# Suitable for pen turning



## bitshird (Jun 12, 2008)

I'm going to finally get a wood lathe, the question is is the harbor freight 12x33 with reversible headstock too large for turning pens, It's 279.00 and a 100 mile round trip, or for 300.00 I can get a Jet1014 vs with indexing delivered to a store in town.
 But as with every thing else,I will probably want to turn bowls or other large items, so I'm not sure the best way to go, since I value my manhood, I'd only better do this once.
Thanks Ken


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## marcruby (Jun 12, 2008)

I know little about the harbor freight but you can turn a very small pen on a very big lathe.  My general advice is get the biggest lathe you can afford.  Good used full-sized lathes can be found for under $500.  And if you're lucky the previous owner will throw in some tools and accessories.

Marc


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## IPD_Mrs (Jun 12, 2008)

Ken,
Lathes are like most anything else.  You get what you pay for.  You could turn a pen on the HF lathe and you could turn a 10" diameter bowl, plate or vase on the Jet.  From some of the stuff I have seen come out of HF I would run from it.  Yes you would have a 12" x 33" lathe but I would imagine that is would not be real true and that you may have problems down the road.  I would imagine the majority of the folks on here have the Jet 1014.  Parts are easy to get such as belts and bearings as well as help from folks on here.

Mike

Mike


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## markgum (Jun 12, 2008)

I was told to get what you can afford but to avoid the HF stuff and as mentioned watch Craig's list to see what you might be able to pick up.


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## sbell111 (Jun 12, 2008)

There is a poster to these forums who swears by that HF lathe, but I don't remember who it is.


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## Russianwolf (Jun 12, 2008)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34706

I think this is the one being discussed and if I recall it's a clone of one of the name brand lathes.

http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?nav=ByPart&ClassID=333132&Part=708352

 From what I recall of comments I've seen on it the stand/legs will need to be reinforced as they are stamped metal instead of heavy cast metal. The speed range isn't too optimal for large out of balance pieces (I can't talk much, since my G0462 has the same speed range) And the motor is a bit underpowered. Otherwise it's okay for the money.


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## IPD_Mrs (Jun 12, 2008)

Steve I think you mean swears at em!  [:0]


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## sbell111 (Jun 12, 2008)

Maxwell Smart007 is who I was thinking of.


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## GoodTurns (Jun 12, 2008)

get the jet.  harbor freight is great for punches and disposable bits and such but, from my experience, the tolerances on their machinery are a little loose for precision work.

woodcraft frequently runs specials on the jets where you get a nova chuck or other goodies thrown in with the lathe.


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## kds99 (Jun 12, 2008)

the harbor freight lathe is ok,  it is one of the gems that come out of there.  It is a clone of a jet the 1442 i think.  Ive been running mine for 2 years and the bearings are getting a little loud but other than that it does a good job.  that being said it does not have enough power to turn anything larger than a 10 inch bowl


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 12, 2008)

Yep, I'm the one with the HF lathe...I bought it on the request of a lot of members from Woodworking.com - it's by far the most common lathe used over there, which is what convinced me.    

There are very few quality tools at Harbor Freight, but this is definitely one of the diamonds in the rough.  It's a wonderful lathe and a steal at that price!  No discernable runout at all on mine...

It's a carbon copy clone of the Jet JWL-1236...and I mean clone.  I bought some replacement parts from JET, and they fit perfectly.  Only the colour's different, and I like the green! 

It's a nice, full-sized lathe for a fraction of the cost of the JET.  I've turned baseball bats, bowls, pens, etc on it, and it works great for all of that.  The centres line up perfectly, and it will turn whatever I want to on it.  

HF doesn't have reviews on their site, but try this one: 
http://www.amazon.com/708352-JWL-1236-Horsepower-Woodworking-115-Volt/dp/B00006ANS3

Now let's compare - a few differences, but not many!


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 12, 2008)

By the way, it DOES go on sale often, so if you can wait, you can usually get it for 199...even less if you have a coupon!


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 12, 2008)

Motor's 3/4 HP, so it's not underpowered for what I throw at it...definitely more power than most of the minis...reeves belt drive system goes down to 600RPM, which is a bit slower than the JET 'clone', and good enough for me.  THe headstock swivels to allow you to turn platters larger than the swing of the bed.  

Again, I'm a big fan!


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## Rifleman1776 (Jun 12, 2008)

I was reluctant to get into this. I'm a fan of Grizzly tools. And, as such, take a lot of barbs from Jet fans about my Chinese machines. Those same detractors seem to not know, or care, that most Jet tools come off the same assembly lines as Griz. That said, I have had the opportunity to compare Harbor Freight tools with Grizzly. There are stores for each only minutes apart in Springfield, MO. IMHO, and without question, the HF machines are _*very*_ rough and crude compared to Griz. They have lighter weight bases, rough edges and other features that scream "JUNK" to me. Also consider the lack of service from HF. Grizzly is top notch in that department when it is (rarely) needed. I shop at HF but generally for things that don't have moving parts, or few. Personally, I wouldn't even consider a major shop tool from HF.


