Opinion on HF lathe...

[PipesByDesign]

Toying around with the idea of getting a wood lathe...not able to spend a whole lot, so naturally I go looking at Harbor Freight and other sites like that. I've got a metal lathe from them, which I'm actually fine with. I'm not so skilled with lathes to be able to be nit-picky on quality. It gets the job done, and well, so I'm happy. I did shoot myself in the foot though and rather than wait a bit longer and save some more I got the 7x10. Regretting that...so I'm looking now to use my metal lathe for stem/tenon prep, etc, and then use a wood lathe for turning stems, drilling the stummels, etc. Right now I drill my blocks with my drill press, but I'm not satisfied with that anymore.

This is the particular lathe I'm looking at: http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-be ... 65345.html

It has 20 reviews on HF, and they're all positive. Many of them are worthless..."new to turning, this lathe seems great!" but a few sound like they're from veteran guys who are impressed with the quality of this particular lathe. It is small. The specs say it can turn things up to 18". Too small? I don't anticipate ever needing to turn anything larger than that, or using it for much more than pipemaking.

One of the reasons I'm trying to look in this price range is that I want to outfit it with a OneWay chuck, and I really can't afford to go over $500 bucks. I also want...with that budget, to get a few turning chisels...gouges, etc, so I can't take up the full $500 with lathe and chuck...

Your input is appreciated...

Thanks.

Jonathan

[sethile]

I don't have this lathe, but I have the Harbor Freight 9x20 metal working lathe. It is a total piece of junk, and everything else I've bought from them is too, at least anything with moving parts... I've had to rebuild or upgrade most of my 9x20 just to keep it from driving me crazy. Thankfully I got into it pretty cheap, but it's been a constant aggravation!

When I did the original research people indicated the Chinese lathes were coming out of the same factory, which is true, as far as it goes, but they are made to very different specs, depending on the importer/retailer. Harbor Freight is on the bottom of the heap.

If your sure you want one of these little woodworking lathes I think the Delta or the Jet are decent, and only a little bit more money. But most pipe makers end up wanting a metal working lathe eventually. The JET 9x20s are great, and lots of pipe makers are using it with excellent results. I've gotten to work on one and it's a million times better than my Harbor Freight version.

I'm just about to receive a PM1236, which I've had on order since April. A little reward to myself for suffering with the Harbor Freight for the last 5 years!

[KurtHuhn]

Scott - that is an absolutely gorgeous lathe. Congratulations!

And I concur on the quality of HF tooling. I have handled and fiddled with the various metal and wood working tools at HF, and they are all at the bottom of the heap when it comes to quality. A possible exception is my welder, but I bought the biggest they sold, and I run it well under published limits. I suspect if I was running it 7 hours a day, it would self destruct within a few weeks.

[PipesByDesign]

Yeah... I figured as much. Oh well... I'll hold off a bit till I can afford more...

I do have an HF metal lathe, which actually works fairly well. I don't put it through a whole lot, though.

[oklahoma red]

I bought the Delta Midi with the variable speed drive several months ago. I believe this one comes from their plant in Taiwan rather than the mainland. Quality is heads and shoulders above the ComChi boat anchors.
I had Trent Rudat modify an old chuck I had and the whole set up works nice. I've not mis-drilled any holes yet.
I've been searching for an old South Bend or Atlas metal lathe. There are some nice ones on eBay but I'm in Oklahoma and so far the gems have been on the east coast and the owners won't ship them. Bummer. I'm still looking.
Chas.

[smokindawg]

If your careful of what you purchase used, you can pick up a pretty good metal lathe on the cheap. Just check it out good as some can be junk, even if they are a good brand. It all depends on how much they have been used and how well they have been taken care of.

I have a jet 9x20 metal lathe I purchased for $600 on Craigslist and also a Delta Midi that I bought new on line for a very good price as well.

Hold out for something used as you'll get more bang for your buck, but as said, check it out very well before laying your money out for it.

[PipesByDesign]

Craigslist is awesome...for sure. Just found an old Craftsman/Dunlap wood lathe from the 40's in really, really good shape for $75. Maybe paid too much for it, but it has been dry on CL for a while and I felt happy to get something of reputable quality for a fraction of what I was preparing to spend. More money for other tools...and the list never seems to get shorter the more tools I buy...

[hawky454]

I have the 8"x12" variable speed lathe from Harbor Freight and I absolutely love it! I've not had a single issue with it. I also have a Delta midi lathe I bought because I enjoy turning bowls and other misc objects. I would highly recommend the 8"x12" over the one you put a link to and while it's not as good as my Delta, it gets the job done with precision, and it's great for drilling and shaping pipes. It's only $120.00 and I've had no problems with it being to small and the variable speed is an absolute must. Way better quality than the bigger lathe you're looking at purchasing. I'm a hobbyist so take my advice for what it's worth. If you plan on making high grade pipes someday then ya might want to go with the 9"x20" Jet metal lathe....but of course I know that's not in your price range.

I also have the 7x10 metal lathe from H.F. and think it's of high quality as well. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten a lot of crap from H.F. too, but I'm telling you that you can get some really good products there as well. Just shop smart. I will say, that if you're willing to wait awhile and save up for the Delta, it would be well worth the wait.

Hope that helps, in one way or the other. Good luck

Vid.

[PipesByDesign]

Here's what I got...decided to give the paint a facelift. Sears/Dunlap 534.0601

[Nate]

Nice work! That's a pretty slick Dunlap!

[Charl]

Nice paint job! You free next weekend? I'll give free board and lodging.

[hawky454]

Very nice looking lathe. What is the TPI on that?

[PipesByDesign]

3/4 - 16 TPI

Gotta get an adapter to make the Oneway Chuck work.

[KurtHuhn]

I think you can get a thread insert direct from Oneway for 3.4"-16. I seem to recall that being a choice on their website.

And in other news, nice job! I love the paint, and you really cleaned it up nicely.

[PipesByDesign]

Oh yeah...duh.

Thanks.