I am thinking about getting a lathe But it needs an extendor table.

[woody woodchips]

Hi I have been looking at lathes for a while playing around with ideas and such.

I was hoping not to go over $1500 for a good one but have been having a hard time finding the one i want.

Originally I was going to go with the "Jet JWL-1642EVS, 16" x 42" EVS PRO Wood Lathe, 1-1/2HP" but darn is it expensive lol. The normal price is around $2300
http://jettools.com/us/manufacturing...product=273518

I was wondering about a metal lathe because i heard they could do both metal or wood.

Normally they would be more expensive but i happened to see this for $1200.

It is a bit old but i would love to have a metal lathe as well.

http://springfield.craigslist.org/tls/2995584320.html

Sadly it is only 36" length and i could use a little longer. Could i buy or build an extension for it? I guess a better question would be is there a universal lathe extension or somthing?

Thanks.

[FrankC]

Certainly you can turn wood on a metal lathe, but do you want to?

Metalworking and woodworking do not mix well for several reasons. Metal lathes are precise machines that have to be lubricated everywhere, the ways, the feed screw, the racks, all parts of the carriage, etc. If they are not lubricated the parts wear out and they become sloppy and next to useless.

That oil all over the place will likely contaminate your wood making proper finishing impossible.

Wood chips will be attracted by that oil and stick to the lathe parts jamming up gears and nuts in the carriage rendering those parts unworkable until cleaned up which is not any easy task.

Wood lathes are made simple and clean for a reason, metal lathes are made complicated and precise for another reason, so there are no combination machines manufactured.

Extensions can be added to wood turning lathes because they will function even when slightly out of alignment, adding an extension to a metal working lathe is nearly impossible for the average person to do.

Sorry to be negative about this but I have done both wood and metal turning for over 50 years so have become quite passionate about protecting my metal lathes.

[woody woodchips]

Hmm you have some very good points.

Im new to turning of anything so I expected some drawbacks.

As a guy sort of low on $$$ i don't know that ill be able to buy both a wood and a metal but i am kind of leaning to a metal as I think they are amazing tools.

About quality at first i was leaning toward a wood lathe because I could afford there higher quality lathes and found metal prices going 5k and up lol.

What do you think about the metal lathe in the link i gave. What questions should I ask to make sure I get something that works...or is fixable.

Because like I said im new and don't know much

Thanks

[FrankC]

There is info about that model here:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/delta%20metal/index.html

It has some nice features, including power cross feed, the quick change tool post is a bonus as well as a new chuck.

The condition will depend on the kind of home it previously had, best advice is to find someone with experience operating a lathe to go with you to look at it, if this is not possible there could be some pitfalls.

See the lathe running and have the seller turn a bit of metal for you, listen for any sounds of chatter or excessive gear noise. Move the carriage and cross feed by hand, there will be a bit of play as you turn the handle but this should not be excessive. Both should move smoothly. Check the ways for wear or damage, they should be covered with a coating of oil, a good machinist will not have dry ways. A bit of surface rust is not a deal breaker but parts should not be badly pitted.
Check the overall condition of the lathe, if it looks used okay. abused is not good.
The price seems fair for a metal lathe of that size, it does have a bit of rust so maybe you can use that to get the price reduced a bit.

[hcbph]

You didn't mention your requirements, but assuming it's length over diameter, have you checked this out:
http://www.southern-tool.com/store/j...1442_lathe.php
That's in your price range, currently with free shipping and tailgate service. I know it will take the same bed extensions as the 1642 will because it's the same bed. You don't get the evsr that's on the 1642 though.

Personally I have the 1642-2 (220v version) with the 18" bed extension so it will handle 60" long turnings. I happen to use the length and like it alot. I believe Delta (at least at one time) also sold a lathe with an bed extension available. PM in some of the bigger lathes also have a bed extension available, but you're talking more $$ again. Even some of the mini lathes have bed extensions for them, if one of those would fill your needs.

I have both a metal and a wood lathe. The metal lathe does not go fast enough to successfully consider for wood turning and the wood lathe does not go slow enough to be considered for metal working. Each has a purpose and would not be the best choice for the other IMO.

