How good of a deal is this?

[tigercasual]

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/tls/2054741502.html

I've been saving my money for a better lathe, but if this is a good enough deal- and usable for most projects- I'll buy this one until I've saved enough to upgrade.

Cheers,
TC

[SWM]

Hi TC,

I personally would wait. They say, a lathe is never too big but often too small - that is until you have to move it though...

And maybe you should buy a metal lathe. You can use it for almost everything you can do with a wood lathe (in pipemaking) and for a lot more, like stems and making your own tools...

Best,

Steffen

[KurtHuhn]

I have that lathe (well, same model) and I love it. Today it drilled and shaped two pipes, and buffed two others.

Considering it comes with a both a Beall collet chuck and a PSI 4 jaw chuck, it's actually a great deal. You are also going to need a MT2 Jacobs chuck, as well as some lathe chisels and gouges. To do stems with this, you will want to use delrin tenons. Also, you will want some tower jaws for that PSI chuck to securely hold your blocks. And find some ER32 collets on eBay from seller "800watt".

Personally I would get it, but I use mine for waaaaaay more than pipe making.

[SWM]

Well Kurt, since your advice comes from practical experience and mine only from hearsay, yours will be the better one for TC. But I admit, I'm astonished, it looks rather small...

Best,

Steffen

[baweaverpipes]

Mr. Huhn,
I'm in a quandary as to why you continue to push wood lathes. Have you not worked with a substantial metal lathe? I find it fascinating that you steer people toward wood lathes when the vast majority of pipe makers, of note, use metal lathes.
It's quite odd and, most assuredly, not a wise direction.

[Tyler]

Mr. Huhn,
I'm in a quandary as to why you continue to push wood lathes. Have you not worked with a substantial metal lathe? I find it fascinating that you steer people toward wood lathes when the vast majority of pipe makers, of note, use metal lathes.
It's quite odd and, most assuredly, not a wise direction.

Yeah, but it's cheap.

I use a lathe a lot like that one and would recommend it as a good start. Not the ideal tool, no doubt, but better than a Dremel.

I'm going to get a good metal lathe one of these days, right after I get a sandblasting rig.

[KurtHuhn]

Well, speaking from experience, it's really quite a capable tool. I'm working on the thought that folks might find some usefulness in a wood lathe that can do more than a similarly sized metal lathe when it comes to crafty work like bowls, cups, candlesticks, and various and sundry nicknacks. Lord knows my wood lathe works overtime for me making everything from Christmas tree ornaments, to pipes, to pens and pencils. In my mind, it's not the tool that limits the pipe maker, it's his perception of the limitation of the tool. If you believe that you can't make a pipe with anything but a metal lathe, you are limited without one. If you make the tools you can afford to buy work the way you need them to, you are free to do whatever you desire.

It's also a simple matter of economics. Very few people can afford to drop anywhere from $1200 to $5400 on a nice big metal lathe when they're not at the point where they're selling pipes for even $100. There's little wisdom in making a huge investment on tools that can't pay for themselves.

There's a few different types of folks here looking for advice and learning - folks who want to be professional pipe makers, and folks who find the process interesting, and would like to give it a go as a hobby. I try to tailor my advice suited to my impression of the intention of the person asking the question. The correct answer to "What car shall I buy?" is not always "Dodge Ram 2500 with Cummins Diesel - and don't you dare get an automatic transmission.". Sometimes the answer is "Chevy Equinox", or God help me, "Toyota Camry".

It's the same reasoning behind not buying all your tools from the Snap-On guy, and instead visiting Lowes for most of your needs, or even hitting Harbor Freight once in a while. The biggest and baddest isn't always the best for every situation. If you don't need to haul 10k pounds 500 miles every day, you don't need a big truck. Same thing goes for pipe making - if you don't need to make 3 to 4 pipes a day, you don't need a big metal lathe (and even then...).

Is a big metal lathe the best tool you can buy to make pipes? Perhaps, according some folks. Is it required? No.

