Popular Woodworking 2004-12 № 145, страница 72

made sure everything clamped tightly. When it didn't we made the necessary adjustments.

Next we examined initial setup, toolrest design, ability to clamp parts tight and the ease of changing speeds. Then Ditmer

did some spindle turning and faceplate turning on each one, testing for ease of use and power.

Our Winners

Oneway's 1018 mini lathe earned an Editor's Choice award. It's built

to higher standards than any other lathe in our review. Professional woodturners routinely buy this lathe. If money is no object, or you're serious about the craft, this lathe is the best.

But if you don't have $1,550,

Jet's electronic variable speed lathe is top notch - it also wins Editor's Choice. And if you want to save money, get Jet's JML-1014 - you get the same quality without the electronic variable speed; it's clearly a Best Value.

Delta

800-438-2486 ■ deltawoodworking.com

The toolrest is this "midi's" best feature. The toolrest base is its worst. Many turners like a deep hollow on the toolrest profi le, which allows you to easily orient your hand when turning. But we couldn't get the toolrest base to clamp

down tight. Pulling its - locking lever only made the lever slip. Cleaning off the grease didn't help; it frequently slipped while faceplate turning. For light turning, this isn't an issue. But a dig-in could push your toolrest into your spinning workpiece, a real a problem. Also, the toolrest locking lever

was plastic. Plastic levers are the first to go. We could get the headstock's handwheel either tight or true, but not both. The casting was rough.

That said, this lathe offers great power and torque. Although there's no panic button, the on/off switch is ideally located. Changing speeds is easy. Included are a spur center, faceplate, knockout bar, wrenches and spacer ring that's required to make the faceplate fit (and that you must keep track of). The knockout bar releases the spur drive and live center. The knockout bar is also used to lock the spindle. The bar is stored on the front, which may be in the way. Instead, use a magnet to store it on the back.

This $270 lathe will do what you need it to do. But for about $45 less, you can buy a better one.

Fisch

724-663-9072 ■ fisch-woodworking.com

This $300 lathe was well made. The bed was nice and smooth. The toolrest felt secure and featured a deep hollow, which many turners like. All the levers are

metal and feature comfortable covers that aren't loose - very smart. Changing speeds is easy - simply pull the recently redesigned pulley cover off. The only thing simpler is electronic variable speed, which Fisch plans to offer in 2005. The speed-change chart takes time to decipher. But the learning curve

is short. Be careful not to bump the headstock cover while turning. Doing so will cause it to contact the spinning pulley inside - it's not a big deal, but it is something to be aware of.

When turning spindles, the lathe is stable, has little vibration and lots of torque. Faceplate turning caused the lathe to bog down slightly. Included are a faceplate, live center, dead center, knockout bar and wrench. The knockout bar is used to release the spur and center, and to lock the spindle lock.

Our only complaint was locking down the tail-stock. We couldn't get it as tight as we'd like. Add an extension to get more leverage - it should help.

It comes to this: It was a great lathe. But for an additional $50, you can get electronic variable speed.

General

514-326-1161 ■ general.ca

This $300 "maxi" lathe offered plenty of power and torque. The toolrest featured a deep hollow, keeping our fingers secure. The on/off switch is in a good location and features a panic button and lock. The lathe has a handy lift-off headstock cover for easy speed change and a decent casting. Out of the box, everything lined up.

When setting up the lathe, the manual said to mount it firmly on a bench. But the lathe featured rubber leveling feet - nice in concept but they had to

be removed to bolt the lathe down.

The levers interfered with one another (a common problem with many lathes). Several were made with heavy-duty metal, but two were plastic and could easily strip out. (One was damaged upon arrival.)

The tailstock required some adjustment when we set the machine up, but then locked down tightly. It featured a peg to catch its locking lever when moving - a nice touch. The toolrest support, however, doesn't tighten as snugly as some of the others in this review, but it was acceptable. Included with the machine were safety goggles, a live center, spur center and knockout bar (with no knob).

Again: This is a good machine, but there are better lathes in our test.

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