# jet metal lathes



## jonesie (Sep 19, 2009)

has enyone used or own a jet lathe. i was looking at the 9x20 belt drive. who are they made buy and if you own one are you satified with it? northern tool has them for around $1300. thanks jonesie


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## Tin Falcon (Sep 19, 2009)

Jonsie:
You will find that most of the brand names on many of the import machine tools are just that. 
the Tools themselves pretty much come from the same factory in china. Some still come from tiawan and are considered better quality. Most of the Machines sold on today's market. come from SEIG Shanghai Engineering Industry Group.

http://www.siegind.com/index.php
The jet brand is owned by 

Walter Meier Manufacturing Inc. - 427 New Sanford Rd
LaVergne, TN 37086-4184 - Phone: 888-804-7129 - Fax: 888-605-2101
these are the folks that give us Wilton. 
the jet folks will tell you that they pick the best machines first before the other importers to get there paint color and labels.Harbor freight is said to be the leftovers. They also have manuals for the machines on line and also list parts for there machines. 
I have had a jet grinder for IIRC 10 years and it has served me well. Jet is arguably the best brand of these machines with Grizzly as a close second. And seig is constantly working on improving there products as far as features and fit/finish. 

That being said you may want to look at a couple of grizzlys offerings IIRC there 9x is currently $950 w fee shipping and they have this one that is a bit beefier
http://grizzly.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602 that is in your price range. 
Tin


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## jonesie (Sep 19, 2009)

thanks tim i will look at the grizzly thanks jonesie


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## rake60 (Sep 19, 2009)

As Tin has already stated, they are all just different paint on the
SEIG 9 X 20 lathe. I bought the Grizzly model *G4000* myself
because it included a 4 jaw chuck. That chuck is pretty much
useless. If I had it to do over I would buy the Harbor Freight 9 X 20 Lathe.

Rick


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## 1Kenny (Sep 19, 2009)

Bought a Jet 9X20 a few months ago that was a couple years old. To repeat what Rick said, that 4 jaw chuck is pretty much useless. Get a couple of spare of the small v belts. The guy that I bought it from never tightened or lubed it. After doing that it runs real quite. It came with the stand. He said he only used it a couple of hours and I believe it. Paid $600.00 USD and drove 40 miles to pick it up.

Kenny


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## jonesie (Sep 21, 2009)

i have acess to a hardinges lathe at wk so i stay and do my stuff after wk so i think i will wait untill i can find a good used south bend or atlas. i had a line on a craftmans but it was in a basket and no gears for threading and i thought not a good price. if and when i win the lottery i will have a hardinges but right now the 15 to 20 thousand is not to fessible. i think i will keep looking, just something at home would be nice.


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## vlmarshall (Sep 21, 2009)

I'm in the same situation as you; with access to Hardinge lathes at work, I've been staying late to do my turning! Hang in there, you'll get something eventually. ;D


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## Rickus (Sep 21, 2009)

Getting a used lathe can be a value too. Yes it can also be a boat anchor, but if you can spend a few minutes looking one over before purchase, you can decide if it is worth it. Minor fit problems, cleaning, lubrication, etc. can be done very easily. While going through the lathe to bring it to working tolerances you will learn a lot about the lathe and can even come up wit some improvements. 
  I have an old craftsman lathe I am cleaning and refurbishing. This lathe was torn down to its smallest components and stuffed in a huge box. I took the instructions that were with it, checked each part against them as I went through the box, and the end result was, well if you are going to go through all that trouble to make sure it's all there, you can just HAVE it. Got it for free! It was going for $150 which was a steal to start with.  I have a Harbor Freight 9X20 I am using also and have no complaints after taking it apart, cleaning and adjusting.  
  New or used, brand name or not, the decision is what do you plan to use it for and just how accurate do you want it to be, and how much work are you willinh ot put into one to start. Last, I knew two people in Vegas with Jet Lathes and one said it was more than he expected for the price while the other said he could have saved a lot of money by getting a Harbor Freight 9X20 and taking time to adjust, and modify it, with hints and ideas from the internet, for much less. Long story, I know, but it's as others have posted, pretty much same lathe, just goes out different doors.


