39 - Modular Wall Storage , страница 13

A Removable Point. The "live" centers of the Jet and Grizzly have a removable point. This lets you drill through the center and into the end of a workpiece like a lamp.

with just a moderate amount of pressure. And at the high end, it's too slow for me to turn a nice smooth surface on a project.

j|Jj How easy is it to change from one speed to another?

Paul: That's where I noticed the biggest difference. The drive belt on the Bridgewood is guided by a pair of step pulleys. (See drawing A on opposite page.)

So to change speeds, I have to stop the lathe and manually move the belt from one set of pulleys to another. That gets to be a nuisance.

Steve: The speed adjustment on the other lathes is handier. I just turn a lever to "dial in" a different speed. And I don't even have to turn off the lathe.

H! That sounds pretty complicated, How does it work?

Bruce: It's simpler than you'd expect. What makes it work is a pair of split pulleys that guide the drive belt. (See drawing B.)

M Spindles.

It's easy to find accessories for the 1" x 8 Threads Per Inch (TPI) spindle on the Jet (shown at top) and Delta. Accessories for the 1" x 12 TPI spindle on the Grizzly (center) and the ³/₄x 16 TPI spindle on the Bridgewood (bottom) are also readily available.

When I turn the adjustment lever, two springs spread the sides of the pulleys apart or "squeeze" them together. This shifts the belt closer to the center (or the rim) of each pulley which changes the speed of the spindle.

The spindle on the headstock of a lathe is easy to take for granted — until you start adding accessories. What's important here?

Paul: One thing I look at is the diameter of the spindle and the number of threads per inch (TPI). (See photos above.) To make it easy to find accessories, I'd steer clear of lathes with oddball sized spindles. Fortunately, you shouldn't have any trouble finding accessories to fit the spindles on any of these lathes.

Bruce: The size of the spindle also determines the taper on the spur center that drives the work-piece. (See margin on page 12.)

Since the Bridgewood has a smaller spindle than the other lathes, it has a spur center with a

No. 1 Morse taper. That doesn't seem to match the scale of the projects I'd be turning on a lathe with its capacity. The No. 2 Morse tapers on all the other spur centers seems like a better match.

A Tailstocks. In addition to a heavy-duty casting, the tailstock on the Jet (left) has a locking lever in back. So it's not as likely to snag your clothes as the front lever on the lightweight Delta tailstock (right).

That takes care of the business end of the lathes. Bid what about the opposite end — the tailstocks?

Bruce: Well, I'm starting to sound like a broken record. But I like the heavy-duty castings on the tailstocks of the Jet, Grizzly, and Bridgewood. (See photos at left.) They provide better support for the workpiece than the lightweight casting on the Delta.

Paul: One thing about all of these tailstocks is each one has a "live" center that rotates with the workpiece. This way, I don't have to lubricate the end of the work-piece to keep it from burning.

Also, a removable centerpoint is a handy feature, see margin.

Steve: When it comes to picking the best lathe, there's no doubt in my mind. I'd buy the Grizzly.

It's the least expensive lathe of the bunch. But I get a lot for my money. I like the heavy-duty castings used for the lathe bed, headstock, and tailstock. Combine that with its variable speed control, and it's a tough lathe to beat.

Recommendations

Paul: All through the test, two lathes kept coming out on top — the Jet and the Grizzly. But when it comes to overall performance and quality, I'd pick the Jet.

It runs smoother than the Grizzly. And it has a % hp motor instead of the ^lk hp motor on the Grizzly. Even small things (like metal levers) make it a winner.

Bruce: I also went back and forth between the Jet and the Grizzly. Only I chose the Grizzly.

The extra capacity provided by the Grizzly is a big plus in my book. And I don't see the ^lk hp motor as a drawback — especially if you use a light touch. With the low price of this lathe, you can't go wrong.

No. 39

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