Merry Xmas to me
I've been having trouble with my Jet mini-Lathe lately that needs some warranty repair... but I didn't want to be without my lathe while waiting for the replacement parts to come back. (The electronics module that controls motor speed, on/off, and thermal breaker to protect the motor has been acting up in a variety of ways) ... plus my Jet lathe is too small and underpowered for some of the larger pieces I've been attempting (probably what stressed the thermal breaker to its death)...
Soo... I decided to purchase a new Lathe as a Christmas Gift to myself... a larger lathe but not like the cheap Made-in-China PoS that I cut my teeth on a few years ago; a serious lathe. Once it arrives, I can send in the parts for the smaller lathe to be repaired and will have two lathes when that gets fixed (I might even sell off the smaller lathe down the road...)
I have been doing a little shopping around and decided on the Delta 14"x40" lathe with an Iron bed and stand.
I chose this model mainly because it has received really good reviews... plus I'm eager to get the "Ring Master" attachment for it down the road for making stackable concentric rings quickly and easily from any 3/4" board... a shortcut to making the minimal-waste bowls I enjoy making, but with more precision that will avoid blow-outs like the one I blogged about last year.
Since I was up at LosCon for T-Day wekeend, I looked all over L.A. on Black Friday to see if there were any deals on this model.. but alas, none were found. So, on the way home from LosCon on Sunday 11/30, I stopped into my local Rockler Woodworking store and put in an order for one. I expected it to take about 2 weeks to arrive.
They called me at 4pm yesterday telling me it was ready.
WoOt!
What I didn't expect was that it came in a wooden Crate instead of a cardboard box, and that it weighs over 300 pounds. The two clerks and I managed to load it into my Jeep Liberty by folding the rear seats down and pushing the front passenger seat all the way forward, then tilting it forward as well to gain that last inch of clearance. I then called my Brother to meet me at the house to help unload it.
For now... it's still sitting in the crate in my backyard, but I'm going to build a work area in the backyard, with a locking box that folds up around it to keep it weather-safe. It's just way too big to be moving in and out of the shed, and there's not enough room in the shed for me to use it there. That's going to be my project this coming weekend.
Merry Xmas to me ;)
Soo... I decided to purchase a new Lathe as a Christmas Gift to myself... a larger lathe but not like the cheap Made-in-China PoS that I cut my teeth on a few years ago; a serious lathe. Once it arrives, I can send in the parts for the smaller lathe to be repaired and will have two lathes when that gets fixed (I might even sell off the smaller lathe down the road...)
I have been doing a little shopping around and decided on the Delta 14"x40" lathe with an Iron bed and stand.
I chose this model mainly because it has received really good reviews... plus I'm eager to get the "Ring Master" attachment for it down the road for making stackable concentric rings quickly and easily from any 3/4" board... a shortcut to making the minimal-waste bowls I enjoy making, but with more precision that will avoid blow-outs like the one I blogged about last year.
Since I was up at LosCon for T-Day wekeend, I looked all over L.A. on Black Friday to see if there were any deals on this model.. but alas, none were found. So, on the way home from LosCon on Sunday 11/30, I stopped into my local Rockler Woodworking store and put in an order for one. I expected it to take about 2 weeks to arrive.
They called me at 4pm yesterday telling me it was ready.
WoOt!
What I didn't expect was that it came in a wooden Crate instead of a cardboard box, and that it weighs over 300 pounds. The two clerks and I managed to load it into my Jeep Liberty by folding the rear seats down and pushing the front passenger seat all the way forward, then tilting it forward as well to gain that last inch of clearance. I then called my Brother to meet me at the house to help unload it.
For now... it's still sitting in the crate in my backyard, but I'm going to build a work area in the backyard, with a locking box that folds up around it to keep it weather-safe. It's just way too big to be moving in and out of the shed, and there's not enough room in the shed for me to use it there. That's going to be my project this coming weekend.
Merry Xmas to me ;)