Rikon 3/4 Hp Variable Speed Midi Lathe 12 X 18 70-1218vs Reviews

All-time Wood Lathes for 2021

Mini & Midi Lathes for Woodturning

My small-scale wood lathe is mayhap the most fun woodworking tool I personally have in my small-scale workshop.

I've used it to brand everything from wood pens, keychains to chisel handles. It's the ane tool that I can use for a couple of hours and produce something beautiful!

If you're looking for thebest wood lathe, there are lots of options you tin cull from. They are, mostly speaking, a mini or midi lathe. The difference is size and horsepower.

Both are smaller than standard wood lathes, and great for a hobbyist or new woodturner.

• Midi forest lathes – Minimum 12″ swing, which means you can turn projects upward to 12″ in diameter. Midi lathes are unremarkably 3/4 or one Horsepower, with plenty power and torque for virtually medium and large-sized projects.
• Mini wood lathe – Lighter and smaller with swing capacity between viii″ to 10″. Perfect beginner lathes for turning pens, duck calls, pocket-size bowls, decorative items, and handles.

While a mini lathe may seem enough at first, you lot'll soon wish you lot went for something slightly larger. This is why I recommend getting a Midi lathe. It will not leave you wanting more than after a couple of months.

Most of the lathe machines listed here have at to the lowest degree a four-star rating on Amazon and other online retailers. Delight see the full reviews on Amazon.

** Small metallic working lathes are usually referred to as "mini lathes". To avoid defoliation, every forest lathe machine I've listed here is operated by hand and wood lathe tools or chisels. While they can be used to turn softer metal like aluminum or contumely, they are designed for woodturning.

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All-time Midi Woods Lathes

JET JWL-1221VS

Without a doubt, the JET JWL-1221VS is the all-time midi-sized lathe yous tin can buy. With thousands of good ratings on Amazon, it looks like Jet has a winner with this model.

Stock full of features, this lathe is just perfect for most woodturners. From turning bowls to spindles and even wood pens, the Jet is upwards to the task with its' powerful 1HP motor.

Equipped with a reverse switch, spindle lock, and 24 indexing position, the Jet gives you more creative options that nigh of the other midi lathes in this list. It is too able to operate at an ultra-depression 60 RPM.

• $699 or less

• 12" 10 21" turning capacity
• ane" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• Variable speed 60 - 3,600 RPM
• three-step pulley system for speed ranges
• Forward / reverse switch
• iv.5 Amp, one HP motor
• Integrated spindle lock
• 24 indexing positions
• Five yr warranty

• Exceptional build quality
• Includes faceplate, drive spur, live center and tool holder
• Extension bed bachelor separately

• Poor torque at lowest speeds
• No digital display

Delta Industrial Midi Lathe

Delta lathes have made a name for themselves, and this Midi lathe is no exception. The cleanest and almost futuristic-looking lathe on this list, all the buttons are neatly organized in one key location.

The 1HP motor coupled with the reverse part and spindle lock allows you to piece of work on virtually any blazon of bowl or spindle turning.

The extra 1/2 inch turning diameter alone is worth the coin for some woodturners.

• $670 or less

• 12.v" x 16.5" turning chapters
• 1" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• Variable speed 250 - 4,000 RPM
• 3-pace pulley system
• 1 HP motor
• Integrated spindle lock
• 24 indexing positions
• Extension bed available separately
• Three year warranty

• Exceptional build quality
• Includes faceplate, drive spur, live eye and tool holder
• Centralized location for all switches
• Good torque for heavy-duty jobs
• Extension bed and stand available separately

• No digital brandish
• Just sixteen.5" between centers

Rikon 70-1218VS Midi Lathe

Rikon makes several wood lathes, in both mini and midi sizes. This Rikon model qualifies as a "midi" lathe due to the 12″ swing capacity.

Although information technology lacks in features like spindle locking and a reverse part, it'due south a pretty good lathe for woodturners who want to level upwardly their game.

• $579 or less

• 12" ten 18" turning chapters
• 1" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• 450 - 3,500 RPM variable speed
• 3-pace pulley system for speed ranges
• 4.5 Amp, three/4 HP motor
• Digital brandish
• Five twelvemonth warranty

• Includes faceplate, bulldoze spur, live center and tool holder
• Extension bed available separately

• Less power and torque than the Jet or Delta

Nova Comet Two DR

The Nova Comet serial captured the imagination of woodturners specifically for the power to add a grinder and other "Smart Accessories" directly to the lathe.

Too the hype the Comet gets, it's really pretty choked of features such every bit a spindle lock and 24 indexing positions.

Nonetheless, the maximum turning distance is merely sixteen.5″, shorter than other midi lathes in this listing. You tin, yet, buy the Nova extension bed separately.

• $527 or less

• 12" x sixteen.five" turning capacity
• one" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• Variable speed 250 - 4,000 RPM
• 3-step pulley organisation for speed ranges
• Forward / opposite switch
• 3/4 HP motor
• Integrated spindle lock
• 24 indexing positions
• Digital brandish
• 1-year motor, v-year parts warranty

• Includes faceplate, bulldoze spur, live heart and tool holder
• Lots of NOVA Smart Accessories
• Extension bed available separately

• Older model had some worrying quality problems

PSI Turncrafter Commander

An outlier among wood lathe brands is the Turncrafter Commander past PSI, the popular supplier of pen kits and other woodturning items.

