I found a $150 lathe... whats the catch?

DO NOT laugh, but DO move on from this seemingly great deal.

someone said it before , and I’ll say it again – if it has moving parts – do not buy it from HF… (with a few exceptions)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I’m not a big fan of lathe work, but I would say to look around for a used one, if you’re not looking to spend much money. I have an old Craftsman (I think) lathe, that’s older than me. I got it for almost nothing. Bought a few parts, and it works as good as new. But then I’m not doing anything fancy with it, just chair rungs or taper pins.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Keep an eye on Craigslist. I often see lathes, along with plenty of other woodworking tools, offered there. You’ll do much better with something other than HF when it comes to a lathe. I’ve bought some tools from HF that are serving me well, but when it comes to something like a lathe I wouldn’t trust that it would run true.

I’ve bought and sold a number of things on CG, most recently bought a 14 inch bandsaw and sold my old 12 inch Crasftman the next day.

-- John, co-owner Sawdust 'n Stitches

A friend of mine has a lathe of about this caliber. I’m not sure if it came from HF but one difference between this one and say my little Rikon midi is that the headstock on mine has a morse taper for changing to different attachments whereas the HF model just has a threaded shaft. Most of the higher end lathes have a morse taper type headstock and consequently there is more compatible stuff out there to select from as far as bowl chucks and such. You can get an adapter for the HF style head stock, but comparitively, it’s a real pain in the a$$ to change components. Also, I don’t know if the HF has the same pulley system as my friend’s, but his only had a four speed adjustment settings and the slowest was I think 1140 rpm’s or something like that. If you were trying to turn down something like a 10” diameter bowl, I would think you’d need it to spin slower for safety reason’s. The only other thing I can say is after seeing both of them, the Rikon has way better fit and finish as well as better adjustibility and smoothness of operation. I got the Rikon for a deal from Woodcraft for $299 w/ free shipping. I know it’s over twice the money, but well worth it. Also, like John says, check out Craigslist and also maybe Ebay. HF is good for many things but like I’ve heard it discussed on LJ’s…......If it’s got moving parts and it’s from Harbor Freight, don’t do it. JMHO….....

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

I have a theory that any power tool that comes unnecesary attachments should be avoided. after all if they had spent the money from the sanding attachment on making better quality chucks ,motors and fittings then maybe it would be worth it. Spending your money on something decent just makes projects more pleasant to do rather than fighting a substandard machine which, in the end, discourages you from doing more. Trust me the difference between a $150 lathe and and $800 dollar lathe is like the difference between a Hyundai and a BMW.

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

I own a $150 lathe and an $800 lathe. The above responses pretty well hit the highlights.. Laugh and move on.

Do NOT get this lathe. It will not be worth the time, money and effort.

-- Chip -- Manchester, Connecticut "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

A pre starter lathe. It’s the one to get before you buy a starter lathe.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Keep an eye out for local auctions. For $150.00 you can buy one of those $800.00 lathes.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

i hear what a lot of you are saying about how HF is not a good place to buy a lathe… and i had a feeling that was true, its just so hard to pass up. I dont plan on using it alot, just as a hobby every so often.. maybe a couple times a month.

What do you think about this one from HF? im leaning more towards this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65345

it seems more sturdy, and it has more speeds.

Whats a live center, and a spur center? are either of those what you use for making bowls? And can i make vases with this lathe? or it doesnt come with the right attachment?

About the only thing you can effectively make with this lathe is a boat anchor or a lighter wallet.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

I actually bought one of those from HF.

I use a lathe once in a blue moon so if it lasted for a week of actual use it would last me for years.
So far I have used it twice and it did the job. Nothing special though.

If it’s something you plan on using all the time, get a good one. If you’re not sure if you are going to like
turning it’s not a bad deal to try out. At least that way you will know what features you want in a good one.

Almost any tooling that you get will also work on a better one, so you won’t be wasting them.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

craftsman lathes can be cheaper and they allow you to do more than just basic projects

This was my first lathe, it has no redeaming features, nothing lines up, the banjo and tool rest bind and the bolts strip out, the base is bent, thin junk, I spent a lot of time just chasing the damn thing around the shop. It’s big brother is just more expensive junk. Take it from someone who has been there – this is no lathe to learn on in fact calling it a lathe is an overstatement, did I mention it has no redeaming qualities? As mentioned in the previous post – I’d rather own a crapsman than one of these. If you spend a little more – when you move on you will be able sell it and move up – I junked my HF – I wouldn’t sell it to an enemy.
Later,
Doug in AZ.

-- If you need craft books - please visit our small business at http://www.wittywife.com

I agree with doug! I had one of these. tossed it! I tried to use it for a while. replaced all the set screws with american made ones [the original ones all stripped out almost immediately] and made wooded knobs and handles to replace the broken plastic junk. this lathe will cause you to not want to turn. :-]

-- hey honey! watch this!

thanks for the answers everyone.

ok, so clearly harbor freight tools suck.. but what do you make of this comparison. its a grizzly lathe and a lathe from harbor freight…:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-x-18-Bench-Top-Wood-Lathe/H8259

vs.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65345

this surprised me a bit. I thought grizzly made good products, but these two lathes are almost the same thing.
Am i missing something?