What I will agree to is that a metal lathe is useful for making stems. Thing is, that's all I really use mine for when it comes to pipe making. And even at that, the function is limited to cutting the tenon. My metal lathe is indeed rather lustworthy, BUT I use it primarily for activities unrelated to the making of pipes.

My goal in handing out advice is to provide an illustration of my own experience. And to provide folks with information that I think might benefit them in making their decision. If they choose, after considering my experience, to buy a metal lathe, I will find nothing wrong with their decision, and I will help them in getting tooled up to make it useful for making pipes. If they choose to buy a wood lathe, I will also find nothing wrong with their decision, and will help them in getting tooled up to make pipes.

It's just a point/counterpoint. Call it playing Devil's Advocate if you like. But not everyone needs a big metal lathe to make very nice pipes. They are useful, yes, but not required. And, buying a capable wood lathe is less than 1/4 of the entry price, putting the acquisition of a useful pipemaking tool within the reach of significantly more people.

And please, for the love of God, Bruce. Don't ever call me "Mr. Huhn" again - I really don't take myself anywhere near that seriously.

[tigercasual]

Drat! Someone beat me to it. Sigh.... back to the drawing board.

[SWM]

Kurt, I agree on what you said about limitations existing mostly in ones mind. I also agree with you on the issue of economics, myself being not far beyond the described point. I don't own a nice big metal lathe but a very old and medium to small sized one. There is nothing fancy about my other tools either - well maybe except for that tapered drill bit, which is very cool...

So one thing I certainly didn't want to express is "Buy fancy and expensive tools or you'll never be a good pipe maker!" which would be like a "Members only!" sign I don't think we want around here.

I had understood the question in the way, that there's already a "beginner's" lathe around and TC wanted to upgrade. That is why I said, I would wait.

TC, too bad then you didn't get it...

Best,

Steffen

[tigercasual]

Sorry Steffen,

I should have worded my post a little better.

Cheers All!

[KurtHuhn]

I had understood the question in the way, that there's already a "beginner's" lathe around and TC wanted to upgrade. That is why I said, I would wait.

Oh crap - I missed that part!

TC, depending on what you already have, you might want to just move along to a decent metal lathe. What lathe do you have? Maybe there's other advice lurking in there somewhere that can help you make better use of your existing setup.

[Alan L]

The biggest and baddest isn't always the best for every situation. If you don't need to haul 10k pounds 500 miles every day, you don't need a big truck.

...Says the guy with a Ram 1500 Hemi 4x4...


I have one too.

[KurtHuhn]

The biggest and baddest isn't always the best for every situation. If you don't need to haul 10k pounds 500 miles every day, you don't need a big truck.

...Says the guy with a Ram 1500 Hemi 4x4...


I have one too.

Guilty as charged! Because sometimes, despite what your wife may tell you, you don't need a reason beyond "WANT!" to buy the biggest, baddest, loudest tool. Or toy.

[tigercasual]

Kurt,

You had it right the first time: I do not have a lathe right now. What I meant was...

Is the Jet lathe good enough to use until I upgraded to a bigger lathe?

So, Alas, I'm still looking to buy a lathe.

Cheers,
TC

[smokindawg]

I've got a Delta, which was my first lathe and it works great for all things as Kurt says. I also have a metal lathe and they both have their uses for lots of different things.

Keep looking at craigslist, that's where I found my Jet 9x20 for $600, so a good deal is out there on whatever you decide to pick up for your first lathe.

[KurtHuhn]

What I meant was...

Is the Jet lathe good enough to use until I upgraded to a bigger lathe?

In my opinion, yes. Depending on a number of factors, you may even find that you don't need a larger lathe, and that a smallish metal lathe along with that model wood lathe will suit your pipe making needs just fine. OR, you may find one day that you need a significantly larger lathe to do what you want to do. Who can say really what the future will bring. In the meantime, some good pipe makers have found those lathes very useful.