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## Mike N (Sep 21, 2009)

Jonesie,

I bought a 14-40 Jet Lathe 2 years ago, it is a good machine. I wish it was a little more rigid on the spindle, but I'm not tyring to make a living with it!

Mike N


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## ozzie46 (Sep 21, 2009)

Just Ordered the Grizzly 10 x 22. Does anyone know anything about the 4 Jaw that comes with it? Its NOT supposed to be the same as for the 9 x 20. 9 x 20 comes with a 6 in and 10 x 22 comes with a 6 1/2 in.

 Ron


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## Philjoe5 (Sep 21, 2009)

Ron,
I've had my 10 x22 for two years now. I think you'll like this machine a lot. The 4 jaw that came with my machine is an inexpensive one BUT it performs very well unlike the one that comes with the 9 x 20 (which I also own). Hopefully Grizzly has continued with the better chuck on the 10 x 22.

Enjoy your new lathe.

Cheers,
Phil


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## ozzie46 (Sep 21, 2009)

Thanks Phil, Glad to here that.

 By the way, any mods that you can think of?

 Maybe I need to start a new thread on this, what do you think?


 Ron


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## Philjoe5 (Sep 21, 2009)

Ron,
The only mods I did were to replace the low speed belt with a Carlisle brand belt and install an AXA 100 QCTP. Nothing else was needed for my work. 

Cheers,
Phil


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## spazman_77 (Sep 22, 2009)

a couple of my friends have them and there allways over at my shop using my 10 k south bend, the 9 by xx lathes arent very ridgid and do not turn very slow, so it can make treading interesting
my advise, lok around and buy a used american ( south bend, or what ever) lathe


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## ozzie46 (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks again Phil.

 Spaz, To late its on its way to my house as we speak. I don't have the budget for an American used lathe. I wish I did. I don't do what you would call large work such as a machine shop might do. I only do hobby stuff. Having said that, I have seen some mighty interesting work done on the web, even on the 7 x's. As far as speed I am looking around for a used tread mill exercise machine to salvage the motor off of. I've seen mods where they are used for variable speed on lathes.

 Now back to our original programming.   

 Ron


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## Kermit (Sep 22, 2009)

ozzie46  said:
			
		

> ...I am looking around for a used tread mill exercise machine to salvage the motor off of. I've seen mods where they are used for variable speed on lathes.
> Ron




Those particular items seem to be all the rage with people making homemade wind turbines. seems they make decent generators. I mention this since you will be competing with lots of people for those used motors and might end up paying to much or getting a junked one that seems cheap.  A small dc PM motor driven with a 12 volt trolling motor battery would run all day long.

Kermit


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## Tin Falcon (Sep 22, 2009)

Ozzie:
Congrats on the new lathe purchase. A 10 x 22 should work well keep your eyes out for the tread mill I have been lucky enough to score a couple one went into a buddies lathe I still need to put the second motor to good use. 
I have a south bend and enjoy it but I will not knock anyone's choice. my first usable lathe was a 7 x that was the best I could find with the available funds at the time. 
Tin


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## jonesie (Sep 23, 2009)

i am now thinking about getting a small harbor frieght 7'' and keep looking for a good used larger lathe . i have a harbor freight store close by so i can go and look at them. the larger stuff i can stay late at wk to do but the small stuff i can do at home.any thoughts on the small minis. thanks jonesie


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## Tin Falcon (Sep 23, 2009)

a Hf 7x 12 will run you $500 for $50 more plus applicable tax you can get an 8 x 12

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44859
 the working envelope is not a lot bigger but this puppy weighs three time that of little brother so you get nearly 3x the cast iron for a little more $$ but you lose the variable speed on the fly speed change. 
Tin


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## jonesie (Oct 2, 2009)

just got a line on a smithy 3in 1 a 1220xl at what might be a good price, said it has been used little, pictures look good does anyone have one or any thoughts or advice. never used a 3in 1 always larger single machines. thanks jonesie


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## elf11 (Oct 28, 2009)

I'm looking for a metal lathe machine. Desired price range is 1K-1.5k $.
I found these two :
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E91KUU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00012WWOO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I think the Grizzly one has better features...
So should I pick Grizzly over Jet ? or any better suggestion ?
Thanks.