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## Fred (Jun 12, 2008)

IMHO I would use HF for all of my 'use it up and replace it' type of things.

Equipment is often a very different animal all together. I believe you get what you pay for most of the time. I also would consider what I would do if I needed a part of service. If the JET parts fit the HF then I maybe would consider it. I sure as heck would want to go visit someone locally that has the HF lathe in use.

I have looked at their machinery and was just not impressed to much at all. Many parts are pressed metal, sharp corners, etc. The quality just doesn't seem to be there for me.

Consider their warranty vs the name brand machines. Consider what your time is worth IF and when something gets out of whack. Are you mechanically inclined or would you need to have a service technician come out to your place??

My vote is to go with the name brand folks every time.

Oh yea, buy a bigger lathe than you need right now as you will surely grow out of a small one in no time at all.

Do not be in too big of a rush to get up and turning. Go to Woodcraft/Rockler and get them to turn on the displays. Stand in front of the equipment and see how it "feels" to you. These things are a bit different in style and it sure helps to acquaint yourself to them before making a decision.

I would suggest getting the beefiest, heaviest, solid constructed beast out there. Durability is important when you have large chunks of out of round/balance wood spinning in front of you.

Get a lathe with electronic variable speed control for sure. You just can't beat the convenience!!!

Something else ... check for add-on accessories. What kind of morse taper does the HF use? Is the hole in both the head stock and tail stock through and through ... this sure makes for easier removal of stuck thingies if the hole if open all the way through.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 12, 2008)

Frank, you say the Griz and Jet come off the same line, but the HF is rough?  Well, I think the HF comes off the same line too.  In fact, the only difference that I can see between the HF lathe and the Griz lathe is in the motor size.  HF has a 3/4, the griz is 1/2 

Yes, the HF lathe uses a MT2, and yes, it has room for a drawbar or knock-out tool...it's a full-sized lathe after all...

And no, I don't think the display models tell an accurate picture of the quality of a tool - especially at harbor freight.  I almost passed on this one because the model in the store looked terrible...glad I didn't though! 

But that's all Iv'e got to say about it...if you want a second, fourth, and twelfth opinion, go to woodworking.com, and ask in the woodturning forum about the HF lathe - you'll get a ton of opinions!


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## Russianwolf (Jun 12, 2008)

Grizzly may have had a clone of these in the past, but it isn't available any longer. The "cheapest" fullsize they have now is ths one:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/VS-Wood-Lathe-w-Cast-Iron-Legs/G0584

Which with the legs is a bit beefier for whatever that's worth to you guys.

But as said, the HF is one of the "good" HF tools. Along with their 6" jointer and 14" bandsaw. They may need a little tweaking/removing rough edges, but good machines for not a lot of dough.


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## bitshird (Jun 12, 2008)

Guys thanks for the advice, as far as any alignment problems or basically any rework issues, I worked on and rebuilt everything from old 40s era South Bend lathes to Bridgeport and Lagun Milling machines, and have built my own CNC milling machine. Actually just made the motor and drive mounts and did the adaptation from a manual machine. 
The HF is a cast iron bed and headstock so vibration shouldn't be a problem, with a weight of 177 Lbs. it should be stable enough, I also have a source for ABEC bearings at a good price.
 I was just wondering whether it was reasonable to turn pens on that large of a wood lathe, my first pens were done in a 15x60 Clausing metal lathe, I know Jets reputation, that's what I have at home for a lathe, a 6 year old BN920 metal lathe, but I'm really getting tired of cleaning sawdust out of my splitnut and lead screw.
 I may never turn a bowl but I might, I've even considered putting the pristine unused face plate on my Jet and trying to do one with it if I could figure out how to affix the block of wood.
 It seems like it would be a major pain in the rear end, but I could possibly make a tool rest and fit it to the tool holder. This is why I was finally thinking hard about the HF 12 in I have several sets of scrapers and if I have to can take the bed to the school I just retired from and put it on a 48 in  automatic surface grinder, I thank everyone for their input, and appreciate it immensely


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jun 12, 2008)

I hear the dust collector's not bad either, Mike...most of their other stuff you should shy away from, however.


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## Russianwolf (Jun 13, 2008)

> _Originally posted by maxwell_smart007_
> 
> I hear the dust collector's not bad either, Mike...most of their other stuff you should shy away from, however.


Forgot about that one and it's the ONE tool of theirs in MY SHOP!!! [8D]

We are talking about the 2HP DC, which probably isn't as good as the specs say, but for the money a nice machine.


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## RONB (Jun 16, 2008)

My first lathe was a H.F. And it is still running to this day. i had to replace some of the parts and pieces but i call that normal wear and tear. It's a good first lathe IMHO.


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## baker4456 (Jun 16, 2008)

Ron,
How did you find the replacement parts. I may need a bearing


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## eazis1 (Jun 16, 2008)

i have HF for about a year, works fine for a beginer. Can't go wrong for the price.


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## 1JaredSchmidt (Jun 17, 2008)

I agree with what Frank said. I wouldn't get it.


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