FINALLY bought a lathe

[magruder]

Found a Jet 920 on Ebay.

So, now what else do I need?

Special chuck, chamber bits, mortise bits, smoke hole bits, cutters for tenons,
tool rest for hand turning, calipers, depth guage, micrometer, good levels?

What are recommended for sources and which chuck, bits , etc.?

Any sage advice from Jet owners?

Anyone know what chamber drill bit Jody Davis uses? Todd?

I have an idea about what I'll need, but I WELCOME all experienced advice.

TIA to all.

[bscofield]

I'm jealous! :thumb:

[KurtHuhn]

Frankly, you won't need "special" anything to get great results. All you really need is a chuck that has jaws of sufficient depth to grab your block firmly. on my Jet Mini Lathe I use a OneWay chuck with #2 jaws, and occasioanlly the Spigot jaws. I have chunks of metal here to make myself some extended jaws, but I never seem to find the time.

For bits, I use reshaped spade bits (the PIMO bits are actually pretty good when sharp), or reshaped Silver and Deming bits that I do myself. For the draught hole, I use a 5/32" bit - DeWalt is the brand I like.

I never use a level, micrometer or caliper. Some days I use a depth gauge, but those days are rare, and then only to check that the mortis is deep enough. Everything else is done by "feel".

[Tyler]

Woohoo!!!

Now you've opened a can of worms! You just THOUGHT buying the lathe was expensive. Now every shop you go into, be it Linens and Things or Home Depot, is a potential source for an obscure pipe making tool that would be perfect for one task or another. Have fun!

As for the bits of Todd or Jody, I bet they know. Actually, I know that Todd uses custom made "spoon" bits for lack of a better term. Certainly neither of them use an OTC bit. Todd drills by hand, remember, and Jody does too on occassion. That requires different tooling.

Tyler

[Nick]

Way cool buddy!

Too much fun!