Wood either of these lathes work?

[Nick]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cf ... te=grizzly

or

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cf ... te=grizzly

They're some of the best prices I've seen, I just worry that the swing isn't big enough.

Thanks,

NJ

[ArtGuy]

The main thing I see is that they really aren't heavy enough. You will fing that the blocks you are turning will be unballanced and the heavier the lathe is the more stable it will be. You want something more like 80 pounds or so and that would need to be on a very sturdy table.


For another 70 bucks or so you can go with this one from amazon and get free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... n&n=507846

That is what I use and have found it to be a very nice machine.

here is a pic of the one I use





PS. You may already know this, but this lathe would only be suitable for drilling and or turning stummels. You would not be able to do tenon cutting or other stem work with it.

[KurtHuhn]

PS. You may already know this, but this lathe would only be suitable for drilling and or turning stummels. You would not be able to do tenon cutting or other stem work with it.

I seem to be a voice crying in the wilderness, but I have done stem/tenon work on my Jet wood lathe, and have had excellent reults. You need a steady hand and sharp tools, but it works well.

[ArtGuy]

PS. You may already know this, but this lathe would only be suitable for drilling and or turning stummels. You would not be able to do tenon cutting or other stem work with it.

I seem to be a voice crying in the wilderness, but I have done stem/tenon work on my Jet wood lathe, and have had excellent reults. You need a steady hand and sharp tools, but it works well.

I had some pen turners tell me the same thing. I suppose it must be possbile. I have seen people do some pretty amazing things. Maybe I should restate it this way, I cannot do tenon work on a wood lathe.

Of course, I once witnessed a man named Dan Ziembo cut a perfect 45 degree bevel mat for a drawing with nothing but a utility knife and a metal straight edge. So I have no problem believing there are those people out there who can cut tenons on a wood lathe.

[Nick]

If I was able to mount either of these on a heavy bench, would they work then? The $200 plus tag of the Jet or Delta just makes it hard to justify.

[Tyler]

Nick,

I would say no, even if you could mount them, you wouldn't want them. I'd say the Grizzley stuff is more expensive in the long run. Either of those lathes is likely to be more of a headache than anything, and you'll need to replace them soon. Thus, they are essentially disposable lathes.

I would urge you to wait the extra time it takes to save the money for the Jet (mini) or Delta (midi). The bang for the buck on those lathes is huge. The Grizzleys will be largely a waste of time, IMO.

Tyler

[hiway]

I seem to be a voice crying in the wilderness, but I have done stem/tenon work on my Jet wood lathe, and have had excellent reults. You need a steady hand and sharp tools, but it works well.

You're not alone Kurt. I also turn my stems and tenons in a wood lathe. The first ones were not so pretty. Recently I've had comments from the manager of the B&M where I sell my pipes on how nice my tenons are compared to some of the other brands he sells.

Like anything it takes patience and practice.

Dave

[KurtHuhn]

If I was able to mount either of these on a heavy bench, would they work then? The $200 plus tag of the Jet or Delta just makes it hard to justify.

I would be afraid that, if you mounted either of those Grizzly lathes on a heavy bench, the lathe would tear itself to pieces.

To get a stable lathe, you need a heavy lathe - especially for the off-balance turning required to make pipes. If you have a flyweight lathe, it can't resist the forces of the rotating block, and will shake. If you bolt that flyweight lathe to a heavy bench, the lathe will still want to vibrate, and the bench will hold the parts attached to it still. Now, instead of just vibrtation, you have vibration and structural stress due to the anchor points.

Truly, you *want* a Jet or Delta lathe. You might not know it yet, but you do. You'll be very sure you want a Jet or Delta if you buy one of those Grizzly lathes.

Also, I might be wrong, but I think the headstock thread is non-standard on those Grizzlys - which means that decent chucks won't be able to mate right up. My memory is hazy on that subject though.

[Nick]

Okokok...I give in. I'll just have to wait. Darn it.

Hopfully for my birthday, which is in August if any of you were planning on getting my anything.