im looking to purchase an entry level lathe for drilling and shaping cork and eva. i know i dont want one ran by a drill. my main reason for this lathe is to be able to drill the initial hole on a cork block. i will not be using rings so im guessing here as im new to this but ill need atleast a 24 inch area between centers?? or will i need more. what are the exact attachments that would be needed with the model you would recommend. once again i tried searching for this on here and everything was atleast 9 years old so ild like something a little more up todate. i have done a little research on my own and have read rikons are awesome and also the grizzly brand was highly recommended. i also read to stay away from jets but this was all for wood working and since ild be using it for making rod handles ild love to hear everyones opinions on this.

Strictly cork or some wood? As you move to wood it helps have a bit more "heft" in the lathe. For cork only, the selection is wide open in many regards.

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Penn States Turncrafter Commander Pro. With extension table--$395. I have taught Industrial arts for 35 years and have used a few brands, you can't beat them. Three at school and one at home. You do know that once you get the lathe there are all the other accessories you will want or need to get.

Dan do you have a Harbor freight nearby? [www.harborfreight.com] They don't however have a 4 jaw chuck to fit it, However amazon has the best prices on turning tools[www.amazon.com] and has a grizzly chuck [www.amazon.com] 1x8 tpi that will fit right on the HF lathe, One thing to remember is most all of these small lathes are made in china, More than likely in the same plant, Just relabeled and painted a different color before packing. You May find that you have to knock off some burrs or sharp edges with a file on the lathe and chuck, I have had to do that even with my Rikon and chuck that is used mainly for wood turning, I turn reproduction spindles for old house stairs and porches for old victorian homes in my town. It's going to be hard to beat the HF price as it includes the stand also, Your looking at a lot more $$$ for a comparable model like the grizzly or Rikon. All so don't over look craigslist ads for wood lathes, You may be able to find a complete set-up cheap from someone that lost interest in woodturning. Don't be afraid to ask questions, I turn cork rings that are glued up and put on an 18" mandrel Turned or shaped then I ream to fit the blank, But I'm only making 10" - 12" rear grips and that could be done on a much smaller 18" lathe. My wife has one of those little 18"Jet's it's a good lathe compares to Rikon, She makes little earrings and bracelets Xmas ornaments and things on hers and always has something in it, So it's off limits to me. Good Luck Have Fun. And just to warn you tunning wood can be very addicting, I enjoy it easily as much as rod building., Jay



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2016 07:43AM by Jay Dubay.

Here is a nice lathe that does everything that is needed for rod building.

In particular, this lathe comes with a bed extension. It is so convenient to have the bed extension to be able to slide the tail stock back and out of the way, without removing items from the head stock chuck.

[www.rockler.com]

As others have said - you will likely need to spend an amount of money that is close to the original price of the lathe to purchase accessories.

You will want to have a couple of different head stock chucks. It is nice to have a pair of Jacobs chucks for both the head stock and tail stock. It is nice to have a live center for the tail stock. If you are going to be doing some wood turning, you will want to have a variety of head stock inserts for grasping the piece that you are turning.

Good luck

thanks alot guys youve really helped me out i think im gona have to save a little more and go from there. ill keep my eyes peeled on craiglist to see if i can find one used to help save a little money while i save up. im not against waiting a little longer for someting that will do the job right. thanks again for the info

The harbor freight one goes to 2400rpm. the other to 3200. is it important to get to 3200?

X2 0n Penn State - Smaller outfit doing primarily turning related things. Personal service, Chucks that fit their products, Very large selection of chisels and other
turning related equipment including dust removal. Very high quality and service to match.

Jim, I personally don't use much more the 1700-2000 for cork and wood reel seat inserts and grip trim rings, that's pretty much my default sweet spot as I don't really go to the trouble to move the belt - lazy, Penn States, Rikon, Jet, I feel is overpriced for what we're doing...Heck guys turn cork with those hand drill powered lathes. With a real lathe It does not take much to turn rod components, cork grips, wood rod butt caps, and reel seat inserts, and wood trim rings none of these items have any real weight or mass to them, {All the lathe does is spin the wood}. It's your Tools that make the difference. If you have not tried them yet look at the Carbide insert chisels they will make any lathe cut real Smooth they last and last you can rotate the cutter and you can change out the insert when needed. I have 2, If a guy did not want to do a lot of sharpening, carbide is the answer. On my cork I rough it out with a stanley surForm with light pressure, I have a flat one and half moon shaped one that are used only for cork, that way they stay sharp they work well for {Me} not everyone likes them, I do use occasionally use some small carbide chisels and HSS scrapers mostly for fine detail work on hardwood butt caps and reel seat inserts . The rest of my finishing is done with different grits of open mesh emery or sandpaper mounted on scrap wood blocks or the heavy duty flat 5 gal wood paint stirrers in cut up in different shapes with emory glued on them, I always use a mandrel I won't risk turning a grip on a Blank simply because I can't afford to trash a 80-100$ blank if something goes wrong. If looking to buy one of these look online for a discount coupon to print out and you may save 20% more. I'm not trying to push HF tools but when they opened a store near me I picked up a few power tools on sale to try and have had no problems, An electric car buffer, angle grinder for cutting steel, electric impact wrench, for wheel lug nuts and stubrin bolts and nuts when working on my truck I have used all for 2 years now they still work fine. I kinda draw the line on the hand tools sockets and wrenches though, As Sears Craftsman has a warranty and quality that can't be beat on them, However you now have to watch what hand tools you buy at sears now as they have a line from china also. The best investment from HF is the red tool cart that I keep all my tools in and just roll it right over to my truck Love It!! mine was $35 cheaper 2 yrs ago when I bought it. [www.harborfreight.com] For what we need for rod building these lathes will work fine, Now if you wanted to mount a 45LB block of wood in them and turn a bowl I'd look at somthing a little more Robust. Just my 2 cents Jaa

Thank you Mr. Dubay. I had both a grizzly drill lathe and a 42" made in china from a flea market. never got to use them. while away from thieves completely cleaned out my lifetime collection of tools....including rollong cart and tool bins. so.....I have to start all over. boaf shoulders had recent rotator cuff repair. so i taking short cuts n typing wit one finger......thank u for the info...btw...the china made lathe would not accept the american made components ....chinese threads i guess....had to hav a machinist make adapters.....better wit an american made lathe.....adapters costed more than the lathe....now don't hav it anyway. i don't even have a hammer.....