Thread: Lathes

I see it says Taiwan. I don't see... spindle threads, so no faceplate turning or chuck use. The tubular ways will flex and cause problems. Just my opinion.

So no good then ????? i have zero experience any advice is helpful

This is a beefed up version of those nasty Dynalink lathes, but it looks like it has all their faults.

• The banjo needs a spanner to move. Not really a fault, but it makes things damned awkward.
• The tailstock is flimsily built, has a solid shaft - thus no morse taper or deep drilling with it - and the tailspur is permanently attached.
• As the drive-spur is the same as the Dynalink (it is a threaded nut) I assume that the drive shaft is also solid like it's li'l brother, and like the tailstock won't have a morse taper or allow deep drilling. It will take a faceplate though, and you can (with a lot of fiddling around) mount a chuck.
• The ways are prone to flexing.

All in all: move along, move along. There's nothing to buy here.

hey thanks ,,, that save me messing around ,,, cheers the search goes on ,,,,

any suggestions for a beginners model

I won't recommend brands... instead I'll recommend types.

The bottom-of-the-range of "real" lathes is really two different types of lathe: midi lathes and mc-900s.

Midi lathes look like this or these.

MC-900s look like this

(The above links are only a guide of the shape to look for, not recommendations as to brand. )

Anyways, each "type" is available under many different brand names (Leda, JET, Woodfast, etc.), prices, colours, etc. The thing they have in common is the castings. Different mfrs bolt on different motors and options such as Electronic Variable Speed, which is reflected in their prices. But the basic structure is all the same.

Both types fall in the same price range(s) but the midi tends to be of better overall quality. They're fairly restricted in the maximum size they'll handle - I think they'll only handle up to 10" diameter. Which is quite a respectable size, BTW.

The MC-900s have a swivel head, which allows you to turn much larger diameter pieces by swivelling the headstock and turning on the front of the lathe. So it's a quality vs. size thing.


It's always nice to be able to afford better equipment (some will recommend you to do so; I think "why buy a Rolls-Royce or Ferrari if you haven't even got your L-plates yet?" ) but the budget doesn't always allow this... especially if you don't know whether you'll still be turning 12 months from now. The above two types make excellent entry level lathes.

As I said at te beginning, I won't recommend brands - but all the mfrs have various "sales" at different times and if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll find a bargain.

Good luck!

I agree with the build quality of midi lathes being good bang for buck. Many people find the swing of 10 inches limiting though. If you actually measure this it is rather a respectable diameter for a bowl.

For clarity the jet midi (1220) can do up to 12 inches diameter but i believe the price of it has gone up enough to make that extra 2 inches (and horsepower) rather expensive. When i got mine it was under 500 but at last look it's closer to 700 now. Not sure if there are alternatives with similar specs.

I've heard great things about the woodfast lathes in this category and i believe they are well priced.

I personally think a midi lathe is a good first purchase: sturdy, cheaper and if/when you get a bigger lathe, will still see use, mainly because it'll likely still be going strong. I aspire to get a stubby lathe one day but i'll keep using my jet even then for smaller jobs.

I am going to jump in and agree with the two above posts...if you are looking at pen and small vessel/bowl turning, a midi lathe is pretty much the least inexpensive way to go and still get a good quality tool.
Woodfast(Rikon) Jet & Delta all make a good midi lathe, the Woodfast and Delta are a little bigger,(swing over bed and head stock to tail stock length) and all three sell bed extensions up to 24" so you can turn some large long stock.
Stay with a cast or machined steel bed lathe...tubular lathes are more trouble than they are worth.
I have also found that most folks who buy one of these tend to later buy a bigger lathe, but retain or keep the midi lathe just for their pen turning...which would suggest that the quality of these lathes is fairly high.
Expect to spend somewhere around $400.00 American for one...and dont worry too much about the tools, you will, over the years, end up with a fairly large and excentric selection!

All of what has been said is pretty spot on, but Like buying a car no one can tell you (some will try ) lol. If you have no experience at all ,and are not sure where you want to end up in the turning game middle of the road is a good place to start. I tried at first on a metal lathe I have ,was far too slow in speeds and not practical in the least. Still not sure I got a cheap (crap Dynalink) from cash converters $100 with nice soft tools to match hehe. I made about a hundred pens and decided that I liked the penturning and time to upgrade .I then went to a mini ,variable speed from carbetec ,the first onr lasted 2 weeks ,the second one about the same ,used it to get a woodfast midi and never looked back ,Done about a thousand pens now in about a year (gotta retire from retirement ) hehe, what I am trying to say is if you know you will keep on with the woodturning ,pens or other get something in your price range that will last. I still use the dynalink for some spindle work practice but it is as stated a crap machine to say the least.If you don;t already have a workshop of sorts there are a lot of ancillary things you need to think of as well before you get your first pen turned. If all this is a bit daunting don't worry ,forwarned is forearmed hehe,Cheers ~John

hey thanks guys ,,, this info has armed me and pointed me in the right direction

Very good advice has already been given. Let me add that you might want to look at features such as motor size, variable speed and ease of belt changing.