Best Lathes on the Market for Woodwork.

Here at projectmakersonline we are dedicated to craftsmen finding the best tools for their needs. Lathes are a woodworker’s best friend and have been around for centuries. Whether you are a professional or a weekend warrior, your tools are close to your heart and a big part of a project’s success. No woodshop is complete without a good quality lathe. Luckily, we have done the hard work for you so you can make the right decision for your woodworking needs.

Our Criteria for Lathes

We based our reviews on the following:

  • Budget– You might want to figure out how much you are willing to spend. A lower range lathe can perfectly suit the needs of an amateur or beginning wood tuner, while a professional might need something more expensive
  • Type– A benchtop lathe is usually lighter and more portable but the full-size models offer more power in its swing and longer center-to-center distance.
  • Work– The thickness and length of the wood you plan to turn affects the type of lathe that you need and whether or not you should purchase extenders.
  • Speed– The size of the wood also affects the RPM speed that you need. In general, rough cuts are at slower speeds while finer cuts should be done at higher RPM ranges.

Grizzly H8259 Bench-Top Wood Lathe, 10-Inch (Paid Link)

The Grizzly is the best lathe on the market for its price range. Projectmakersonline understands that saving money is always a good idea particularly if you are not sacrificing quality. The Grizzly lathe gives you a great bang for your buck.

However, the price point does limit some of the features. For instance, instead of continuous speed, this lathe offers five distinct settings which are as follows:

  • 826
  • 1205
  • 1713
  • 2422
  • 3337

This is a top-quality lathe that cost almost sixty percent less than some of the top lathes on the market but offers similar performance. The low price makes it a perfect tool for woodworkers on a budget. It is also a good alternative for those who are just starting out on woodturning and only plan on doing basic projects. More experienced crafters can still appreciate the price and relative portability.

However, the Grizzly only comes with a limited one year warranty. Some operators have complained that the engine heats up too quickly

But, the Grizzly H8259 comes with only a one-year warranty. In summary, this is a great model for people getting into woodturning. For experienced woodworkers, they can use this as a standby machine or a portable lathe.

Pros:

  • Great quality for the price
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Good for beginners

Cons:

  • Only a 1-year warranty
  • No continuous speed control
  • The engine can get hot quickly

JET JWL-1221VS 12-Inch by 21-Inch Variable Speed Wood Lathe (Paid Link)

If money is no object then this is by far the best lathe you can buy. The Jet is very popular and is good enough even for the most expert woodworker and great for complex projects.

This Lath has amazing speed control. The continuous speed controls allow you to set the spindle at any RPM as long as it falls within the range of the machine. The digital readout helps you keep track of the speed your machine is running. Transitioning from forward to reverse is also very smooth on this machine

We should mention that the machine is quite heavy and weighs in at 120 pounds. Also, the center to center distance tops out at 21 inches and you will need a bed extension for anything longer.

Even with these limitations, this is still one of the best lathes on the market today. The five-year warranty can make you confident about this purchase.

Pros:

  • Continuous Speed Control up to 3600 RPMs
  • Digital speed reader
  • 5-year warranty

Cons:

  • Heavy
  • Expensive
  • Need bed extension for anything over 21 inches

Mophorn 10 x 18 Inch Wood Lathe Bench Top Heavy Duty Wood Lathe 5 Speed (Paid Link)

The Mophorn is another great lathe at a moderate price. This lathe has a variable speed controls of 500-3200 RPMs. The swing over bed is 10″ and has an 18″ distance between centers. One will need an extender for longer projects.

Operators have praised its cast iron construction and the rubber feet provide stability. It also comes with a digital speed reader.

The machine only has a 1-year warranty and people have complained that the manual is hard to understand. The engine might not be as powerful as some of the other lathes that are on the market.

Overall, this is still a great lathe at a very affordable price.

Pros:

  • Steel body
  • Digital speed reader
  • Great price

Cons:

  • 1-year warranty
  • Need extender for larger projects

 Delta Industrial 46-460 Wood Lathe (Paid Link)

This is another lathe that comes with continuous speed control and can be set as follows:

  • 250 to 750 RPM
  • 600 to 1800 RPM
  • 1350 to 4000 RPM

This tool provided more range at the higher RPMs so it is great for large wood stock. The belt tension systems allow for easy range selection and there is no trouble shifting the range.

However, the Delta does not have a digital speed reader and the center to center range is only 16.5 inches, so you need an extension for anything longer than 16 inches.

This machine offers a lot of the advantages of the higher priced lathes but at a fraction of the cost. It also comes with a 5-year warranty that speaks to the confidence that Delta has in this lathe.

Pros:

  • Reasonable Price
  • Continuous speed
  • The patented belt tension system
  • 5-year warranty

Cons:

  • No speed reader
  • Limited center-to-center distance
  • Can not do pieces longer than 16 inches without extender

Powermatic 1352001 Wood-Lathe (Paid Link)

If you need a professional grade lathe than the Powermatic is the tool for you. This lathe comes with a 2 hp motor and lets you turn wood in the following ranges:

  • 125 to 3500 RPM
  • 50 to 1500 RPM

This is a full-sized lathe as opposed to one that fits on a bench. It comes with a digital reader and has a very impressive capacity. The center-to-center distance is a whopping 36 inches which allow this lathe to work on extremely large projects. The speed control is variable.

