[duncsuss]

Thanks Dave for that kick in the crotch. I guess I should have kept the money and not bought those amazon cards. To be honest though, I could swear the same deal was on amazon about a month ago.

I missed out. Hopefully another sale happens during the holidays? Maybe cyber Monday or something?

Have you tried to see if you can buy from Woodcraft through an Amazon storefront?

 

[duncsuss]

So since that's the case, im switching to the JET 708352 JWL-1236. It only has 3/4 HP which i don't like, but its big and affordable. This lathe was under 800 dollars in Feb 2012!

Compare the Jet to THIS lathe from Harbor Freight. Notice any similarities?

I've been using the HF for nearly 2 yrs. I bought it for less than $200 using the "25% off any single item" New Years Day coupon. Adequate? Yes. Great? No.

If you're going to spend $800 on a lathe, get one that (a) has more power and (b) doesn't have a Reeve's drive.

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[duncsuss]

That HF lathe has a 3/4 HP motor, are you saying that it isn't enough?

That's exactly what I'm saying; 3/4HP is not enough if you want to turn a bowl approaching the 12" maximum. It'll maybe suffice for a platter, but it bogs down on a 10" diameter x 6" deep blank of green maple.

Oh, I also forgot, reason (c) the slowest speed is not slow enough if you want to turn big blanks that are off-balance.

Also, can you explain more about what a "Reeve's Drive" is and what is not good about it?

A Reeve's Drive is a mechanical speed adjuster that works using two inter-locking conical wheels. When you move the handle, the cones move on the common shaft, effectively changing the diameter of the pulley wheel the drive belt encircles.

You can only change speed when the motor is running (unlike a variable speed motor). To me, that's the biggest drawback -- if I forget to lower the speed before mounting a big bowl blank, I have to remove the blank so I can power it up safely and slow it down.

I'm NOT saying "don't buy the HF version for $200" -- I'm saying "don't pay $800 for the Jet version, for that much money you should get a much better lathe".

HTH