# Who all got in on the Delta Midi lathe deal on Amazon?



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Recently the Delta Midi lathe dropped down below $400 (regular $600) on Amazon and a bunch of us in the hot deal thread took advantage. My suspicion is they were clearing out lathes that came from the factory with the forward/reverse switch in backwards, or maybe Amazon's computer became sentient and gave some of us an early Christmas, whatever the cause, I can live with a backward switch in exchange for a $237 discount. (Discount amount varied depending on when you clicked buy)

I'm curious who all snagged one and what you think of it so far? And if you got one with the switch backward or not?


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I grabbed one thanks to the hot deal thread. I got lucky and timed it just right to get it at $354. I think 2 Camels missed a beat because it was $349 the morning I bought it but by the time I signed in, it had increased $5.

I got it last night but haven't unpacked it yet. I intend to do so tonight and I'll let you know about the switch. My wife bought it for me for Christmas so, I'm not really allowed to play with it much but she did give permission to make sure it works before Amazon's return period runs out


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Congrats everyone who snagged it. That lathe is very similar to mine. You will all enjoy it!!

Kenny, when you're testing it tonight you need to be thinking about more excuses as to why it needs to stay setup. Then more excuses after that.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Yeah 3 camels lost their database and had some other issues earlier this year and they are still recovering.

Here are my first impressions as compared to the Comet II lathe I recently sold.

*Pro*:
20 lbs Heavier and more robust than the Comet II
Slightly quieter
Much more powerful
All levers lock tight with a minimum of effort except the quill lock requires a good turn or it vibrates loose.

*Con*:
Belt changes take slightly more time, talking about seconds

*Box Contents*
Lathe
centers
3" faceplate w/ locking screw
knockout bar
3mm hex key
10" & 6" tool rests

The forward/reverse switch is backward but I half expected that based on recent reviews and this might be why they dropped the price to clear out stock. A very minor issue. Looks like I can turn it around.

Switch location is great. Some reviewers dislike it which is fine, different strokes, but some have complained it requires reaching over the spinning workpiece but I don't know why unless you are missing your left arm.

The faceplate flats are too narrow for a wrench so if it sticks they are no help without a dedicated wrench made from stamped metal or a regular wrench ground thinner. But that complaint is not unique to Delta, every faceplate I've owned by any company had the same problem. Still, it's aggravating.


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## BigDuke6 (Oct 12, 2016)

Hello. This is my first post. I've been an avid reader for a couple years. I jumped on the Delta Midi thanks to the deal thread. This is my first lathe. Thanks for your post. That forward reverse thing was really making my first attempt at turning "eventful".


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

They would rather slash the price than reverse the wires - tells you what labor rates are these days.


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## Leovanderloo (Apr 28, 2016)

> Yeah 3 camels lost their database and had some other issues earlier this year and they are still recovering.
> 
> Here are my first impressions as compared to the Comet II lathe I recently sold.
> 
> ...


I have had my Delta 46=460 for 6 years already and like it a lot.
About the faceplate flats, my lathe did come with a steel plate wrench that fits the faceplate.
Did you not get one with yours


> , maybe still in the box


Mind you I do not use the faceplate often, but that wrench is handy to have.
Happy turning


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I have had my Delta 46=460 for 6 years already and like it a lot.
> About the faceplate flats, my lathe did come with a steel plate wrench that fits the faceplate.
> Did you not get one with yours
> 
> ...


Mine did come with a wrench Rick. I would contact Amazon…again. Maybe they'll send one, maybe not but it may be worth a quick online chat.











> I m curious who all snagged one and what you think of it so far? And if you got one with the switch backward or not?
> 
> - Rick M.


Mine did come with the F/R switch wired backwards. I fixed it in a couple of minutes though. It probably isn't worth fixing but I'm kinda anal :-/ If you remove the switch housing from the lathe by removing the 4 phillips head screws, all you have to do is reverse the 2 wires going from the R/F switch to the circuit board. It's the 2 terminals circled in red in the photo below. They're quick connect terminals so it's just a matter of unplugging them and plugging them back into the opposite terminal. The terminals on the board are labeled *M+* and *M-*.












