I'm considering buying a Renzetti Lathe. The wife said to go for it. Can you justify the price? What all do you need to make it work? I went through the options and found the lathe $525.00, and the master power pack $299.00. Will the 4' bed fit the 3' or not. How many rod holders do you need per section of bed. I will only do only wrapping and thread finish work. Approximately 30 rods a month. How long will it last? PLEASE HELP!!! I only want to do this once. It's a lot of money! Thanks for your help, Jim

It's a bargain. Personally, I'd go for the 1/10 HP solid state motor and foot control over the PowerPak though. I believe it is more verstile and will let you do more tasks.

How long with it last? One of mine has been operating for almost 20 years now and until 1998, it received daily use performing any number of hard tasks. It is like new.

Most of the other questions can be answered by the folks at Renzetti.

Whether you buy this lathe or another one, I highly recommend that any rod builder who wishes to be involved in rod building on the commercial level, or who simply wants the best tools possible, purchase such a lathe. In the long run it does not cost you - it makes money for you.

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I should mention that we did complete review of this unit in the Nov/Dec 1999 issue of RodMaker.

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Before you buy, you should look at the Clemens lathe also. The units are virtually identical and the parts are interchangable.

I have had a Clemens lathe for over 12 years and have not had any trouble. I have only repaced wear items such as o-rings on the rod supports and motor belt. I have four rod supports and that is adequate for 8 feet of bed. When I build single piece 10 ft. rods I use an additional 4 foot of bed. When I mount the additional 4 ft. bed I could use two more rod supports.

You will not be sorry that you bought the lathe

George P

I'd tell you to run, don't walk, and buy the Renzetti. It will allow you to do things in your rod building career that you wouldn't think possible. With the right accessories you can do so many things. After the article in RodMaker on mounting reel seats with the solid brick foam arbors I have been doing all my seats that way and it takes maybe 5 minutes to center bore the arbors and mount them on the rod. A live center and the boring tool are worthwhile additions.

i use the clemen for most of my work. 4 ft bed three uprights. have a stand that i use on long rods. got it off dale back about 80 or 1981 still working great ed

Jim, If the wife says go for it I don't think you have much choice. Seriously, I have a Clemens about 3 yrs old now and love it. All the above posts have merit in their responses. I have 3 supports over two 4 foot bed sections. Adding a 4th would not be a bad idea especially if spinning the rod at high rpm's. The bed sections will mate together very smoothly regardless of length. If you have never power wrapped a guide before be prepared for a pleasant surprise. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it and then you will wonder how you ever got by without it. As for how long they last, most of us that frequent this board have not seen many used ones for sale. The Clemens and the Renzetti are in my opinion designed by rod builders for rod builders. Good luck with your new toy.