Good luck

[woody woodchips]

The metal lathe does not go fast enough to successfully consider for wood turning and the wood lathe does not go slow enough to be considered for metal working.

Normally I would agree but I just got an idea.

A normal wood lathe rpm range 450-3000 right?

A metal lathe rpm 70-2000.

So i would agree but the wood lathe i am looking at has a special feature were its rpm range is 50-3200

http://jettools.com/us/manufacturing...product=273518

So here is a question my wood lathe has more rpm capabilities, a bigger motor, and a bigger table so why would i not go with that?

The only down side that i can see is that i would have to buy a lot of accessories.

So what do you guys think, could it be done?

Edit: After some thinking i realized that metal lathes have that vice spindle to clamp the metal i would have to buy one and fit it on there somehow....come to think of it i would have to buy a lot of things.

What things would i have to get to even think about attempting this lol thanks

[hcbph]

If you are talking about a wood lathe, then that is a good one. Not as good as mine, then again I have the 2 hp version with the bed extension

If on the other hand you're thinking about using this as a metal lathe then you have made a bad choice. Thing about cutting threads, truing a shaft, etc, it's not going to happen on that lathe.

Then again, I thought you only had $1500 to deal with. I doubt highly you're going to get that for $1500, buying it new.

[woody woodchips]

True i don't have much money but ill save it up for a quality lathe.

I don't know much so you will have to correct me lots but why could i not true with it. I understand there is no chance of me truing with the spindle it has because it is made for wood.

Is there a specific reason why i could not take a metal lathe spindle off of a metal lathe and swap it out for for the one in the wood lathe?

I know that there is going to be a huge headache in what im even thinking about doing but please take into consideration that i cant afford a metal lathe.

Ill probably never have $5000 to put to a good metal lathe but i might be able to scrape together enough to get this wood lathe.

Im not kidding about my money prob as i am a jobless 15 year old.

I hope i am not aggravating you guys to much because if i had the money i would buy a metal and a wood from jet and take your advice no questions asked.

Thanks for your help guys

[hcbph]

Woody

You seem to be set on buying a metal lathe, so if you can afford it then do it. Until you run into the headaches of trying to make it work for doing wood turning I'm afraid you're not going to believe anyone that doesn't agree with you.

Personally I think you can do better looking for a used wood lathe that is dimensionally what you expect to use it for or the one I noted above if you are looking for new. A metal lathe of comparable size would probably weigh 500-1000+ pounds more plus cost a whole lot more $$$, have a much more complicated drive system, not take a spur center and have a number of other issues you'll have to deal with.

There are many used lathes put out by Delta and PM in particular that are excellent candidate for refurbishing. If it's complete, typically bearings are the most prevelent item needing replacement. Watch Reeves drive units as that can be expensive to find parts for. The Jet 1642 you noted is actually a 3 phase drive with a VFD on it, many units like a PM 60 or 44 can be found with 3 phase setups, refurb and add a VFD and you have a much heavier lathe with the same functionality.

I have a business, had I not had a job requiring a larger lathe immediately, I probably would have looked for a PM60 and added a VFD. Unfortunately had I waited I would have lost the job so I bought the Jet. It's a good lathe but it doesn't have the dampening mass of the PM.

I know a guy who had a couple of 40-50 year old pattern makers lathes, I think he was asking $5000 for one and more for the other. Length was around 60". They were refurbished and in excellent condition, but to get the length you have to pay the price. If I remember right, he said the smaller one weighed something like 4000+ pounds.

Only you can decide and spend your $$$. I don't have to live with your decision.

[CRMITCHELL]

I have both a wood lathe and a metal mini-lathe.

I have used a metal lathe a lot and I need to point out something that I have not seen mentioned here - metal lathes require a lot of additional accessories if you plan on doing much of anything beyond making shavings.

Since you say you're on a strict budget, you may want to look at the prices of the accessories you will need.

I do a little wood on my metal lathe - making certain pens where I want perfect matches between the wood and metal parts. While it does work, it does suffer from the ills mentioned above, constantly clogging with dust. I have to disassemble it constantly, as the dust locks down the slide.