Hey guys I'm looking for suggestions on a mini lathe to turn cork and reel seats? Whatcha got?

Not trying to be a *** But this has been covered extensively here, Type {mini lathe} in Search you will have all the information you could ever want about the subject
Here you Go Cheers and tight lines Jaa [rodbuilding.org]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2018 11:21PM by Jay Dubay.

Check out Penn State Industries. They have a selection of Mini and Midi lathes. I use a Midi from them and really like it. If you do buy one, get the "variable speed" it is worth the few $ more, and you will find it much more convenient then changing belt positions.

Start looking at craigslist or local sellers. Might take a little while but deals can be had. If you see one you like, jump on it, good ones can go fast.
Bill

Jason,
If you are going to be doing a significant amount of work on the lathe, do yourself a favor and purchase a bed extension at the same time that you purchase the lathe.

Having a 40 inch bed compared to a 20 inch bed is so convenient for so many reasons.

Good luck

Jet 1221VS with extension bed is awesome and fit and finish is great if your budget allows. But there are less costly alternatives if you don't care about variable speed and reversible.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

John,
Out of curiosity, with your jet 1221VS lathe, is there any lag time from the time you turn on the on/off switch before the motor starts?

Some years ago, I had a smaller DC motor powered variable speed lathe that worked just fine for its size and capability. But, one thing that really irritated me, was the lag from the time from turning on the power switch to the time that the motor started. There was a 2-5 second delay from the time that I flipped the switch, until the motor began to turn. Not a big deal, but just a big enough deal to irritate me when I was doing sizing checks on the object being turned and frequent power offs and ons.

As I think about it and I believe that the brand of the lathe was a Fox Shop lathe. The current models of that lathe may now have a different motor and control system on them.

I have a bunch of other DC motor powered machines with variable speed controllers and they have essentially 0 delay from the time the power switch is activated until the motor turns. But, this one motor and speed controller set up, had that irritating delay and I wondered if that was the case with the motor system on the Jet Lathe.

Thanks for your help.

There is no lag.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI