Hi! There is an ad in my local paper for a lathe for sale. It's an AMT
12x55" w/ 8 chisles and 4" & 8" face plates for 225.00 I've been planning on getting a Jet Mini for turnig reel seats and handles. This AMT seems like it would be quite a bit larger but might be the ticket since I was thinking about turning bowls and vases later on. I was wondering if anybody was familiar with AMT lathes and if this is worth going to look at?
Thanks for your time!
Chris

I have not seen the AMT lathe. I have seen other AMT tools and have had catalogs from the company for years.

I may catch some flack from this, but if it was me I would pass on the AMT and the tools. The mainstream importers, Jet, Delta, Grizzly seem to me to produce better tools for the money than AMT.

I know that if you are going to do big work you need a big lathe. But for any work you need a smooth, accurate machine with easy to operate controls, etc.

The AMT is probably worth about the asking price. It's not a high quality piece of machinery. In fact, it's probably not at all what you'd want for heavy duty wood turning like bowl work.

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Thanks for the info guys! Looks like I'll steer clear of the AMT and keep my sights set on the Jet.

The Jet Mini Lathe is a great small lathe and you'll find that you can do some fairly nice bowls on that lathe. I started on a Delta Midi and have since moved up to a Oneway 2436 for bowl and spindle turning - it's a bit overkill for cork grips but hey, what the heck! Anyhow, if you're wanting to turn larger bowls you'll appreciate a fairly heavy lathe; take a look at a Powermatic 3520A, Vicmark, Poolewood, and Oneway.

i bought a PENN STATE and while its ok, if i had it to do over again i would of gotten on that steve listed.

I have a OneWay, and Larry Tysinger just bought one. Yes, they're overkill for turning rod grips but isn't it nice to use a piece of equipment that's accurate, steady and quiet?

If you plan to take up serious wood turning and you can afford it, one of the better lathes will put a smile on your face every time you use it. Otherwise, the Jet, Delta and Frisch midi lathes are exceptional values for the hobbyist.

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