Would this lathe be much of an upgrade?

[D.sebens]

I have a 7x12 Chinese mini lathe. It’s fun but the real limit comes down to lack of power for me.

Somebody is selling a Jet 9x20. https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/154278687544137/

I like the idea of a larger lathe, I used a heavy 10 in school when I learned and feel like that size is great. But looking at this jet it sort of just seems like a larger mini lathe. Would this be enough to justify or just another stepping stone to the lathe I really want?

Also fitting it in my basement (in pieces if need be) is preferred.

I’m not entirely sure where prices are right now but I feel something old and similar to the sb heavy 10 is maybe in the ballpark of this lathes price?

 

[twhite]

I have a 7x12 Chinese mini lathe. It’s fun but the real limit comes down to lack of power for me.

Somebody is selling a Jet 9x20. https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/154278687544137/

I like the idea of a larger lathe, I used a heavy 10 in school when I learned and feel like that size is great. But looking at this jet it sort of just seems like a larger mini lathe. Would this be enough to justify or just another stepping stone to the lathe I really want?

Also fitting it in my basement (in pieces if need be) is preferred.

I’m not entirely sure where prices are right now but I feel something old and similar to the sb heavy 10 is maybe in the ballpark of this lathes price?

I had a jet 9” for a few years. It worked ok. Once you made some mods. I never had any problems with it. Just know it’s limitations. It will for sure be an upgrade from your 7”. The great thing is parts are readily available. Good machine for the price. Try for $1300.


Cutting oil is my blood.

 

[C-Bag]

While it will be an upgrade in size it’s not a heavy 10. 9x20 has no backgear and is nowhere near as stiff structurally. It also cannot make left hand threads without a tumbler mod. At around 300#s it’s lighter than a heavy 10 so easier to get down stairs. I’d be leery to taking it apart as getting the head realigned properly is a process.

I like my HF 9x20 which is the same lathe with different paint and it works for me but it needed a lot of work. Mine was modded and never really used and had all the good addon like 5” 3jaw, 6” 4jaw, QCTP with several holders and other stuff. And like said basically unused. I paid $650. I have no idea except people tracking new prices why the 9x20 seem to have jumped in price.

 

[Eddyde]

Definitely an upgrade from what you have, but if you have your sights set on a Heavy-10 you should hold out for that. Also, the asking price for the Jet seems a bit steep but there are additional accessories mentioned so it might be a good deal.

 

[D.sebens]

Thanks for the info! I’ll probably just stick with the baby 7x12 for now. The power isn’t a huge deal except when threading which I don’t do often anyway. I suppose I could replace the motor but it’s not broke yet so it seems a little wasteful.

 

[mickri]

Write down a statement of requirements (SOR) of what you want a lathe to be able to do. Any lathe that doesn't meet your SOR will just be spending money on something that doesn't do what you are looking for. Most people buy high and sell low. You will be $$$$ ahead to hold out for the lathe that fits your needs. Not someone else's needs. For example when I was looking for a lathe I needed at least 36" between centers for some of my potential projects. I would see lathes that didn't have that capability and would try to figure out a way to meet my requirement. Whatever I thought of required compromises. So I held out until I found my lathe. A lightly used craftsman 12x36 that came with a ton of tooling. It cost a little more than what I wanted to spend but all of the extra tooling more than made up for the additional cost.

If a heavy 10 or something similar is what your SOR says you need. hold out for that lathe. Anything else will just be an expensive stepping stone to what you really want and need.

Don't buy the Jet.

 

[tailstock4]

Personally, I would hold out for a good Heavy 10. It is definitely an upgrade to the machines you’ve listed. I have a Heavy 10 and have had it for many years. Some of the reasons I would consider it an upgrade as compared even to some larger new machines would be…

It is a reasonably well-built machine, but even more importantly well designed. The Heavy 10 has a bed to swing ratio of about 75%. In other words, 10” swing, 7.5” wide bed. Anything below 60-65% and you’ll begin to experience decreased rigidity. There are some import machines that are down in the 50% range. At this point you could be constantly fighting rigidity and chatter issues. Most machines run out of rigidity long before they run out of power.

The sleeve bearings of a Heavy 10 when properly adjusted can give good surface finishes. And the apron is designed well enough and smooth enough to help with this also.

The Heavy 10 is also a good candidate for a VFD if you’re interested in variable speed.

One other important point regarding the Heavy 10 is that the headstock is scraped to the v-ways which provides better alignment, vibration dampening and rigidity. This can seem like a small point but it can make a big difference.

The hard part is finding a good one. Good luck!

 

[porthos]

i have a enco 9x20 (made in tiawan) . bought a heavy 10 about 10 years ago. going to sell the enco at some point.

 

[D.sebens]

I think I’ll keep looking. I’ve been impressed with what this little lathe can do but I have only owned it for 1.5 years. I think I’ll get some more money return from it (in the form of use and experience). I’ll keep looking for that perfect deal though!

 

[C-Bag]

If you have the room and not strapped for cash you might want to keep it. Im not the only one who’s found they needed a lathe to fix their lathe. YMMV.