Thread: Questions about Harbor Freight Lathe

Welcome aboard hbound201.

These forums are based in Australia, but have a fair degree of International activity. However we do not have a Harbor Freight chain here, so the machines you are enquiring about would be unknown here in the form you relate to. We do have a number of companies bringing in Asian machinery generally badged to their requirements, and one of these might bring in a very similar machine, but there would be differences in design, features and quality between your local version and ours.
I respectfully suggest that you would get a better overview of the products you are interested in by asking the same question on some of your local forums. Not suggesting that you are wasting your time here, our mob would cheerfully help out with most questions, but questions about a North American specific model machine might be outside our experience.

Welcome,
I agree with the post above ...
you will probably be served better by asking about that lathe at a US turning website.

750 rpm is okay for spindles but probably too fast for rough turning a bowl (especially an off balance piece) It also would generate more heat when sanding. Not ideal for facework.

HF has an online catalog and a link to user's comments on the page featuring the product.

There was a recent thread about HF lathes here
Main Category - AAW Forums

hbound201,

The two HF cast iron mini lathes are quite decent. I would go for the bigger one:

Benchtop Wood Lathe - 5 Speed

The 1" X 8 threads per inch and #2 Morse taper on the spindle are common as dirt. The # 1 Morse taper on the tailstock ram slightly less so, but there are many mini lathes that use that.

I have not used either, but carefully inspected both at the store. Do not even consider the square tube bed ones. The Craftsman with the round bed might work if you cut off half of the tube to give it some stiffness.

My 13 3/4 inch swing Hegner has a slow speed of 800 RPM, and while it gets a bit tense at times with a big out of balance bowl blank it does fine. I do 95% bowls so rarely get out of the first speed. Next up is 1400 which I tried on a shallow platter about 10 inches in diameter for sheer scraping. The higher speed did make a difference for a smoother surface.

I do not find 800 RPM too fast for sanding.

There are spindle adapters for chucks so that you may use any chuck, and if you upgrade to a bigger lathe a different or no adapter will let it fit on the new lathe.

I bought one of these chuck sets used for $50 and found it quite good:

Barracuda2 Lathe Key Chuck System at Penn State Industries

I have two Oneway chucks, one that came with the Hegner and a Stronghold I bought to go on the 20 inch swing short bed Woodfast.

Many turners consider the Vicmarc chucks the best, and Oneway the second. The PSI chuck is pretty close in quality to the Oneway of the same size I have. Time will tell if it hold up as long.

This forum is full of information, and the folks here very friendly and helpful.

Learn to use the search feature, and do some reading here:

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/woo...o-links-53794/

Folks here are patient with new turners, but sometimes it gets tiresome to keep answering the same questions with each batch of starters.

Welcome to what may become an addiction.

Stay away from Horror Freight...their stuff is junk ~ why do you think it's cheap???

Originally Posted by Ed Reiss

Stay away from Horror Freight...their stuff is junk ~ why do you think it's cheap???

Hi Ed,

Welcome back. I think of you often when I get in front of a lathe.

Some of HF stuff is junk. Some may work for what the buyer needs.

HF: Benchtop Wood Lathe - 5 Speed

Penn State: Turncrafter Commander 10" Multi Speed Midi Lathe at Penn State Industries

Grizzly: H8259 10" x 18" Bench-Top Wood Lathe

Jet: JET JML 1014I 10 Inch X 14 Inch Indexing Mini Lathe - Amazon.com

Larger Jet: Packard Woodworks: The Woodturner's Source: Jet 1220 Lathes

Rockler: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...FYKK4Aodo1wAcQ

You might find a similarity in the castings, motor position, switch position, & variety of prices.

Hey Paul...thanks for the welcome back. Things are slowly getting better and am sorting out life without Ann.

Hbound201,

I was in HF today getting a digital scale to weigh bowl blanks to see when they are dry.

I rechecked the lathe I recommended above to be sure I was not misleading you.

The floor sample looked good, and the controls felt good. The banjo for the tool rest moves and secures much better than my German made $2000 Hegner.

The speed change is done by moving the belt to different places on a step pulley. On the floor model the motor release was held in place with a hex socket screw. This could be changed to a knob. I suspect that if the motor were just let to hang on the belt it would do fine. Several table saws work like this.

I would have a careful look at one and wait until it is on sale or you get a 20% off coupon.

I will absolutely agree that some HF things are a "piece of excrement" and "an abomination before the Lord".

Some things, like their big cast iron C clamps, selected carefully, and 18 inch magnetic tool holders for $4.99 are very useful.

Best advice, find the nearest AAW chapter/club and ask around. Some one is always upgrading, and you could get better for less, and probably turning tools and mentoring.

robo hippy