Yup, I've Lost it Entirely

[dshpipes]

I bought a lathe!

A few weeks ago, I got it into my head to peruse CraigsList just to see if there were any lathes floating around and, low and behold, there was one. Guy was asking $1500 for his Taiwan made Jet 12x24 with a bunch of tooling included. I went and checked it out and was pretty impressed by the amount of tools he had with it (many 5c collets, a self centering 3 jaw, a non self centering 4 jaw, live center, armstrong cutting tools and tool attachment, lots of spare blades... the list goes on). The lathe also has a large diameter hole straight through the headstock, leaving plenty of room to cut rod stock once I start stocking up on some. It's also in excellent condition considering it's probably older than me.

Well, I decided to pick it up. I haggled the previous owner down to $1350 for the lot. Moving was the toughest part, of course. Apparently these things are heavy!

I've already started cutting tenons on it and I have to say, after a short period of "what the hell was I thinking?," I am very very pleased. Now all I need is a 2 jaw chuck, a forestner bit, a grinding disk, a...

In any case, I can now start making amateur pipes a bit faster and I've got to say that I am delighted by the idea.

Please join me in bidding a warm welcome to... Bertha!

 

[J Soshae]

That looks nice. We look forward to seeing the pictures of your endeavors.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Wow, that's sure is a long way from having to borrow your girl friend's drill.

 

[mark]

That's one hell of a deal at $1350, ecpecially with the two chucks and a set of collets. A 12x24 lends itself to loads of other projects too.

Congratulations and enjoy.

Lucky dog

 

[dshpipes]

Wow, that's sure is a long way from having to borrow your girl friend's drill.

Lol! Well after I returned her drill, I was left with nothing! What's a guy to do? Buy a lathe of course.

 

[dshpipes]

And thanks guys!

 

[Rob_In_MO]

It's also in excellent condition considering it's probably older than me.

Yup - and with a little lubing & TLC, it'll still be running long after we're both gone.

 

[gravel]

Nice find! What room is that bad boy in? That window looks pretty finished for a garage.

 

[George Kaplan]

Dang, buddy! you don't mess around. I was just in Harbor Freight today for some odds and ends, and I always eyeball the cheap-arse Chicago Electric belt sanders and lathes for a bit before coming to my senses. You went all in, though. Straight for the good stuff. Nothing "rudimentary" about that one!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gUT8doDpBI0" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Blackhorse]

It looks like something you could turn new columns for the front of your place with! Pretty darn sweet!


Some time back my wife asked me if I wanted a band saw. I don't think my head has ever whipped around so fast. Turns out its a cast-off, 50 year old beast, from some friends of hers that were moving and didn't want to lug it along...no branding, all cast iron, 300 pounds , replacement motor...dusty and cruddy for sure, but after a little TLC it hums along pretty darn well. If I put a new saw blade on it it would likely cut the heck out of the little blocks of Ebony and Rosewood, etc. that I use for the knives I make. But even with the old blade it cuts fast and cool. It's kept in the outside shed, so when I want to use it I have to lug the extension cord out there, plug it in and go...which takes about 1/100th the time of sawing the blocks by hand.

The point is...old tools can be your best friends. Often they are 3-4 times better built than most of the newer and far more expensive junk that's out there. I'm thinkin' you did just fine!

 

[Dutch]

That's a sweet addition to your shop, and a great investment. Congrats! 8)

 

[CygnusXII]

Great looking lathe, and nice size. You got the most bang for the buck. I am envious. Hope to see some results from it's use soon. Congratulations.

 

[Blackhorse]

I used to had a friend in some classes I took (Metalsmithing) that had a "Unimat" that I guess is a miniature but VERY high quality lathe. He turned some really cool metal pieces on it. I don't know if yours has the potential for turning metals (non-ferrous...brass, etc.) but he was always compalining that it wasn't big enough. Size matters.

 

[kaiser83]

I have a new JET lathe sitting in my shopping cart on Amazon, I just can't pull the trigger on it. I know for tenons you are supposed to have a lathe that spins at 3k rpm or more and most wood lathes I have found max at 3k. Then I have heard to but a small machinist lathe to get the job done the best. Congrats on the beaut of a lathe, i look forward to seeing future projects and am envious of the workshop.

 

[Mr. Doody]

Enjoy Bertha!

Doody

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Apparently these things are heavy!

:lol:

Welcome, Bertha. 8)

 

[dshpipes]

Apparently these things are heavy!

:lol:

Welcome, Bertha. 8)

LOL! Yup. That's pretty much how I felt for the three days it took to figure out how to get it into my apartment. That's right guys. When I said I'd lost it, I wasn't kidding. We had to lug this beast up half a flight of stairs into my hardwood floored apartment. Fortunately, the hardwood didn't crack and split under the weight of the lathe.

As you can see, it's now sitting on a 3/4" sheet of ply to protect the floor. The 3/4" sheet of ply is wrapped in 4 layers of plastic to keep it from scratching the floor.

As far as cutting tenons goes, my lathe is spinning at 800rpm and I'm not having any trouble cutting tenons. Only problem there is inexperience. :lol: Max speed is 1050.

That blowfish I've been working on got a fresh cut stem the other day and I've got two days off coming up. My goal is to have that baby finished by Friday of next week. Should be totally do-able and you'll see photos posted in the DIY when it's done!

Thanks for all the kind words, guys! Bertha does appreciate it.