> Congrats everyone who snagged it. That lathe is very similar to mine. You will all enjoy it!!
> 
> Kenny, when you re testing it tonight you need to be thinking about more excuses as to why it needs to stay setup. Then more excuses after that.
> 
> - ki7hy


I have a workbench to build and it's hunting season. Not to mention Christmas is just around the corner and it's college football season and I have a swap project to squeeze in somewhere. Nope, a new lathe setting there calling out to me is definitely not something I need right now. Gotta sleep sometime… ;-p


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## DustyM (May 16, 2016)

I nabbed mine at $364. Yeah, the switch was reversed, but I don't mind really…the markings are hard to read anyway, so it's not like doing that is any easier than turning it on to see which way it's spinning.
I spent a part of last weekend building a stand for it (still fine-tuning), as my previous model was the HF 8×12 and just sat on my bench, so this is a nice, big upgrade. My centers were dead-on, tailstock glides easily, no damaged parts, quiet motor, NO vibration to speak of…super happy with the lathe!
I did notice in one of the older reviews on here about the bed being textured and not ground flat. I'm wondering if it aids in locking down the banjo and tailstock. It doesn't seem to have a downside, except that it provided a whole lot of extra surface area to cake in the packing oil. It took me a while to get it all off, but it was a joy/excuse to spend more time with my new toy!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I nabbed mine at $364. Yeah, the switch was reversed, but I don t mind really…the markings are hard to read anyway, so it s not like doing that is any easier than turning it on to see which way it s spinning.
> I spent a part of last weekend building a stand for it (still fine-tuning), as my previous model was the HF 8×12 and just sat on my bench, so this is a nice, big upgrade. My centers were dead-on, tailstock glides easily, no damaged parts, quiet motor, NO vibration to speak of…super happy with the lathe!
> I did notice in one of the older reviews on here about the bed being textured and not ground flat. I m wondering if it aids in locking down the banjo and tailstock. It doesn t seem to have a downside, except that it provided a whole lot of extra surface area to cake in the packing oil. It took me a while to get it all off, but it was a joy/excuse to spend more time with my new toy!
> 
> - Dustin


Post some pics of your stand when you get it done. I've been thinking about how I want to build the stand for mine. I think I want it to be expandable just in case I want to add a bed extension in the future but I don't want it to be any longer than necessary. I definitely want storage on the stand for tools and chucks etc. but not sure how I want to do that exactly either. I'm curious to how others are doing theirs.


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

I got mine at 360ish and had no want or need for a lathe at this point. I was planning on one eventually but I was thinking Drill press, Jointer, and Band saw first. This deal was just too good. I did however make the mistake of not ordering a toolset with it, but I have a psi set coming friday, So ill just have to watch the wood turn in circles for now. Its funny everyones mentioning the fwd/rev issue, being new to a lathe i knew only that the wood came from the opposite side of the lathe over the top towards me, my immediate thought was wood turners are silly why would they call that reverse. Now it all makes sense. My plan is to put it on a piece of plywood with super heavy duty drawer slides on top of my miter bench it should clear the fence position of my saw


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I don't think drawer slides will give you enough rigidity. Lathes vibrate, shake and shimmy; that's why people often build stands and add bags of sand or concrete to the bottom. 
.
.
Thanks for info on the wrench, I will look back through the packing material and see if I overlooked it. If missing, this will be a good test of Delta's customer service.


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

I


> I don t think drawer slides will give you enough rigidity. Lathes vibrate, shake and shimmy; that s why people often build stands and add bags of sand or concrete to the bottom.
> .
> - Rick M.


Thats a good point i was kind of thinking it would need to be something ridiculous like linear bearing rails


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Interesting idea using rails, how would that work exactly? How would they be supported when extended?


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

Im not 100% sure its just a thought right now but a simple sollution would be to have pieces of wood to place on bench when you slide it towards the front. another thought is some kind of roller at the front of the mounting boardt that will take weight and roll across the bench


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

My wrench was in the box. Must have got loose and went down along the side because it fell out when I took everything out the box. Glad I mentioned it or it would have been thrown away.


