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Brian_P
27th November 2016, 09:13 AM
Hi guys.
I'm an absolute noob at wood turning but I'm very keen to learn all about pens & at a later stage, salt & pepper mills.
I'm on the lookout for a decent mini lathe under $1,000.00. I've looked at some of the sponsors as well as online but finding it hard to get the specs I"m looking for. I found a variable speed, MC1218VD for $440.00 which has a digital speed control readout & thought this might be ideal for pens & mills. I'm pretty sure it's a similar lathe to the one Pop's shed used to sell before they stopped stocking & moving on to the smaller 370W variable speed lathe. The only concern I have is the lowest speed setting of 650rpm which seems common on these smaller budget lathes. Any advice for or against would be very much appreciated.
Wood Lathe MC1218VD | Moonah Machinery (http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/lathes/wood-lathe-mc1218vd/)

Wood Lathe MC1218VD - Specifications:

<tbody>
Spindle speeds ~ 3 of variable
650 ~ 1450 RPM 1250 ~ 2800 RPM
1600 ~ 3800 RPM



Distance between openings
460 mm


Swing over bed
300 mm


Head and tailstock tapers
MT2


Spindle thread
1" x 8 TPI


Motor power
550 watts DC variable



</tbody>


(http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/dust-extractors/) (http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/dust-extractors/)

(http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/lathes/) (http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/lathes/) (http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/mortices/) (http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/mortices/)

(http://www.moonahmachinery.com.au/products-page/planer-blade-grinders/)

pommyphil
27th November 2016, 10:02 AM
Well Brian, that's very cheap for the specs. Like about half what you'd expect to pay, so be very sure of the quality, finish, accuracy,back up service ,etc.

I know little about pen turning:)but if the head and tail stock are not dead on you're stuffed, but all being well it's a very good deal. Enjoy Phil

Gabriel
27th November 2016, 10:42 AM
650 is quite fast for a lowest speed. I have a jet 1220 (manual speed change) which has a low speed of 400. I found this to be perfect as a 'dip my toe in the water lathe(vs would have been a dream though) I have turned plenty of pens, and a few small bowls and grinders on it and it was able to handle it quite happily. For strictly pen turning the 650 speed should be fine, but be wary - once the turning bug bites you'll find yourself wanting to push the limits and I think that you may be limited in what you can rough turn out if balance at those speeds

Brian_P
27th November 2016, 11:11 AM
650 is quite fast for a lowest speed. I have a jet 1220 (manual speed change) which has a low speed of 400. I found this to be perfect as a 'dip my toe in the water lathe(vs would have been a dream though) I have turned plenty of pens, and a few small bowls and grinders on it and it was able to handle it quite happily. For strictly pen turning the 650 speed should be fine, but be wary - once the turning bug bites you'll find yourself wanting to push the limits and I think that you may be limited in what you can rough turn out if balance at those speeds


Thanks Gabriel.
I love your signature by the way.
I researched the Jet lathes pretty extensively & it may be a better option to save some more & get a JET-JWL1220VS.
The thing I'm most concerned about with the cheaper lathe is it's ability to run true with no misalignment. The Jet's seem to run very smooth, no chatter etc.
Not too fussed on the built in light but I might go this way.

Brian_P
27th November 2016, 03:47 PM
I found a second hand Jet 1220 lathe, manual belt change locally for sale.
It's probably around 3-4yrs old but well looked after & hasn't done a great deal of work.
The speeds indicated inside the head stock cover are different to his manual which is quite strange.
The manual states spindle speeds of, 500-840-1240-1800-2630-3975, 115V in his manual.
His spindle speeds state, 417-700-1033-1500-2912-3313.
It's a 3/4hp with the inbuilt work light & looks the goods. Throwing in a GPW vicmarc chuck, a few live centres & some other odds & ends.
Would anyone like to guess a ball park figure for this second hand lathe. It's probably around $1.000 or a touch over new but it's uesd????
If it's too close to a new price, I'll just get a new lathe.

Gabriel
27th November 2016, 07:14 PM
You say it's 115v so does this mean you need a converter for 240v?

Those extras do add up, and having them thrown in will go a long way to helping you achieve an enjoyable turning setup. Personally, as it's not exactly what you're after (no variable speed) I'd offer him what your comfortable with, if he accepts - great - if not then no great loss on your part and you're still where you were a week ago.

I'll add with my advice (and as you mentioned) I amby no means a Guru and have only been hobby turning for a few years so I don't have much real world experience to back up my findings.

You will be surprised as how useful the light us. When turning a bowl of something, having a light you can direct into the hollow is quite useful (I set up an aftermarket one on my new lathe after being so used to having one the jet .

Brian_P
27th November 2016, 07:46 PM
I found a second hand Jet 1220 lathe, manual belt change locally for sale.
It's probably around 3-4yrs old but well looked after & hasn't done a great deal of work.
The speeds indicated inside the head stock cover are different to his manual which is quite strange.
The manual states spindle speeds of, 500-840-1240-1800-2630-3975, 115V in his manual.
His spindle speeds state, 417-700-1033-1500-2912-3313.
It's a 3/4hp with the inbuilt work light & looks the goods. Throwing in a GPW vicmarc chuck, a few live centres & some other odds & ends.
Would anyone like to guess a ball park figure for this second hand lathe. It's probably around $1.000 or a touch over new but it's uesd????
If it's too close to a new price, I'll just get a new lathe.