Notwithstanding, it does more than simply turn pens. With a powerful 1HP motor and features that lucifer the Nova Comet, the Turncrafter is perfectly suited for anyone who wants to level-up.

It comes with an integrated lamp, but many people report of it being flimsy and low-quality. The Turncrafter is available in both manual and variable speeds.

• $560 or less

• 12" x 18" turning capacity
• ane" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• Variable speed 500 - 3,800 RPM
• two-step pulley system
• 1 HP motor
• Integrated spindle lock
• 24 indexing positions
• Digital brandish
• Extension bed available separately
• 3 year warranty

• Exceptional build quality
• Includes faceplate, drive spur, live heart and tool holder
• Longest warranty menses in this class
• Extension bed bachelor separately

• Poor torque at everyman speeds
• Flimsy and poor quality calorie-free

WEN 34018 12 Woodworking Lathe

For the price and features, the Wen midi lathe should have better ratings, only in that location are several issues reported by Amazon buyers.

If you have access to a friend who tin can help yous check for and overcome any of these issues, and then the WEN is certainly a good buy for the price.

Please read through the most recent reviews to check if the same issues exist.

• $399 or less

• 12" x 18" turning capacity
• Variable speed 450 - iii,500 RPM
• 4.5 Amp motor with soft-start
• Digital display
• 2 year warranty

• Includes faceplate, drive spur and alive center
• Extension bed available seperately
• Weakest warranty on this list

• Ability switch is poorly positioned
• Some quality problems reported by users

Best Mini Woods Lathes

RIKON 70-105 Mini Lathe

In the mini lathe class, this Rikon model is unbeatable for the price and features. Information technology is near definitely the #1 mini lathe.

Rikon evidently designed this model for pen turners, just tin can do and then much more! With extension beds that are available seperately, yous can fifty-fifty turn baseball game bats and tabular array legs with ease.

With the Rikon, you'll be set for life.

• $305 or less

• 10" ten xviii" turning capacity
• one" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• 1/2 HP motor
• Manual speed 500 - 3,200 RPM
• Self-ejecting tailstock
• Extension bed available separately
• Five year warranty

• Slap-up build quality overall
• Most versatile mini lathe in this list
• Includes faceplate, tool balance and live center

• Expensive in the midi range
• No variable speed

Jet JWL-1015 Mini Lathe

In the Mini lathe segment, Jet has always had good models. The JWL-1015 is no unlike.

Information technology's a well-congenital, powerful machine for its size. Information technology also has indexing, which no other mini lathe is this listing has. Plus, extension beds are available.

The big con is the price. For a mini lathe, the price is only a $100 cheaper than a decent midi-sized lathe.

• $499 or less

• ten" x xv one/2" turning capacity
• 1" x8 TPI spindle, MT2 tapers
• Manual speed 500 - three,900 RPM
• 1/ii HP motor
• 24 indexing positions
• Extension bed available separately
• Five year warranty

• Impeccable build quality from JET
• Features no other mini lathe has
• Includes faceplate, tool rest and live center

• Expensive in the midi range
• No variable speed

WEN 3420T Mini Lathe

This is 1 of the acknowledged mini lathes on Amazon simply because of the cost. Lots of pen turners use this WEN model to kickstart the habit hobby.

I have personally used this lathe to turn wood pens, 6″ wood bowls, vise handles and even chisel handles.

However, you'll soon outgrow it. The 8″ maximum swing chapters and 1/3 HP motor are the ii main limiting factors. The weak motor is no adept for turning heavy and big stock.

The cost, however, is difficult to resist.

• $170 or less

• viii" 10 12" turning capacity
• 1" x8 TPI spindle, MT1 tapers
• i/3 HP motor
• Variable speed 750 - three,800 RPM
• Extension bed available separately
• Three yr warranty

• Most affordable mini lathe in this list
• Includes faceplate, bulldoze spur, live center and two tool rests
• Peachy starter lathe for hobbyists

• MT1 taper accessories are harder to detect
• Underpowered for larger turnings
• 750 RPM is too fast for some applications
• No manus cycle

Shop Fob W1704

The ShopFox mini woodturning lathe is in the same class as the WEN. It besides uses MT1 tapers, which are not equally popular as MT2.

Even so, just like the WEN, it does take a 1×8 TPI spindle which makes information technology compatible with a lot of jaw and collet systems.

This will be a bully hobby lathe for turning pens and other small arts and crafts. Yet, for the price, yous may too go the WEN.

• $249 or less

• 8" x 12" turning capacity
• 1" x8 TPI spindle, MT1 tapers
• 1/3 HP motor
• Variable speed 700 - 3,200 RPM
• one HP motor
• Extension bed available separately
• Three year warranty

• Includes faceplate, bulldoze spur, alive heart and 2 tool rests
• Great starter lathe for hobbyists

• MT1 taper accessories are harder to find
• Underpowered for larger turnings
• 750 RPM is too fast for some applications
• No hand wheel

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Source: https://ettowoodworking.com/wood-lathes/

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