Should I buy it - Jet 1224PS Lathe ?

[rajhliux]

I saw a lathe on craigslist, the owner wants $1,500 for it. Seems like a good lathe. You think it will do the job?

Lathe labeling says its made in Taiwan.

Owner said "what you see is what you get"... no tooling.

JET Lathe - tools - by owner - sale

Jet 1224PS Lathe, 1984 vintage, 12 x 24, quick change gear box, 6 ½” chuck, threading dial,...

cnj.craigslist.org

Application I will use it for is mainly for water fittings for threading.
I will modify it to use an Electronic Leadscrew.

Thanks.

 

[Choiliefan]

You can do a lot of work with that machine if it's in good shape.
You must check for backlash especially on the cross slide screw and excessive wear on the front V-way nearer the chuck.
Unfortunately, this machine is very light on the tooling you will need such as chucks/collets and modern toolpost and toolholders.
No steady rest either.

I had one of these machines in the early 90's and the front spindle bearing would steadily heat up as the lathe was running.
The headstock casting would get uncomfortably hot to the touch. Neighbor and I tore into it and found the bearings to be good
and surmised the headstock was either warped or miss-bored at the factory.

Your machine looks good but the price may be a tad high unless useful tooling is included.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

run, don't walk to get it.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

Looks OK, as mentioned above a little over-priced (unless there is a ton of tooling he's throwing in) but that may just be the NY-metro area. There is no QCTP (only a lantern toolpost). Motor is only 1/2 HP and I would expect at least a 1 HP on a 12" lathe. A QCTP will run you a few hundred bucks, a better motor maybe another hundred or two hundred, but the steady and follower rests will be pricey.

 

[bakrch]

Check to see if there is an available taper attachment for that model. Otherwise you will have to make one.

Generally, 13" and up lathes will have those as an available option.

 

[rajhliux]

run, don't walk to get it.

lol

 

[rajhliux]

You can do a lot of work with that machine if it's in good shape.
You must check for backlash especially on the cross slide screw and excessive wear on the front V-way nearer the chuck.
Unfortunately, this machine is very light on the tooling you will need such as chucks/collets and modern toolpost and toolholders.
No steady rest either.

I had one of these machines in the early 90's and the front spindle bearing would steadily heat up as the lathe was running.
The headstock casting would get uncomfortably hot to the touch. Neighbor and I tore into it and found the bearings to be good
and surmised the headstock was either warped or miss-bored at the factory.

Your machine looks good but the price may be a tad high unless useful tooling is included.

Thanks for the helpful information. The owner said no tooling. I wonder how much a fully loaded tooling kit will cost. I want every tooling needed for my threading needs.

I also repeatedly asked the owner to lower the price and not willing to go lower than $1,500. I'm not sure if I buy a new lathe around $2K with tooling will be better in terms of price and quality.

Thanks.

 

[rajhliux]

Looks OK, as mentioned above a little over-priced (unless there is a ton of tooling he's throwing in) but that may just be the NY-metro area. There is no QCTP (only a lantern toolpost). Motor is only 1/2 HP and I would expect at least a 1 HP on a 12" lathe. A QCTP will run you a few hundred bucks, a better motor maybe another hundred or two hundred, but the steady and follower rests will be pricey.

You think it would be better to buy a new lathe around $2K which comes with tooling rather than this JET lathe? It seems like I'll end up spending $2K for buying QCTP tooling and a better motor with this JET lathe.

Thanks.

 

[rajhliux]

Check to see if there is an available taper attachment for that model. Otherwise you will have to make one.

Generally, 13" and up lathes will have those as an available option.

Going to do some research on that, Thanks!

 

[Ulma Doctor]

the Jet 1224's are solid machines, the price is a steal for $1500

i personally would convert to 3 phase and use a VFD, but it can be used with a 1/2hp motor with lighter DOC's