It's 240V but the manual he got with it says the specs on the Jet as 115V & the speeds are slightly different in the manual as to what's on the lathe.
His product manual was for the 1220 & the smaller 1014 from memory. It's definitely a 1220 with the inbuilt light, 3/4hp motor. The head stock lines up perfectly with the tail stock & we ran it through all belt positions. It runs very quiet & super smooth. I'll send him an offer & see how we go.

Bohdan
27th November 2016, 08:17 PM
The manual is obviously for the US machine which running on 115V 60Hz would give you the higher speeds.

417*60/50=500.4

Brian_P
27th November 2016, 09:08 PM
The manual is obviously for the US machine which running on 115V 60Hz would give you the higher speeds.

417*60/50=500.4


Thanks so much Bohdan.
I now know why the manual was different to the spindle speeds on the lathe & I had no idea how to work that out.
It will be 500-840-1240-1800-2630-3975
So, I need your advice. Go with the linked variable speed MC1218VD, $440.00 + freight no accessories or the Jet 1220 with GPW chuck & quite a few accessories for $575.00. I'm hitting the buy button on one of these tomorrow.
Pens is mainly what I want to do with salt & pepper mills later down the track.
Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

Bohdan
27th November 2016, 09:14 PM
Thanks so much Bohdan.

Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

Unfortunatly my expertise doesn't cover woodturning so I can't help you with that request but I'm sure that there are others watching that can point you in the right direction.

Brian_P
27th November 2016, 09:40 PM
Which Lathe guys.
Variable speed is handy but the Jet comes with a few accessories.

Christos
27th November 2016, 10:18 PM
When I initially looked at wood turning I ended up with a lathe that I had rebuilt. Nice little project.

It did not have variable speed but was a nice lathe to start with. I have since purchased a new lathe with variable speed and prefer to have one with this option. BUT I am not just turning between centers.

If you are only going to turn pens and peppers mills then you don't really need variable speed. I believe that if you are going to turn the unbalanced bowl then variable speed is quicker to adjust.

Willy Nelson
27th November 2016, 10:57 PM
Sorry, but I disagree.
I upgraded my small lathe because I needed variable speed for pens, eg high speed for turning, low speed for sanding and applying the CA glue, then low speed for friction polish, high speed again for polishing,

I am also in the process of upgrading my large lathe to variable speed. Most of it's work is bowl blanks,
I reckon variable speed is mandatory on all my lathes, got 4 at the moment.
Variable speed allows me to speed up production without wasting time changing belts. The main reason is to increase safety, I turn at a speed which is safest depending on the trueness of the blank. My big lathe had a huge step in RPM, 350 then 900. 350 seemed so slow, yet 900 was way too fast for alarge, out of round, heavy blank.
Even spindle work, variable speed allows me advantages that step speeds do not allow
Just my thoughts
Sincerely
Willy
Jarrahland

Brian_P
28th November 2016, 04:02 AM
So taking into account the different lathes & pen turning being my main reason for getting a lathe, which way would you personally go. Jet or the variable speed.
Cheers

orraloon
28th November 2016, 10:25 AM
While var speed is good to have it is not essential. People turned for thousands of years without it. I still do. Overall quality and value for money have to be considered also. Jet has a good name and I've never heard of the other one. A chuck will be one of the first things you look for after the lathe so there is another couple of hundred and tools can be pricey too. In fact the turning accessories usually cost more than a lathe. Hope this helps.
Regards
John

PS: I guess old pedal lathes were var speed so strike the thousands of years bit and just say a long time.:D

Brian_P
30th November 2016, 08:22 AM
Thanks guys.
I've decided on the Jet 1220 & it's now taking pride of place in the shed.
Belt changes take no more than 15-20sec so I'm not envisioning that as a major concern.
The variable speed lathe still requires you to manually change the belt for the lowest speed so it's not too different really.
My speeds are 500-840-1240-1800-2630-3975.

Brian_P
10th December 2016, 12:38 AM
Hi guys.
I ended up purchasing a 2 jaw dedicated pen drilling chuck from MCJing & the manual I got with the 1220 stated a 1" x 8 TPI spindle thread. I ordered the chuck to fit but but it will not go on. I can get half a turn then it stops & wont go any further. I measured as closely as I could 1 1/4 cm of the spindle thread & I have a 5 thread count meaning the spindle thread is 1" x 10 TPI. Can anyone with a Jet 1220 help with this?

Gabriel
10th December 2016, 06:56 AM
Definitely a 1x10 tpi on mine...... Bit of a bugger that you find out this way. The pen drilling Jaws are great, I wouldn't be turning pens without them....

Brian_P
10th December 2016, 07:50 AM
Definitely a 1x10 tpi on mine...... Bit of a bugger that you find out this way. The pen drilling Jaws are great, I wouldn't be turning pens without them....

Thanks for the info Gabriel.
Much appreciated.