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## JoeNJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I got one too. I waited a bit and got in about $385. It was just delivered today so I didnt get much of a chance to play yet. In the initial unpacking setup, I did notice the centers are not exactly co-planer. Anyone else?? I'll give it a more thorough setup in the next day or so.


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## ravensrock (Nov 26, 2013)

I got in for one when it was $396. Tried to get Amazon to credit me the difference when it dropped another $40 but no go. I wasn't really in the market for a lathe either but couldn't pass it up. Have mine unpacked but haven't turned it on yet. Not even sure where I'm going to put it! All of my bigger tools are on wheels so we can still use the garage for parking. Might have to build some kind of a stand as well. Excited to get turning!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I got one too. I waited a bit and got in about $385. It was just delivered today so I didnt get much of a chance to play yet. In the initial unpacking setup, I did notice the centers are not exactly co-planer. Anyone else?? I ll give it a more thorough setup in the next day or so.
> 
> - JoeNJ


I just did a quick "eyeball" on the centers and they appeared to be in line. When you say "coplanar" do you mean that one's higher than the other? If so, I'd contact Amazon or Delta immediately. The only way to correct that is to machine one stock or shim the other. Neither of which is acceptable on a brand new lathe. For simple turning between centers, you can live with it. But if you plan to use any mandrels or do any drilling with the tailstock, it's going to perform very poorly.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I got in for one when it was $396. Tried to get Amazon to credit me the difference when it dropped another $40 but no go. I wasn t really in the market for a lathe either but couldn t pass it up. Have mine unpacked but haven t turned it on yet. Not even sure where I m going to put it! All of my bigger tools are on wheels so we can still use the garage for parking. Might have to build some kind of a stand as well. Excited to get turning!
> 
> - ravensrock


I too have all of my tools on wheels… except my lathe. If you do put it on wheels, make sure they're high-quality double-locking casters or are retractable. There's a lot of vibration and a lot of side loading that goes on when you're turning. You don't want your stand to shift even a tiny bit when your turning the final details on a piece.


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

> I got in for one when it was $396. Tried to get Amazon to credit me the difference when it dropped another $40 but no go. I wasn t really in the market for a lathe either but couldn t pass it up. Have mine unpacked but haven t turned it on yet. Not even sure where I m going to put it! All of my bigger tools are on wheels so we can still use the garage for parking. Might have to build some kind of a stand as well. Excited to get turning!
> 
> - ravensrock
> 
> ...


I built a stand for my Nova DVR that sits on a HTC rolling base, is rock solid when turning. It is a bit of a pain to lower the two wheels with the weight to move it but it works.


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## ravensrock (Nov 26, 2013)

> I got in for one when it was $396. Tried to get Amazon to credit me the difference when it dropped another $40 but no go. I wasn t really in the market for a lathe either but couldn t pass it up. Have mine unpacked but haven t turned it on yet. Not even sure where I m going to put it! All of my bigger tools are on wheels so we can still use the garage for parking. Might have to build some kind of a stand as well. Excited to get turning!
> 
> - ravensrock
> 
> ...


I had an HTC base for my old table saw that worked well. One of those would probably be sturdier than wheels/casters. I was looking at the stand Delta makes for this. Looks nice but it's $200. Add an HTC base and I'll be approaching what I paid for the lathe itself. So for now I'm leaning toward building one. Nobody ever said woodworking was a cheap hobby!


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

I got one at $358 + tax and a Nova chuck for $99. I was out of town when it arrived and haven't had time to unbox it. Will do tomorrow. Great deal. I need to build a base. I was thinking 2×4 legs around a 2×10 horizontal stiffener with 2×2 feet, kinda like what the Delta base looks like.


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## JoeNJ (Nov 27, 2014)

HokieKen,

False alarm. It seems there was some debris just under the tail stock that was causing the misalignment. Gave it a good set up today and its inline as it should be. Whew! It's still a good idea to check. Made a base today and fired it up. No vibration at all … even at the highest speed. Now I'm just shopping around for some cutting tools. Hope to be turning next week.