If you’re interested in turning – do some research on lathes – search reviews (heck -there are some here on LJ), and base your decision on that. dont buy a tool just cause it doesn’t cost a whole lot.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

The two lathes—Grizzly & HF—look very similar in the picture. But, unless you can see each one in person and gauge the quality of the machining, the smoothness of operation, etc., there’s no way to really compare. If you search mini lathes, you’ll find many that look almost the same. That doesn’t mean that they’re equal.

HF does not have a good track record on most of its machines. Grizzly, for the most part, does, and you can realistically expect Grizzly to stand behind its tools if there is a problem. HF will let you return it if you get it home and find a problem but then you’re stuck exchanging it or getting you money back. If you use it for a project or two and then find that it doesn’t work as advertised, what are you going to do?

If you trying to choose between the two you linked, by all means spend the extra bucks and go for the Grizzly. You’ll be much happier and you’ll actually be able to work with it. And to repeat what’s already been posted, search out reviews … there are plenty of them and you’ll be able to gauge how well a machine actually works. Trying to make a selection based only on initial price is taking a big chance.

-- John, co-owner Sawdust 'n Stitches

I don’t know much about lathes, but another “cheap” option is to find someone getting rid of an old lathe that doesnt work. Just replace the motor with a washing machine motor and make your own little tensioner for the pulley. If you want to control your speed, wire a rheostat to the motor. It’s pretty easy to do and works well. I have done this a couple times, and haven’t had any complaints.

-- Location: Birmingham, AL - Stimulate this Mr. President!

I like the Jet Mini as well as the Rikon. Both are not too much more than the HF lathe and I have seen the Jet for $100 on craigslist before. Just remember the lathe is just the tip of the iceburg. Tools, chucks, and accessories rapidly consume funding.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I was at HF and saw the lathe and the price just a weekend ago… then I went to sears and saw a craftsman… and this past weekend I was at Woodcraft and looked at a $3,500 monster lathe. I know nothing about turning, but I could tell, you’d want balance and no vibration… the cheap HF wouldn’t be worth the first lathe buy…

Oh the other hand, HF freight had a neat micro metal turning lathe that had gearing for dies and chuck… it seemed real nice if you were into small metal turnings.

I’ve learned the lesson the expensive way… buy good quality power tools and pay the price or just do without. My circular saw went out… it was a 30 year old 6.5” Skill… it cut wood but it had its problems… so, I’ll replace it with a saw better than I think I will ever need. I could not really justify a new saw until it did go out… since it “worked.” It only took me 30 years to get a new one…

-- Al H. - small shop, small projects...

When I was first setting up shop I needed a joiner. 2/3’s of the different brands had the same body. The first one I got (a Lobo $600.00 machine) was machined so poorly you could not get the two beds parallel. It might have looked like a powermatic, but it sure got sent back fast.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I’ve learned much about lathe from this post.If me,I’ll first buy a second hand cheap lathe to be familiar with the lathe.When I get enough knowledge and experience,i’ll sell the first one and buy a new lathe which can meet my demand.

-- china

You get what you pay for – I have seen similar lathe to the 14/40, vibration will be a problem, you have to buy or make a stand (not a bad idea, stronger than the one offerd for sale with the lathe) – more money, why is there a sander attachment on a lathe?, the speed of this lathe will only let you turn spindles (and I would not put an unbalanced piece on there, not with a starting speed of 1125) , not bowls unless they are pre- balanced. The tool rest is also too flimsy, you will get a lot of vibration.

As to the second choice, the “Bench Top”, this looks very similar to my little “FOX” lathe. As a starter lathe this was a little gem, turning bowls up to 10”, it will certainly get you started learning the techniques of both bowl and spindle turning and even if you progress onto a big beast in the future, you will still find a use for this one in the future for turning smaller objects, such as knobs. The other thing is if you are short of space, then it can go under the bench very easily.

Be warned the accessories, chuck (get a good one, with interchangeable sized jaws), a good spur & live center and some basic turning tools for spindle and bowl turning are not going to come cheap, probably another $300 – $400 – but after that you can turn as much as you want to your hearts content and if like me you raid the fire wood pile, it is not going to cost you anything for materials.

It is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic arts of wood working and I normally turn to the lathe, just to relax and make kindling for the fire.

Just be clear before you make a decision, what you want to make, but the bench top top type lathe will always find a home in any workshop. Good luck and happy turning

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Go to the American Association of Woodturners web site www.woodturner.org and find a woodturning club near where you live. There is always someone selling a decent lathe for a fair price. I would not recommend the Harbor Freight lathe. Look on Craigslist, ask the folks at the nearest Woodcraft store if they will be selling their classroom lathes, find a good used lathe somewhere. You will be much happier with a good mini lathe that has a number 2 morse taper and a 1/8 spindle than the Harbor Freight lathe.

-- Those that say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

If you are going for a used one you can spend a bit more and get an older better one I have a real oldie I paid next to nothing for from walker turner its a big beast, but the quality is there and variable speed which for me is the key to versatility.I’ll probably have it forover mainly because replacing is near 2500 dollars.but i bought it for 300.

-- rob, ont,canada

thanks for tall the responses. you’ve convinced me to spend a bit more on a better (non-HF) lathe. probably a RIKON.

It sounds like any HF lathe would be a very bad buy.

thanks!