New Lathe

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:11 am

Well.. finally, I'll be ordering my new lathe tomorrow. I decided to go with a Taig metal lathe instead of a JET Midi. Does anyone have any information in regards to the Taig that may come in handy? I'm ordering the "pipemakers kit" from Carter Tools, so I will have some wood-turning capabilities.

I don't think I've ever been this excited about spending so much money in one shot in a long time

JSPipes · Post by **JSPipes** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:09 pm

That's a good little lathe! I use mine strictly for stems. I'm not sure I would be comfortable turning a stummel on that lathe. It's just too small and light.

Joel

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:38 pm

I don't really have any thoughts on turning stummels on it. Mostly stems, stem extensions(metal/acrylic/wood) and things like this. Hand-cut stems have been a bane to me, mostly due to the giant Smithy metal lathe I've been using. It's just too much of a beast for the finer points of stem cutting. Even turning down a tenon is an effort in patience with it. That being the case, I have rod stock that I'm not even messing with until I receive my Taig. I was going to get a Jet Midi lathe, but decided this was the better way to go considering my shop space and the way that I like to work. I have sanding motors and buffing motors, so getting a wood lathe to do those operations on seemed too much like re-inventing the wheel.

JSPipes · Post by **JSPipes** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:06 pm

In that case, you are going to be very pleased with the Taig. It's a really good little lathe for doing just what you're talking about.

I have 3 lathes now, each for different things. The Taig is for stems, shank extentions, stem treatments, etc.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 2:10 pm

I'm looking forward to it.. I think I'm even kinda giddy...

ckr · Post by **ckr** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 8:59 am

Matt,

How long from payment to delivery?

Are there other accessories that you are getting - and why?

Fumo in pace :pipe:

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:22 am

ckr wrote:Matt,

How long from payment to delivery?

Are there other accessories that you are getting - and why?

Fumo in pace :pipe:

Glad you asked!!

It's supposed to arrive today and it was just a bit over a week from payment to delivery.

I ordered it from www.cartertools.com and Nick Carter was excellent to deal with. He answered every question I threw at him very quickly.

As far as accessories, I purchased the "Pipemaker's Package" listed on his website here: http://www.cartertools.com/package.html

So far as I can tell, this gives you all the basic parts/pieces you'll need to get started using it once it's been assembled. It comes with all the wood-turning accessories except for wood-turning tools. I'll have to get my own. That's fine, though, as for now I just want to be able to work on stems with it. The wood-turning setup will NOT allow you to turn stummels, though I will be turning shank/stem extensions, etc, as I get accustomed to the machine.

ckr · Post by **ckr** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:38 am

Yea, Nick is allright. He even recommended I get a motor.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:38 pm

Joel.. just thought I'd mention to you that I received my lathe yesterday and got the machine together. It went together pretty easily and is working wonderfully. The assembly instructions are a little bit vague, so if you're getting one, I'd suggest you look at Nick Carter's "Lapping and Assembling the Taig Lathe" article he has posted on his website. It's not a terribly difficult item to assemble, but I would have been lost in a couple of places if I hadn't printed that out and taken it home with me.

Matt

ArtGuy · Post by **ArtGuy** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 2:19 pm

I just took a look at the pipemakers kit Nick Carter has put together. That is a pretty nice setup. Better than what I have anyhow. I have the bare minimum taig setup.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 2:48 pm

I was pretty jazzed when it showed up, John. And EXTREMELY jazzed once I had it assembled. It is a nice little kit.. I'm looking forward to learning the ins-and-outs of it.