Mine also has the reversed Fwd Rev thing. I suppose I can just leave it…right? I did see the post about reversing it but I'm not certain its a necessity. I'll ultimately call Delta and see what they say.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> Mine also has the reversed Fwd Rev thing. I suppose I can just leave it…right? I did see the post about reversing it but I m not certain its a necessity. I ll ultimately call Delta and see what they say.
> 
> - JoeNJ


No, derinitely NOT a necessity. It was just offending my OCD ;-) so I figured I'd post the fix in case anyone else cared. Doesn't affect the actual performance in any way.


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## greenacres2 (Jun 18, 2012)

Got mine at $371, and a Nova chuck for $104, set of "Benjamin's Best" tools to get started. Had never used a lathe, so I've watched a LOT of video in the past week. Lathe arrived Tuesday, unpacked it. Worked late Wednesday. Sharpened roughing gouge, skew and parting chisel Thursday night. Tonight, quick repurpose of an old stand i'd built, degreasing, and finally put a piece of poplar in it tonight. Did okay for a stone-cold rookie-got a few decent beads formed-and only one small gouge, but definitely need to get better!! My wife thinks the stick I turned will make two nice candle sticks-she may be right (at least for home!!).

Common theme in what I've read and watched is that turning is enjoyable at times because it's possible to accomplish tangible results pretty quickly. I have to say-it takes me a few weeks to complete a box start to finish (milling, waiting, cutting, waiting, gluing, waiting, finish, waiting, finish, waiting…), but that little stick was only 15 to 20 minutes tops, and I had no clue what I was doing. I like that.










earl


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

That's pretty good Earl. 
Lathes are fun because you can take a piece of firewood and make something without touching another tool.


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

I made the mistake of letting my wife try and now I think I may need to get my own. She wants to start doing some kits(ice cream scoops specifically.

Does anyone know of a good place for kits/blanks?


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## ver2go (Oct 17, 2016)

Not scoop kits but how about this for blanks? The ice cream scoop kits are available from the usual suspects.

https://www.cwp-usa.com/collections/clearance-rack/products/spectrabox-solid-pink?variant=29819560204
10 pen blanks $10 shipped
or 
6 Stoppers $10 shipped

I missed the non pink sale a few months back. Woodcraft also has some spectraply on sale.


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

That was perfect just ordered both pink sets and the 14 piece spectrabox


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## jfoobar (Oct 4, 2014)

I just (as in about a month ago) sold my old one from 2010 for $300 and now feel a little bad for charging that much. The fact that the price has gone back up reduced my guilt substantially.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I changed the switch around yesterday, took about 2 minutes.


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## JoeNJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I called Delta to ask about the switch and they told me to reverse the white and black leads that come from the motor where they connect at the switch instead of where HokieKen indicated in his photo. I tried to remove the leads where Delta said but one is stuck and I'm reluctant to keep tugging so I may leave it for now. I may try reversing the leads like in the photo one of these days.


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## greenacres2 (Jun 18, 2012)

If you reverse the leads that HokieKen circled, the lathe will turn the same direction regardless of switch position. If you reverse the two on the other side-same deal, only the opposite direction regardless of switch position. Reversing the black and white leads makes the switch work like it should. Took more than 2 minutes, but well under 10. (i'm slow, what can I say.)

earl


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Actually, it's the same thing Earl. I switched the polarity on the board and you did it on the switch. I can say for certain that switching the two leads I circled makes it run in both directions according to switch position. Of course, it's entirely possible that our lathes were miswired differently :-/


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Since they are marked "+" and "-", it obviously is a DC motor and most likely just a simple PWM circuit that controls the speed. And reversing the leads - be it at the motor, switch, or anywhere on the board where it connects, will reverse the directions. It ain't brain surgery 

Cheers,
Brad


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

When I opened it my inclination was to switch the black and white wires but I did the M1/M2 wires like Kenny. Like Brad said, to run a DC motor backward you just reverse the electricity


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

The important thing is NOT to switch the wires at the switch AND at the board. Then you end up back where you started. ;-)


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## greenacres2 (Jun 18, 2012)

I considered masking tape and a sharpie, but swapping the polarity was more elegant!!

