What Size Lathe Should You Buy?
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- Опубліковано 19 лют 2018
- What is the best lathe for your workshop? Choosing the best lathe depends on what types of woodturning projects you like to make. If you only turn pens, then a mini lathe is the perfect choice. But, if you want to turn large bowls, then you'll need a full-size lathe. Ernie Conover shows you the basic features and benefits of mini lathes, midi lathes and full-size lathes.
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This is the best explanation of the multiple sizes and kinds of lathes on the market that I have ever seen. No long technical explanation but a more concise of an explanation and will help anyone thinking of buying a lathe to decide on what type will best suit their needs.
Great info just starting out a week in I have a mini 10-14 inch and I already want a full sized one I'm falling hard into it very relaxing next thing you know 3 hours went by . I also noticed that all the turners on you tube pay respect to each other i hope to be part of that one day........
Thank you very much for the information! I used to turn with my dad about 15 years ago, and am looking to get back into it now that I have the space and ability to do so. My creativity bug is really getting to me.
Great information, thank you Ernie!
Very helpful and clearly put video. Many thanks for posting.
Phenomenal video wish more people did as informative videos as you do
Gracias por compartir, muy buen tip en el presupuesto total
Thsnks so much Ernie for this concise tutorial on wood lathe choices. Im convinced that even with its limitations, my ShopSmith Mark V is still the best option for me. Cheers, BC
Great information. Thanks
Great video, very helpful!
Great video. I have 2 lathes Sears Craftsman with copy crafter and Rockwell 36” drop bed. Your vids are valuable to a lot of people.
Great video very easy to understand.
Such a great video. Thanks for posting.
Great vid. Thanks.
Great advice!
Excellent video. Thanks.
Very helpful. Thank you!
Good video, Ernie!
Very nice video, thanks
Thanks for this video
Great video, great information
Thank you for your knowledge!:)
That is a really nice video. That gives me a lot to think about
Thanks
I'm drooling sitting here looking at your one-way lathe....
Commento molto costruttivo spiegazione molto accurata e onesta
Hi Ernie,
I'm 73 and started turning about 1 year ago on an old/used Delta Mini lathe.
I have a grinder and sharpening jig and also have a good assortment of carbide and conventional tools.
I want to upgrade to a bigger lathe with a 12" swing so I can do a few larger pieces.
I well know that I can't afford a new lathe and will have to hope a used lathe can be found somewhere near where I live.
Thanks for an informative video,,,,it did help me a lot!
Tom
Thomas C Kuzia hey Tom good for you starting at 72 ! I'm 52 and started a week ago on a mini also and I thought I was getting into it late at 52......guess not! I want upgrade already also but cash is the problem for me too. I check ebay everyday and some good deals pop up check it out . Hope you get one soon! Take care and be safe.....
Thank you so much, this really answered a lot of my questions and kept me from making a mistake on what I want to buy.
Nice explanation what help us chose the better lathe
My answer is usually "the biggest one you can afford and have room for". That's based in my Grandfather's favorite maxim: "You can hit light with a heavy hammer but you can't hit heavy with a light hammer. If you can only have one hammer, make it a big one".
If you can afford the big hammer.
That's a really enlightening allegory for a lathe
Glad I watched this. I was about to walk in to the store and call it a “laaaaaathe”
I like the Brendan Stemps Vic Mark
You should check it out here on youtube if nothing else It's nice a swiveling head stock heavy duty out board turning acc
I all ways wonder why I never see any large wood lathe here in America thank you sir
Hi, Ernie! Thank you very much for this information. It's a lot to think about and I'm doing my homework so I can buy something soon! Any suggestions on where to buy things? Thank you! Hope all's going well there!
I wonder what Ernie's opinion is on shopsmiths.
Ernie, after watching this very informative video, I recognized your name at the end. No wonder it was so informative.
你好吗、Ernie?! I think I'd rather take one of your classes first, Ernie! We'll see after we get past this Covid stuff! Hope you're well there!
One thing needs to be added, six years after this went live: Several of the full-size lathe builders sell dedicated bowl lathes. Powermatic and Oneway both make full size lathes with short beds. I don't know if you'd WANT to buy a machine like this - they aren't really any cheaper, and someday you may need to create a melee weapon to keep the avenging hordes out of your shop - but you can get them. Outfits like Robust that build to order could probably be talked into only putting 16 to 20 inches of bed on the machine you bought.
Hey there, would you be willing to give me some advice on where to find a cheap lathe to make bowls? Ideally, I'd make some medium sized ones, but I would also be fine with making smaller ones if that's all I could afford. I don't really know anything about this sort of thing, and online shopping nowadays is just a nightmare. If you know of any lathes that would allow me to make some wooden bowls, I would appreciate any advice! :)
Is it practical to purchase a larger lathe and be able to do larger work yet still do smaller projects such as you would on the mini lathe or are two independent lathes better then one?
I turn things as small as pens on my big lathe frequently so a smaller lathe isn't really a necessity if you already have a full sized lathe.
Billy Burt thank you
Which one would be good for 12 - 18 inch long stock?
Any lathe with more than a 24" bed that has enough swing to handle your workpiece. The tailstock moves on all lathes, so as long as you've got enough bed to keep the whole tailstock on the bed while the workpiece is clamped between centers, you're golden.
Some of the full size lathes with 1.5-2 HP motors can be powered by 120 or 220 V. For those that also have a VFD (which I believe is common), the 120 V powered lathe w VFD, will not work in an area that by electrical code, must have GFIC circuits. Typical for a garage for any home built after 2003 or so. Or any garage remodeled requiring electrical work by a licensed electrician.
Mini lathes are the best....I sold both my big lathes use only mini lathes now
Buy the largest you can afford. For me, I cannot afford the one from harbor freight
"Buy the one you can afford!" That's a weird way to tell me not to buy one.
Not necessarily, David. If you can afford to spend $10,000 on a lathe you'll be looking at some pretty massive equipment...but if you will be turning nothing larger than 12" bowls, the only thing that machine brings to the party is the vibration-dampening characteristics of half a ton of cast iron sitting in the middle of the shop floor.
I just would not recommend the small lathe for someone new to lathing; especially the young . Get the bigger one, so you can do more fun things with it like turning a baseball bat . And you always have the option of doing small things with it too... works the same .
Forget all this. Just let me be your apprentice for free.
Prices have changed. Top end of a large lathe is now well over $12k. Pretty outrageous and depressing. Lots of good machines in the $3-5k range.
You failed to mention ROBUST wood lathes. Their made in the USA lates are a choice that should be considered if you are in the market for a top of the line well built tool.
In my opinion.... go big or go home....
Hi there, thanks for the video!! Would you be able to give me some advice please? I am working with a VERY low budget, and I was just hoping to find a cheap lathe for turning bowls. Preferably with the option to make medium sized bowls, but I would take one that limits me to smaller ones if it's all I could afford. I'm going into this blindly, and basically, my parents want me to give them an idea of what to get me for Christmas, and I'm running out of time! I was hoping to get tools to make bowls, so I can ask for something productive that would serve as a hobby, and allow me to create gifts for people, and hopefully turn a profit in time, so I can help my family 😊
I'll do it by hand if I have to, but I have some problems with my wrists and hands, so I was hoping to find a cheap lathe that could save me some strain. I'd appreciate any and all advice! Thank you and merry Christmas ☺️
Great video! Very helpful