The Powermatic also has tailstock storage and a spring-loaded locking button so you can install accessories with ease. It also comes with a five-year warranty.

The machine is heavy and not very portable. This is not the right lathe for a beginner or an amateur woodworker.

Pros:

  • Variable speed control
  • Digital reader
  • 5-year warranty

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Heavy
  • Better for commercial use


History of Metal Work-Part 1

Metalwork would shape the history of mankind.

The history of metalwork is fascinating and we must first begin at the dawn of civilization.

The Stone Age

Viking, Stone Age, Scandinavian, Historical, Museum

The longest era in human development is the stone age which lasted two million years. In this time period, most humans used what was readily available in nature which included branches, bones, and stones for the creation of tools.

As they studied the stones more closely the early humans began to learn ways to manipulate the material to make sharp cutting edges and arrows. This soon leads to the discovery of the first metal

The Native Metals

Copper, gold, and silver are metals that can be found in their pure state in nature. Our ancestors began to extract these metals in 5000 BC. These metals became known as the native metals and would eventually lead to mankind entering the bronze age. These discoveries lead to the beginning of the fundamentals of metalworking.

The first six metals.

The first metals used by prehistoric man included the following:

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Tin
  • Iron

Gold and Silver

Gold, Funeral Mask, Ancient, Death

One of the most popular and well known of all the metals. Nuggets of gold stood out among its surround due to its famous glowing sheen. Gold (paid link) was often found mixed in with sediment in river beds. This process leads to the discovery of silver, which is often dark and dull in its native form. Both of these materials were relatively easy to collect and shape. The intrinsic beauty of gold and silver-lead these metals to be a natural fit for creating decorative jewelry and valuable coins, which is still being done to this day.

Copper

Boiler, Copper Boiler, Copper, Shiny

Copper (paid link)was an extremely important discovery for ancient man. This metal existed in its natural state in many places all over the world. The discovery of copper created the first steps toward modern metallurgy, which is the science of studying the properties of metals including their production and purification. Copper was key in creating the first metal age of man known as the bronze age.

As human beings began to discover new metals they realized that each metal contained different properties. Copper could be hardened by forging and was used to make the first primitive tools. Gold and silver were much softer and was often used for ornamentation and the first coins used for money.

Lead Metals

Lead is a material that is soft and easily formed into different shapes. Soon people used lead to make vessels to transport liquid. Lead was instrumental in fashioning the pipes that were used to create the first Roman aqueducts.

Tin Metals

Tin is a relatively soft and ductile metal. The discovery of tin was extremely important as it was tin combined with copper that allowed for human beings to enter into the bronze age.

Iron Metals

Was used periodically by ancient man but was considered not as durable as bronze. Naturally, iron is brittle and it corrodes very fast when exposed to air. Iron became much more valuable as human beings developed the technology for steel. Early iron actually came from space meteorites and was considered a literal gift from the gods.

Bronze Age

Bell, Bronze, Old, Ring, Close Up

The discovery of bronze (paid link) was truly one of mankind’s first great innovations. The ancients combined tin and copper to create bronze. This allowed the bronze to be hardenable by forging and easily casts into very specific shapes. This amazing material gave rise to the bronze age.

Smelting, or the extraction of metal from ore, was first developed in Southwest Asia. The technique of smelting soon allowed for large quantities of metal to be extracted and poured into molds to make almost any desired shape. This was important advancement that allowed mankind to enter the bronze age.

Smelting allowed for the creation of copper. However, copper was soft and not a big improvement over the stone materials. Mankind actually came upon a truly superior material when they combined copper with tin to create bronze.

The bronze age spread rapidly and spanned between Southwest Asia and Eurasia by 2000 BC.

Iron Age

Sword, Weapon, Metal, Steel

As smelting pits began to advance, mankind began to be able to produce temperatures hot enough to extract iron from ore. This iron was not very durable and bronze was still the most popular material for making weapons and tools.

At around 1,000 BC people that lived along the Black Sea began to experiment with iron. They wanted to create weapons that were stronger than bronze. They pulled out very sturdy weapons after several rounds of firing and hammering. This process allowed the creation of wrought iron, which was hard and allowed for some of the strongest armies in the region.

Ancient China created cast iron around 500 BC. The Chinese built giant furnaces to burn larger quantities of iron and wood. They then smelted this material into a liquid and then poured it into carved molds. This wrought iron was great for household cookery and statures.

In 400 BC, India created the first method to turn iron into steel. They created crucibles (paid link) that were clay receptacles to hold iron bars and bits of charcoal. They then sealed the containers and inserted them into a furnace. The Indians then blasted the furnace with air from bellows causing the wrought iron to melt and absorb the carbon from the charcoal. The ingots of the first steel were born while these crucibles cooled.

Molten Metal, Crucible, Melting, Casting

The Indians would ship this steel all over the world. They even sent steel to Damascus (paid link). This steel is a key element that leads to the creation of the famous swords of Damascus (paid link). One could find Indian steel hammered into the swords of Rome.

The iron age had begun and mankind would never be the same. Tune in soon for the next article in this fascinating series.