Turned a few more random spindles over the weekend with scrap poplar. Sharpening really helps the skill building-but the initial shaping of the tools took me a while. Honing will be relatively quick moving forward.

earl


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Yes Earl, you'll find that sharpening is one of the most important turning skills you can develop. You'll also find that the reason you upgrade tools is to get ones that take and hold an edge better/longer moreso than differences in how they actually perform material removal.


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## CrimsonKeel (Feb 20, 2013)

hmm sad I missed this. that is a really good deal. Been meaning ot get one of these sized ones for travel.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> hmm sad I missed this. that is a really good deal. Been meaning ot get one of these sized ones for travel.
> 
> - CrimsonKeel


I'm not sure it's really a "travel" lathe. It's not tiny and it's pretty darn heavy. I think I'd look more at a true "mini" lathe for portability.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Now that many of you now have a new lathe and cutting tools (that need sharpened), consider making your own belt sharpener on the cheap. This is what The Dane and I did a few years ago:

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/3179


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## ravensrock (Nov 26, 2013)

I got in on this deal but haven't even used it yet! Had to build a stand first and got a bit OCD about it. I based it on a plan I saw online and put it on an HTC mobile base. I left space to the right to add a grinder at some point. Time to finally get turning!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Good looking stand Dave!


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I ordered one of these, seems like a good deal at $7
Delta Industrial 46-407 Midi Inboard French Curl Tool Support


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## JoeNJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Dave, I got in on that lathe deal also but my stand is, ummmmm, not as fancy as yours. I did, however, leave some space to the right like you did for the grinder/sharpener. I did search a few shop made sharpening jigs but I broke down and ordered the wolverine sharpening system. Can't wait for that to arrive and complete my setup. I turned about a dozen pens so far but anxious to get into some small bowls or Christmas ornaments. It's a great machine. Next up…a Nova G3-D chuck. They do make one specifically for Delta 46-461.


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## BikerDad (Jul 16, 2008)

Awwww man, I wish I woulda known about this deal. I've been looking to upgrade from my Jet 1014VS, I need more spindle length.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Keep an eye on the hot deals thread, never know when it might come up again.


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## DustyM (May 16, 2016)

> I got in on this deal but haven t even used it yet! Had to build a stand first and got a bit OCD about it. I based it on a plan I saw online and put it on an HTC mobile base. I left space to the right to add a grinder at some point. Time to finally get turning!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Raven,
I built a stand similar to yours, but definitely not as aesthetically pleasing! Even have it on the same HTC base (I love that thing). However, I am finding that the stand is a little bit inconvenient when turning bowls and need to position myself closer to the lathe. I'm monitoring the amazon price on the Delta stand, so I can get more leg/torso clearance close to the lathe.


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## ravensrock (Nov 26, 2013)

I'm embarrassed to say I have yet to get to play with this lathe. Between work and building Christmas gifts time just flies by. So I will have to see how the positioning of the lathe on the stand works out. I have some time off over Christmas and getting to this is high on the list. I also picked up the Rikon grinder that was on sale at Rockler and Woodcraft and plan to get that set up too.


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## DustyM (May 16, 2016)

> I m embarrassed to say I have yet to get to play with this lathe. Between work and building Christmas gifts time just flies by. So I will have to see how the positioning of the lathe on the stand works out. I have some time off over Christmas and getting to this is high on the list. I also picked up the Rikon grinder that was on sale at Rockler and Woodcraft and plan to get that set up too.
> 
> - ravensrock


I know how that goes, but let us know how you like it when you can! I ended up getting a Sorby bowl gouge, along with a Tormek gouge jig for my worksharp, and man this thing is a joy to use for bowls, even as a newbie.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I know this is old news but I just got around to doing any real work with this lathe. I bought it when it was on sale back in the fall but it was my wife's Christmas present to me so I didn't set it up until a few weeks ago. I just finished really putting it to work for the first time this weekend.

LOVE it!!

I made a plane hammer with it so I used spur center, live center, chuck and drill chuck and turned brass and jatoba. It worked great in all situations. There's still a little more slop in the tailstock than I would like when it comes to drilling but not so much that it's really an issue.

Now I need to make a stand for it. Just have it setting on a portable worktable now but a new stand is on the list after I finish the workbench I'm working on now.


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