39 - Modular Wall Storage , страница 11
SELECTING TOOLS
There is one thing that bothered me though. The Grizzly and Bridgewood both have plastic levers that are used to lock in the height of the tool rest and the spindle on the tailstock. I ended up snapping off both levers on the Grizzly. It would be great if they had metal levers like the Jet and Delta. Bruce: But don't let the plastic levers fool you. All you have to do is move the Bridgewood and Grizzly one time to know that they're solid, heavy-duty tools. And the same thing is true for the Jet, All three of these lathes have one thing going for them right out of the box — they've got the mass that's needed to help dampen vibration set up by the lathe. (See chart at right.) This keeps the lathe from "walking" when I'm roughing out a big blank. And the extra stability it provides makes it easier to turn a project with a nice, smooth surface. ^But these lathes are all about the same size. So ■why is there such a big difference in weight? Paul: One of the biggest reasons is the bed of the lathe. The Grizzly, Jet, and Delta all have a flat, cast iron bed. So you'd expect them to weigh about the same. But the Delta is much lighter and less rigid. One reason is the "webs" underneath the bed Weight Bridgewood 192ibs Delta 134ibs 176lbs 163lbs are smaller and spaced farther apart than the large webs on the Grizzly and Jet. (See photos above.) What about the bed on the Bridgewood? Steve: It has a different type of bed altogether. It's made up of two solid, steel rods. (Refer to bottom left photo on page 10.) This adds plenty of weight. But the rods flex more than the cast iron beds on the other lathes. Bruce: There is one advantage to the rods though. If I need to turn a long-spindle like a bedpost or porch column, I can increase the capacity of the lathe by replacing the existing rods with longer ones. Paul: That's not something I'm too concerned about. All of these lathes have the capacity to handle just about any project I'm likely to turn. (See chart above.) What's more important to me is the tool rest. Since I'm constantly adjusting the tool rest to keep it close to the workpiece, I want to be able to do that without a lot of fiddling around. That's easy with the tool rest on the Delta, Jet, and Grizzly. I just unlock a single lever to slide the tool rest along the bed of the lathe and adjust it in and out at the same time. (See photos below.) But the tool rest on the Bridgewood is a hassle to use. To slide it along the bed, I have to loosen a lever on the bottom of the tool rest. Then I have to unlock a second lever on top to adjust it in or out. < Lathe Beds. The small, thin "webs" under the bed of the Delta (left) don't provide as much rigidity as the large, beefy supports on the Grizzly (right). A Tool Rests. Unlocking a single handle on the Delta (left) lets you slide the tool rest along the lathe bed and in and out at the same time. The Bridgewood (right) requires loosening two levers. Jet JWL-1236 600-274-6646 $569.95 No. 39 ShopNotes 11 |
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