Wood Carving Lathe Discount

Reviews

I bought this lathe because most of the reviews were good, and it looked solid. Today, only after a few hours of use, maybe three or four, the motor refused to start. Flicking the switch a few times sometimes gets it going, but otherwise it's an 88 pound paper weight. While it was working I was unimpressed, the motor bogged down with little effort on any stock that was larger than a few inches in diameter. I've emailed PSI, and I'm waiting for a response to see if they can get it going again. I'll update this review when they get back to me. Edit: We took apart the VS unit today, and the switch was full of sawdust, so we cleaned it and it works again. My recommendation is to locate it somewhere it won't have sawdust falling in it, and maybe so that the switch isn't on the top. I can't really comment on the customer service from PSI because there hasn't been much time for them to resolve the issue, but I did get an email response from the customer service guy. Bumped it up to three stars because we have used it all afternoon, and it's working fine.

I'm very pleased with the lathe.just got it today and set it up as fast as i could get the box open.to my surprise nothing was broken and set-up went smooth,just had one part extra,I'm sure I'll find a use for the extra part later(chrome piece with a screw going through it 3in. long?).a few paint chips but nothing was bent or broken and all my adjustment knobs where alright as the other reviews had said their adjustment knobs where broken.one surprise was they sent a set of goggles, i was not expecting them at all,but a nice surprise.over all i am very pleased with this lathe as it is my first lathe and i hope to use the heck out of it. i bought it with the extension,i haven't put that on yet, maybe day 2 I'll put it on.the lathe has some weight to it,shipping was a 81 lbs.,and yes it did take two people to move it around.shipping was right on,i ordered it Saturday and got the extension first Wednesday and the rest of the order Thursday and the extension was a back order but i got it first? less then a week and i got my lathe,I'm real happy now

I'm not too easy to please - and I'll return anything that isn't exactly right for me (one reason I like dealing with Amazon) This lathe has passed the test as a 'keeper' -- I've had it about a month, turned about 10 different things - mostly smallish diameter (pens, handles, etc) but the power, the speed adjustability, smoothness of operation are all great. I'm just back to order the extension table so I can do even more with it. Quite a good value, I'd say.

I bought this lathe to learn the basics of turning, and to make some small projects. At first it performed fairly admirably considering the price. I turned a bunch of soup stirrers and some small spindles for various projects. The lathe worked smoothly. I had to do a small amount of filing to get the extension bed to fit to the main body, and more filing and sanding to get the tailstock to actually slide onto the extension. So the machining left something to be desired. Still, I felt I was getting a good deal for the price I paid. However, after about 2 years of very occasional light use, I was turning my first larger project. I mounted a 6" diameter 10" long maple log between centers and the lathe shook all over the place. I was able to eventually turn down to a cylinder and things smoothed out a bit. I began to turn a goblet, but as I was applying finish with light to medium pressure (enough to melt the wax but not overload the motor) the motor up and quit. Of course, I am turning this goblet for my wedding which is less than 2 weeks away so the timing isn't so convenient! I would say I put less than 50 hours working time into the motor, so that's a pretty poor performance in my book. I plan to contact the company to see if they will honor their 3 year warranty and I will post an addendum to this review. Overall advice: look elsewhere. You may think you're getting a bargain, but you'll probably end up buying another lathe sooner than you planned.

My lathe arrived with holes in its box, lots of tape holding the box together and the packing styrofoam in lots of pieces, so that I was concerned about it's condition. Fortunately, its sturdy construction survived the shipper's handling (except for one mounting foot that I had to straighten)- I'm looking forward to many hours of turning with this machine.

Reviews

I purchased this lathe because I already had the Jet 1014 and was happy with it except that I wanted a lathe with a larget swing and variable speed. I have now been using it for three months and have no complaints; it has met all of my expectations. Delivery was prompt and the carrier courteously wheeled the pallet containing the lathe right into my garage shop. I started to assemble it myself but my wife let me know how foolish she thought I was being and held parts for me while I tightened bolts. Really, two persons are a good idea. Since the head stock slides off, the weight was reduced just enough to give me false confidence. I have removed the wire mesh guard; most people work without one and I found it to interfere with my dust collection--that's a personal choice. I would recommend this lathe for consideration by anyone looking for a lathe in this catagory.

Haven't had time to do anything but set-up the machine and make sure it works. I'll write more when I turn something on it. In my case, I could NOT have a GFCI in the line I hooked up this lathe on - with mine, something about the variable speed/inverter that blew the GCFI every time the machine was turned on - was advised about this on the woodworking forum, 'Sawmill Creek'. Turned out to be true, in my case. Also, before trying to remove the faceplate the thing comes with, be warned there are 2 set-screws holding it in place. Nice heavy duty machine, looking forward to years of use. Bye now.

