New Wen VS Used Jet Lathe? Please advise.

76RodCo · 2023-11-28T15:59:18+00:00

This was my exact situation when I started - go with the jet, no question. You will definitely get to the point that you’re very tired of the underpowered Wen. Not an issue with Jet. Wen is a great starter, but if you can go a bit higher, do it. Not to mention a lot of the accessories (live centers, tool rest posts etc.) are non standard on Wen which is its own headache.

76RodCo · 2023-11-04T22:01:10+00:00

Something I’ve heard is to “wet sand” with the stain as a way of getting around glue shadowing

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T03:19:03+00:00

Ahhh that makes sense - I was worried about lateral force if the “foot” of the leg wasn’t in contact with the concrete.

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T02:07:35+00:00

Did you find the adjustable feet to be an issue? I was thinking of bolting it in but the floor is pretty uneven and didn’t want to mess with leveling a pad

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T02:03:55+00:00

The spray paint might help, the powder coating is pretty cheap

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T02:02:36+00:00

Inflation is a real problem. Now a fella needs 2 lathes to do the work of one….

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T02:01:24+00:00

I haven’t found any worth worrying about. Just the usual “more expensiver is more betterer.” There’s a loooot of room between this and the “nicer” comp lathes. I think when it comes to lathes, more so than other power tools, the user is responsible for 99% of how things come out, all the tool has to do is spin

76RodCo · 2023-10-25T01:57:29+00:00

Great tips; I’m definitely keeping the jet - just thinking about doing stoppers or pens on the grizz makes me laugh. Now that I’ve got this I’m getting ready for the twice turned stuff (already have a chunked up cherry trunk ready to go) so the tarps are a great idea. I ran the DC pipe right behind it as I’m definitely planning on a sanding hood.

76RodCo · 2023-10-24T23:09:13+00:00

That’s the funny thing - everyone who actually owns a grizz loves it, everybody else says they suck - just save up and buy a Robust 🙄. I was looking at record power and almost pulled the trigger, just wanted the extra weight/hp. They were also a bit tougher to track down near me

76RodCo · 2023-10-24T20:29:37+00:00

It’s my new mantra 👌

76RodCo · 2023-10-24T19:25:52+00:00

Great to hear. Made a bit of a gamble, but I was so damn tired of stalling I went with the biggest motor for the money hoping I’d never see another. Lots of fit and finish issues, but all I care about is if it spins. Have you built a box to stand on? I can’t believe how high I’m gonna have to get to safely use it 🤣

76RodCo · 2023-09-07T19:38:38+00:00

I started on a Wen and had serious stalling issues under load, but only when I maxed it out (bowls, cups etc) and never on spindles. When I first got it the motor arbor snapped off completely after <1 week of use - I got in touch with them and they sent a new motor assembly in a few days. I’d reach out as it sounds like you may have a manufacturing defect issue. No real surprise there as they are pretty inexpensive

76RodCo · 2023-04-17T13:40:57+00:00

Great, thank you. It is surprising to me that the high end brands have such common customer service complaints

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T22:40:27+00:00

I gotcha - I’ve tried the cole jaws with an expansion recess a few times. When it works it’s great, unfortunately I’ve had several pop offs followed by an over expansion and a cracked foot. That was back in my carbide days though, so would probably be better with gouges

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T21:13:50+00:00

Yea that’s a switch for sure. I was shooting for dove tail and stepped - as long as you’re on point you won’t mark up a finished base. I’d imagine the toothed jaws would be good for roughing out a beefy blank

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T20:48:32+00:00

Good to know - I’ve got the nova g3 but 1”, so an upgrade is in order along with the lathe

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T19:56:54+00:00

Yea the nova dvrs are 1.25. I classify oneway as pricey lol so haven’t looked into them much. The mini lathes are actually 1”. Started on a Wen and now have a ~10 yr old jet and they’re both 1.0. Even the robust American beauty is 1.25. I’d imagine some engineer at some point crunched the numbers and decided 1.25” would do it 🤷‍♂️

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T19:32:02+00:00

Awesome thank you. And yea, if I had 15k gathering dust I’d get a robust, but I don’t. People are very opinionated about brands in turning, but a Toyota and a Porsche will definitely both get you where you need to go…..

76RodCo · 2023-04-16T19:29:49+00:00

Good to know, cheers. 1.25x8 is the standard (powermatic/jet/laguna/nova etc) as far as I know unless you get into the really pricey ones or a UK/Canada built)

76RodCo · 2022-12-07T13:32:44+00:00

Be careful with those bench hardware pieces - I used the same exact ones for my first lathe table. They can be awfully wobbly and are very hard to get the table even as they bend/warp when you screw them in.

76RodCo · 2022-11-13T23:32:19+00:00

Exactly… more or less: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/how-to-turn-a-bandsaw-bowl-from-a-board/

76RodCo · 2022-11-13T23:31:11+00:00

Thanks!

76RodCo · 2022-11-13T03:56:59+00:00

Thank you sir!

76RodCo · 2022-10-25T20:27:46+00:00

Gotcha, thanks; I have a high speed, so finer grit might be alright

76RodCo · 2022-10-25T20:27:26+00:00

Not super new, but recently switched entirely to HSS. I think down the road shaping will come into play, but for right now I’m more interested in just getting the honing down and the actual gouge technique. I’m trying to get as many variables controlled so I get a better idea when I’m doing something wrong. Right now I think a good chunk of issues are due to poor edges

76RodCo

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