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## John Rudd (Oct 28, 2009)

I have a Chester 9*20 similar to many of the Chinese clones...







I've modded mine with various enhancements including a variable speed drive using a Teco FM50 vfd and a 3ph motor....


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## Tin Falcon (Oct 28, 2009)

Elf11: 
 first of all welcome second post and intro in the welcome section so we can have a better idea of you background interests and location . 
and last but not least an answer to your question . 
your dime your choice. 
the grizzly looks like a better value and more capable machine. I do not see a lot of details posted about the jet. 
one downside on the grizzly and upside for the jet is spindle nose thread. the 1-3/4 x8 spindle nose is an odd size the good thing is you have a 1'' spindle bore instead of the more common 3/4 bore do you expect to be able to use collets in the lathe.? the jet should handle 3-c collets. not sure about the grizzly. 
Tin


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## elf11 (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks.
here is more aboat the Jet : http://www.southern-tool.com/store/jet_bd920_belt_drive_metal_working_lathe.html
and I'll post an intro very soon 
and I have no plan for the collets.


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## rgordon (Oct 31, 2009)

I have the Jet 9X20 and it is a nice lathe. I like the 1-1/2 X8 thread as there is a lot available for it. 
Ralph


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## guttermanak (Jan 2, 2014)

Just bought my first Lathe Jet  9x20. I am looking to remove the 3 jaw chuck. I removed the set screw, attempted to use the tool provided to hold shaft, & a strap wrench on the chuck. Could not get it to budge. And the tool wants to strip out.


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## stevehuckss396 (Jan 2, 2014)

guttermanak said:


> Just bought my first Lathe Jet  9x20. I am looking to remove the 3 jaw chuck. I removed the set screw, attempted to use the tool provided to hold shaft, & a strap wrench on the chuck. Could not get it to budge. And the tool wants to strip out.




The tool you refer to holds the spindle correct?

If so put the tool into the spindle and rotate the spindle so the tool is about 2 inches away from the ways. 

Now holding the chuck twist the chuck/spindle so the tool whacks the ways and the chuck will pop loose. It won't hurt anything.


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## goldstar31 (Jan 3, 2014)

I think( I THINK) that the normal techniques suggested are no longer valid and more drastic methods are called for. Again, I would guess(  I GUESS) that some malpractice has preceded all this. Maybe jammed swarf, maybe a burr on a spindle thread- who knows?

 I would change the leverage  to putting a piece  of soft wood in three jaw at right angles to the length of the lathe bed  and smartly hitting it with a hammer getting as much leverage as possible. 

 If you don't want to risk this, remove the jaws and get more leverage using a suitable wide piece of wood- as before.

 It's all in the Sparey's The Amateurs Lathe and Sparey goes on to describe the possibility of having to turn the backplate off. I have done exactly that on a second hand Pools Major that had probably run for 4 years of war work without removing the 3 jaw! Further examination showed that the bed wear was so extensive that it wouldn't turn anything but bananas and it ended up in Lumsdens to have the bed  reground. I digress- sorry!


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## goldstar31 (Jan 3, 2014)

stevehuckss396 said:


> The tool you refer to holds the spindle correct?
> 
> If so put the tool into the spindle and rotate the spindle so the tool is about 2 inches away from the ways.
> 
> Now holding the chuck twist the chuck/spindle so the tool whacks the ways and the chuck will pop loose. It won't hurt anything.


 
 The odds of knocking a chunk out of the Number one shear are high. It's a hardened- and therefore somewhat brittle shear

 Norman


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## lathe nut (Jan 3, 2014)

jonesie, I have a 3 in 1, I really like it, another I did not need but wanted one, I bought mine off of Craig list only about 30 miles from home, I probably paid to much under 1,000 but got a lot of toys with it, fun to play with, Lathe Nut


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