hello all
i am looking to purchase a lathe so i can start constructing my own handles. what would be a good size lathe to get horsepower and such. thanks

Any of these will do a nice job for you.

[www.pennstateind.com]

Basically something with 1/3rd or more power. Variable speed is nice, but not necessary. A 10 inch size or larger is nice, but not necessary.
A lathe bed of 18 inches or longer - is nice. A bed extension to push the bed length to something over 30 inches is convenient for many jobs.
A variety of chucks and tail stocks will also help to make your lathe more versatile.

Take care

Roger

Jet 1220 is a nice option. Don't forget to budget 150% extra for tools and miscellaneous.

Keep in mind also what size mandrels you will be using too. Mine are 18 inches and by the time you put on a chuck and ball bearing tail stock you will need enough bed to handle that. Mud Hole offers some very nice 14 inch ones that I believe we're patterned after a design of Tom Kirkman which would work on the smaller lathe.

If your budget allows, Woodcraft is offering the Nova 1624-44 on sale with a $400.00 discount !

My grandson has the Jet 1220 and that is a very nice tool as Roger mentioned.

Tom

I have the Jet and am very pleased with mine. I got it second hand for a steal.

I just bought the 16" Nova on sale. But my uses now are more bowl turning and furniture parts. Of the midi size lathes I like the Rikon. Good features of it are the spindle lock and the fact that you can add bed extensions. I have not owned one though. I had a Delta mini. Worked fine. But it was always sorta small for me. You can do little work on a big lathe. But not really the other way. How will you hold you mandrels? If you use a self centering chuck and pass the mandrel through the head you can probably adjust to a short lathe. But if the mandrel is too big to go through the headstock you need the length of the mandrel and chuck and live center. Price in a 3 or 4 jaw self centering chuck and a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock. You will need both to bore inserts, rings, etc. I think you can not go wrong with Jet, Delta, Rikon, Nova, and Oneway (if that is in your budget). if you find the size and features you need. The Shop Fox I looked at I did not like. Ditto Harbor Freight. Grizzly may be okay but really did not seem a lot cheaper than the name brands. The size and smoothness of the operation of the locks and handles and tailstock and fit of the tapers into the headstock and tailstock and how well everything locks into place after adjusting is important, at least to me, in a lathe. That is why I sorta stay away from the really cheaper suppliers for a lathe.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2012 05:52PM by Bill Moschler.