10" bowls frequently" skip the midi lathes and go for bigger.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 1, 2016)

Agreed if you are into bowl turning now then go bigger because you will want to make bigger bowls later. I would also look into true turning sites and get better insight. We are a pen turning site that some people occasionally turn other things. Here are a few. Many out there.

Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community


Woodworking Talk - Woodworkers Forum


American Association of Woodturners


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## RobS (Oct 1, 2016)

Been rocking the 1221 since mid June after ditching the rockler excelsior after using it for 3 weeks and have not looked back. I love it. I've made about 43 pens on it and 2 bottle stoppers. It does what I need and I love the dro. I do use low for blank squaring with a pen mill and drilling. You can belt change it about 10 seconds, the handle locks into the loose mode which makes life easy. However you can not really use the tool rack on the left if you are changing gears. No complaints.

You can get a nova chuck from Amazon for $100:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007...2_7?colid=11HD4W6E2UJ6G&coliid=I29E0N1LHQOLQS


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## JimB (Oct 1, 2016)

As mentioned, if you are going to be turning bowls you want the biggest lathe you can afford. Biggest includes motor size, swing and weight as well as other features. Of the two lathes you mention I would go with the Jet but neither is ideal for bowl turning. I turn small items on a jet 1014VS but I turn all bowls on a Grizzly full size lathe.


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## Charlie_W (Oct 1, 2016)

First off, I too agree that for turning 10" bowls, the Midi lathes would be taxed trying to keep up. You say frequently so I would definitely go larger. A suggestion is a Nova DVR. a 16" model should do nicely for you.....and no belt = no belt changes!

I can speak for the Nova Comet......not what you want here...just not beefy enough for that size bowl. Also, the tailstock lock is a plastic lever/knob that you have to lift and reposition for more tightening range.....and sometimes still doesn't lock down tight......at least on the one our club owns.

In the midi lathe range, check out the Rikon. Beefy bed and a 1" tool rest post...not 5/8".

Good luck and let us know what you get.


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## TattooedTurner (Oct 1, 2016)

Charlie_W said:


> In the midi lathe range, check out the Rikon. Beefy bed and a 1" tool rest post...not 5/8".
> 
> Good luck and let us know what you get.





Dan Masshardt said:


> check out the rikon midi on sale at woodcraft this month...



Thank you! I went to Woodcraft today & picked up the Rikon. Seems to be quite a nice machine for the price, in the range of the Jet 10" but 1hp and a lot beefier. It's bigger & heavier than expected, and seems on the level of the Jet 1221VS but $170 less, what a deal! I cleaned it up and wiped some WD40 on the ways but I won't use it until tomorrow. I'm a shortie & it's too high on my bench so I'm going back tomorrow for the stand. At 5'3" I had a problem even with the HF on my 34" high bench, this one is too much, almost 8" higher than recommended.

Thanks to all for the advice of getting a larger lathe for the bowls. I figured 12" would be fine but that's probably why the HF isn't spinning true now. I have several bowl blanks that will have to wait, I'm not taking a chance on messing this one up. Besides, I'm having fun making pens. They make nice gifts and I have several coworkers that I'll make one for as a Christmas gift. I also noticed the Rikon 14" bandsaw is on sale for $100 off until the 20th I think. Still debating on a table saw or bandsaw since I can't get both right now, but it's good to know. I've been diligently putting money away to set up a decent hobby shop, all I have are a disc sander & miter saw, it's hard to do a lot with just those. 

How did I not know about Woodcraft until you fine folks here clued me in? We have a store an hour away and the employees were extremely friendly and helpful. I can't say enough about the great service I received. The lady has a Rikon lathe & bandsaw and loves them both, & the gentleman recommended the Rikon over the Jet even though it cost quite a bit less. They even loaded it into my truck without letting me help. I knew when I was walking up and they had Powermatic, Laguna, & Jet lathes displayed outside I was at the right place! I know where I'm going when the time comes to get that larger lathe.

Thanks again for the advice. You saved me some money as well as preventing me from likely beating my new lathe into an early grave. I can't thank all of you enough.


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## Dan Masshardt (Oct 1, 2016)

TattooedTurner said:


> Charlie_W said:
> 
> 
> > In the midi lathe range, check out the Rikon. Beefy bed and a 1" tool rest post...not 5/8".
> ...



Sweet.  I think you made a great choice.  I bought my Jet 1221 before the Rikon was available but the Rikon has all the features at a great price - especially at that sale price.  

I turned bowls on my Jet 1221 and was overall happy with it.  I decided that I wanted to turn more and bigger bowls so I bought a bigger lathe.  I really like my big Jet 1642 BUT I really prefer my 1221 for pens and small projects.  I tried to turn a bowl on my 1221 after getting used to the 1642 and didn't like it at all anymore, lol.  

So, you did the right thing.  But someday you'll need to add a big lathe too.


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## TattooedTurner (Oct 2, 2016)

Dan Masshardt said:


> ... So, you did the right thing.  But someday you'll need to add a big lathe too.



I do believe a big part of the fun of this hobby is the anticipation of, and eventually adding, new toys to the shop! Learning to use them and watching yourself grow as a craftsman even moreso.


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