# How to Choose a Lathe Machine?



## bhavya (Dec 10, 2014)

How to Choose a Lathe Machine?:moil:


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

First of all, Jatin, unless you have bags of money, find out what is available in you locality.

What do you need it for? A small, bench top lathe may suit your needs or you may need to go all the way up to a "OneWay"....

Oneway Manufacturing

I have heard some good reports on those...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

One way is the only way, I have heard.
Herb


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Turning wood is all about the man, you can turn wood on a pole lathe, after all that is how it started a thousand years ago, I always recommend that any one who wants to start to turn wood then they should get a hobby lathe to learn on, even grinding the tools takes time to learn so why grind away expensive steel as you learn how to grind lathe tools? There are many cheaper hobby lathe around, many cheaper tools, without knowing what you want to use a lathe for then first you have to learn how to use the tools and grind the tools, join a wood turning club and learn everything you can before you buy an expensive lathe. make sure that you have a purpose for this lathe, that you have a clear idea about what you want to make, turning table legs is good practice as you need to be able to make 4 legs that are all the same if you want to make a table. When you can do that. turn 4 legs the same, then it will be time to get a better lathe, get better tools, it took me a few years to get the hang of it, maybe I'm a slow learner but dont spemd a lot of money on tools or machines unless you intend to use them. N


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## BIG OLD TIM (May 13, 2014)

Jatin: 
Welcome to this group! Although primarily a router based group, almost everyone here is multi-talented and interested in almost anything wood. I am mostly a turner but have managed to incorporate routing into my turning. I would like to make a few suggestions about turning. Start slow and cheap. You can find good used High Speed Steel cutting tools in lots of places. If it doesn't have HSS on it don't buy it. You will need a grinder to sharpen these tools on too. A cheap one is sufficient to start with but don't scrimp on the stones. Buy them from a reputable dealer that you know will stand behind them. A cheap one can explode and cause extreme damage to you. The lathe needs to be a small to medium size that you can turn small items on until you get the skills needed. If you can at some point "try before you buy" you can be sure to get something you really work with. Most people selling know they can get more money if the customer can see a machine work and run correctly. Chances are if someone is selling a lathe, they know how to run it and don't mind showing someone how to turn some wood. And you will get a better machine. There are two really important rules in wood turning....Be Safe & Have fun doing it!
Holler back when you get bit by the "turning bug", and we can give you some pointers about bigger lathes. 
Tim


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Jatin there are a lot of good lathes out there. I have a big Nova DVR XP and a Jet 1220 VS. If you are looking at lathes I would definitely get a variable speed no matter if it is big or small. Figure out what you want to do with a lathe then choose accordingly. Just remember you can turn small things on big lathe but you can't turn big things on a small lathe.:lol:


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi Jatin.

I have just read your profile and see that you manufacture lathes?

I am trying to understand the point of your questions?


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## swarfmaker (Aug 27, 2012)

+1 James


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