Wood lathe thoughts

[Chewy]

Depends on what you want to do. Pens, seam rippers, salt shakers will do fine on the lathe. Small bowls, 5-6 " OK. This is an MT1 taper, so you will be limited on what you can get. Most everything is MT2 now days. You can get a chuck adapter for 3/4"-16 to 1"-8 so that is not too bad. Need to find out what the tool rest post size is. It needs to be a common size or you will have to make your own tool rests. A 1/3 HP is not very strong, but will do pens and such.

On the Facebook stuff I agree. I very seldom use the real Google for the same reason. however, you will soon begin to realize that you are severely limited.
Here are some of your choices. Someone on this group has what you want and ships it cheap or lives close enough for you to drive there.
Look at all the name brands and buy new.
Look at used tool suppliers and call or visit online and see if they have any good trade-ins.
Subscribe to all the auctions in Eastern NC and look at their auctions. This estate is selling depression glass, but oh by the way Grandpa had a wood lathe.
I used to look at Craigslist, but they don't have anything anymore. Not like ten years ago.
Do a local search on Ebay. That will tell you how far away it is.
If there is a local woodworking or machine group, or store you can join or visit for private deals.

When I'm trying to buy something, I do all of the above. My wife and daughter does the Facebook stuff for me.

 

[Lex_Peacekeeper]

so after looking over everything and watching alot of videos on the hand full of lathes I could buy new as of now I think I'll be
grabbing a excelsior mini lathe its on sale right now, it has a MT2 for both the head and tail stock, 1X8 tpi thread and can get free shipping if I add a little more to it, the only thing I would have liked is a speed control nob.

so unless someone has info on these that I have not found will likely be ordering it some time tomorrow so I can have it early in the new year

also if anyone knows a good thing to grab from there to get it to the $350 before tax for the free shipping that would be usefull that would help

 

[francist]

For an additional $70 you could get the bed extension for that lathe. Regular $90 and it would open up more options for you down the road for longer pieces. You will also need a set of lathe tools to get going with so you may want to look at a set of those instead. They’ll easily put you over the $350 minimum for shipping.

 

[Lex_Peacekeeper]

alright the Excelsior has been ordered, still had to pay a handling fee even with free shipping >.>
next step, order a new pen mandrel or if it is safe a sleeve to put over the mt1 of the one I have to turn it into a mt2
second would be to find a mt2 Threaded Arbor so I can use the chucks and some addons I have from the unimat (should be m12X1 threads)
and third some sort of cart/stand for it so its at a good height

 

[Chewy]

You can sleeve the pen mandrel with no problems. The way to go is with the pen set bushings. The mandrel has too much give in it. When you get to ordering chucks, just get the nova brand. The other brands sold by other companies do not offer the options that Nova does. My off brands just sit here now mostly unused. The difference was they were a set about $100 less then Nova. OK until you get fancy and then they just don't make it.

 

[Lex_Peacekeeper]

the main reason I wanted to keep the pen mandrel I have is, it also a collet chuck so gives me another way to hold stuff
the stuff from the unimat I want to keep is a small 3 jaw, a small jacobs chuck, and a few centers

looked at the nova chucks, that will be down the line >.> a chunk of them that fit my lathe cost more then my lathe, but I like the changing of the jaw toppers (? most things dont ID them) not sure how big of a one I would need to get

 

[Lex_Peacekeeper]

so might be last update here, new lathe is here, it turns on have not turned anything yet, I got some new basic tools and the arbor that lets me use the unimat stuff I had, so my work holding is, a pen mandrel, a 3 inch 3 jaw chuck, a 1/4 inch jacobs chuck, two face plates, one from the unimat that needs the arbor, and one that uses the threads and a few types of centers so now to make some things.......... wish I had my drill press unpacked to make a pen