Wood Turning

[LOman]

Has anyone had any experience with either the Grizzly 12x20 3/4 HP or 10x18 1/2 HP lathes or the Penn State lathes. I need a smaller lathe for pens, small bowls, etc. thanks

[johnclucas]

One of our turners has a 1220 grizzley.  I've turned on it.  It's a pretty decent lathe.  

[hardwoods from kansas]

Yes I just received the turtncrafterprovs midi from P.S.I. and found it to be a very well built lathe the cast iron is straight and has no flaws tailstock and headstock align. It is a very smooth running lathe. It was on sale with shipping $ 261.00  It has a 10" swing and 16" between centers. I also have a full size lathe that is too heavy to move. And it has 1"x8rht and all number 2 Morse tapers. The PSI lathe has the same so that all the equipment that I have for the full size lathe will fit on the midi.

[LOman]

Thanks for the info guys. Anyone else have an opinion?

[RussBoyd]

I always have an opinion, but it wasn't about the two lathes you asked about. I'm also getting into pen turning (in a big way) and bought the Ricon mini lathe. You can get the add on to make it a 36" and its capacities are a little larger than the jet I believe. I got mine a woodcraft so you could check the specs on their website if interested. I love mine, but don't really have anything to compare to other than my old (really old) craftsman. It's way better than that. Woodcraft sells a lot of lathes and this was the one they directed me to.

[Rrandy]

My wife has been using the Jet mini lathes with the variable speed for almost 6 years now. #2 MT The only problem was the on/off switch had to be replaced right at 2 years in on both of them. I went to a local store and got better toggle switches cheap and we've had no problems other than that. We like them but that's just another opinion. I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend them for what that's worth.

[turn_a_round]

I have both a Powermatic 3520 and a jet mini.  I've done 1/8th inch bird purches to 19" platters on the powermatic.  10" max on the Jet.  You can turn smaller on a larger lathe but a small lathe will limit your larger sizes.  If you are like most people you'll want to expand into some larger projects once your skills and confidence increase. 

BTW, the lathe is the cheaper expense.  Tools, scroll jaws and other accessories will quickly surpass the cost of a small lathe.

[LOman]

Thanks again guys for the info. It all helps to make it a hard decision.

[jross63]

I've been doing hours and hours of reading on all of the message boards and review that I could find online.  I have decided to get the Delta 46-460 midi lathe.  I went into woodcraft to check on something in the  jet 1220vs range and the guy there told me that I wanted the new delta.  After reading hundreds of post, and all the rave reviews from turners and owners I have decided to agree with him.  You may want to check out this lathe