I had an old Craftsman lathe that I had bought used for turning rungs and spindles for occasional furniture repair. After I retired I wanted to get into turning bowls as a hobby so I wanted to replace my old lathe. After much research and the fact that I had bought other Jet tools and was impressed with them, I bought this Jet lathe. The set up was easy even for an old guy. Of course I needed help lifting the heavy pieces, but then again the weight of the lathe is one of it's good features. Everything lined up and fit perfectly. When I first turned it on I couldn't believe how quiet it was! It runs quite, vibration free and the speed control is a dream come true. I didn't have much experience or training in wood turning but after buying a few books and a video by Nick Cook I really got into it and my wife is running out of room for my "creations". I've had this lathe for over a year and I have not regretted buying this lathe and even enjoy bragging rights when my friend comes over to turn on my lathe and then goes home and uses his lathe just for sanding!

This 1642 lathe is the best machine in my shop. It's robust and quite, the tool rest and tail stock glide across the ways with no effort. Putting it together was easy, but you should have someone help you when lifting the motor and head stock. Vince

Everything was as promised....on time and in excellent condition. Actually the delivery was faster than promised. They unloaded the lathe and put it just 4 feet from where I assemebled it. I love this unit, it has all of the things I wanted.

Reviews

I've been doing woodworking for years now, but it has been all flat work. I bought a mini lathe to make some small legs and handles, well I discoverd the vortex. Turning is so much fun. I've found a new woodworking love. I still like flat work, but this has become my new passion. I had decided to save for a larger lathe that could handle bowls, plates and such, and had intended to get the PM 3520b. Until Jet had a special on the 1642EVS-2 for 1699. Well ToolNut had it even cheaper with free shipping for sixteen hunderd even (Thanks again ToolNut). The lathe is Jet's top of the line and seems great so far. No issues with anything. I can see myself keeping this lathe for the rest of my life. Not much to add to the other reviews, fit and finish is good (not the best I've seen but good). Form and Function is excellent, they have made a solid lathe everything works perfectly. Good tail stock, live center, rest, strong motor, easy to use belt adjustment, handy tool tray. The only negatives for me is the height of the lathe (I'm 5'6") and it is a bit light (but can be easily weighted down with the built in base. Just add a chuck of your choice, some turning tools and wood :) I'll add an update to the review after a year.

Great Delivery, Easy assembly, product lives up to all other reviews. No vibration at any rpm. My first turning - a set of 4 inch square table legs. Very little effort, no vibration. Sanding at 3000 rpm's was very nice. Very happy with this lathe.

I have a number of Jet tools and they have served me well, but this tool has been an expensive disappointment. I bought the 2hp model several years ago. Upon start up, the speed control smoked big time in less than 2 hours. Jet provided an authorized repair service within 5 days. Unfortunately, they brought the wrong replacement module and I waited another week for the repair. Since the electronic motor controller was more than the repair service was used to, they replaced the motor and inverter/speed control as a set. The new motor was noisy after the replacement at several speeds and made a scraping sound inside whereas the original motor was smooth and quiet. Just after the warranty expired, the motor began to sound increasingly more noisy and suddenly stopped working. The lathe has approximately only 40 hours of total use. I called Jet and explained the situation, but the only option available to me was to buy a replacement motor for $400 plus tax and shipping. As an owner of 6 Jet tools, I was very disappointed and will seriously consider upgrading to a more robust lathe from another manufacturer. If you consider the ~ $2K price of the lathe, and another $475 for a replacement motor, it makes sense to consider lathes from the other suppliers as it may save money and avoid costly repairs down the road.

When I started looking for a bigger lathe, and I looked at all of them, I looked very seriously at oneway, because I already have one of thier chucks and some of thier other accesories and was very inpressed with them. However a friend of mine has a JET 1642 and turns out some very impressive segmented bowls with it... that recommendation and the quality of his lathe compared to the oneway price and the more versitile 1642EVS-2 did the trick. I bought the two horse 220 machine and I am really impressed with the balance and noise level,, (there is very little). The machine will do much more than I am capable of and look forward to doing some more challenging projects. I already have turned a 12 inch green red oak bowl with no problem at all... as far as the machine is concerned...!!! Great lathe and and accesories that came with it. I used to be a Delta biggot but have since bought more Jet tools, good equipment for the money.

Owned this Jet 2 HP lathe model 1642 over two years now and haven't any regrets. Very heavy duty for the price and compared to a Oneway, what's the difference, price or the bragging rights like the review said below. This is built like a tank, but runs like a Cadillac, very smooth while passing the nickel test over and over. I had test drove the 1 1/2 HP Jet and the 2 HP Oneway before buying this and for $100.00 more then the Jet 1 1/2 HP and $1500.00 less then the 2 HP Oneway, no brainer. Even tested the two delta 2 HP lathes same price, no thanks on steel beds, I only like iron cast. The Nova was nice to, I just don't like the snap together bed for the price. Saved my money for nice wood and more turning tools, also banking the extra dough.