# Going to see a jet 1236 on CL, what questions to ask?



## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

I am going to see a lathe on craigslist sometime in the next couple of days. It is a jet jwl 1236. The owner says it has been lightly used.

What should I look for/ask about in the lathe before I purchase? 

Also I know there was a thread earlier about blanks rubbing the motor on this lathe, does anyone else have it. It is a fairly decent price for the size (especially compared to my plans of buying a 1220 mini) but want to make sure its a solid purchase


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Is it the same as the latest version sold at e.g., Woodcraft, if so lots of information at the Woodcraft site. I would normally look up the manufacturer technical specifications. The rest would be a visit to see the condition and see if any accessories are being included.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2002046/23311/JET-12-Variable-Speed-Wood-Lathe-Model-JWL1236.aspx

Motor does hang out on the same side as the headstock. I do not know if this will interfere like the lathe in the recent post.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

yes it appears to be the same, older, version

http://sandusky.craigslist.org/tls/3834621751.html

I plan on seeing/buying tonight so we shall see. The stand rollers are included but that seems to be it. I'll be interested in seeing if he has any chucks / tools to toss in as well


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## knika (Jan 15, 2012)

Turn it on. Is it quiet? Listen for bearing noise. Check the alignment (head stock to tail stock). You will need a spur drive and a live center to do that. How close are the points to touching each other? 

If it is blue, it is a older model. If it is white, it is newer model.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Looks like the same model. Pictures look good. Price is very good.

FYI, this is designed as a spindle lathe. The slowest speed is 550 rpm. This would be too fast for my liking with > 8in dia bowl blank. Lots of vibration when starting a bowl even if you cut the blank into roughly round shape on the band saw.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

Dave Paine said:


> Looks like the same model. Pictures look good. Price is very good.
> 
> FYI, this is designed as a spindle lathe. The slowest speed is 550 rpm. This would be too fast for my liking with > 8in dia bowl blank. Lots of vibration when starting a bowl even if you cut the blank into roughly round shape on the band saw.


Ah I see. My main interest at this point would be bowls. I see the other mini I was looking at has a min speed of 500. Am I looking at the wrong lathes then? 

That nova at $900 is more than I wanted to spend (and only good for another 2 days) but is seemingly looking better and better


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

zrossiter said:


> Ah I see. My main interest at this point would be bowls. I see the other mini I was looking at has a min speed of 500. Am I looking at the wrong lathes then?
> 
> That nova at $900 is more than I wanted to spend (and only good for another 2 days) but is seemingly looking better and better


You can turn bowls with the Jet 1236, but you may find yourself limited to the size.

The NOVA 1624 is a good lathe. A number of forum members have this lathe and like it. A decent price at the sale for $900. Slowest speed is 215 rpm, much better for starting larger bowl blanks.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020011/22005/Nova-162444-Wood-Lathe.aspx

These lathes are not heavy, so they may bounce around with rough large bowl blanks, unless you can either bolt to the ground, or add a shelf with bags of sand for ballast.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

Dave Paine said:


> You can turn bowls with the Jet 1236, but you may find yourself limited to the size.
> 
> The NOVA 1624 is a good lathe. A number of forum members have this lathe and like it. A decent price at the sale for $900. Slowest speed is 215 rpm, much better for starting larger bowl blanks.
> 
> ...


So with that being said, and for the fact that I still have to purchase tools, chucks, etc. Would you say that I should go for the 1236 as a beginner and save money to purchase other things. Or would you recommend ponying up the 900 to buy the nova knowing it has more room for expansion and is a more solid lathe


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

zrossiter said:


> So with that being said, and for the fact that I still have to purchase tools, chucks, etc. Would you say that I should go for the 1236 as a beginner and save money to purchase other things. Or would you recommend ponying up the 900 to buy the nova knowing it has more room for expansion and is a more solid lathe


Not a question I can answer for you. This has come up on a number of threads.

Two main groups of opinions. One group says purchase a starter lathe, find out what you like and sell it later.

Another group says buy for future needs and avoid having to sell.

Only you can decide. The Jet should be easy to sell at a later date. Decent lathe, not very old, may even still be manufactured at the time.

Budgets are real for all of us. You will need money for chucks and other accessories. I was surprised at how much I have spent on these things to either enable tasks, or to make tasks easier.

I prefer to purchase for future needs if I can. Not always practical.

I purchased a hybrid table saw and 7-8 years later upgraded to full size cabinet saw. Passed on the old saw to a friend.

I purchased a NOVA DVR XP lathe feeling this could satisfy future needs. I see bigger lathes at demo's and may find myself upgrading in the future, but not soon. I can say I have been happy with the DVR so far, but always easy to have envy for bigger lathe.


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## laxin213 (Jan 25, 2013)

First, note it appears to have the stock faceplate that i suspect will clear the motor... also check the brackets that are cast iron that hold on the headstock,mine had hairline cracks in them when i bought it. have to agree with Dave on a lot of points. I have the older jet 12-36 and even at its lowest speed after roughing out on bandsaw 8" bowl blanks it's a pretty fast speed and lots of vibration. I counter that with sand bags and larger tools like a 1"+ roughing gouge and scrapper. Portability was a concern and being in my20's I could pickup and move my jet into my basement easily at its weight of 180 lbs or so solo. I bought my old jet at $200 on CL so it was in my budget. The nova looks nice, but i would love a big powermatic someday. Nice thing about the jet you linked you can buy it,use it and sell to a buddy that you get into the hobby when you upgrade. Is this going in your garage or upstairs shop?


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

laxin213 said:


> First, note it appears to have the stock faceplate that i suspect will clear the motor... also check the brackets that are cast iron that hold on the headstock,mine had hairline cracks in them when i bought it. have to agree with Dave on a lot of points. I have the older jet 12-36 and even at its lowest speed after roughing out on bandsaw 8" bowl blanks it's a pretty fast speed and lots of vibration. I counter that with sand bags and larger tools like a 1"+ roughing gouge and scrapper. Portability was a concern and being in my20's I could pickup and move my jet into my basement easily at its weight of 180 lbs or so solo. I bought my old jet at $200 on CL so it was in my budget. The nova looks nice, but i would love a big powermatic someday. Nice thing about the jet you linked you can buy it,use it and sell to a buddy that you get into the hobby when you upgrade. Is this going in your garage or upstairs shop?


This will be going in a shop I have yet to build. My parents have a spare barn/garage which they are going to let me use, ground floor. Being 23 and having an appt I dont have that much room, so it will be a nice set up.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Most of us base the quality of a lathe and how it turns on the lathes we have now which are usually much nicer. That being said I turned on a Delta lathe that was very similar to that Jet in that it weighed about the same, had the same horsepower and had the same minimum speed. I turned a lot of stuff for about 3 years before I upgraded. 
Yes it can be quite frustrating when you try to rough out bowls. The lathe wants to hop around and you fight it but if you bolted the bowl down good so it won't fly off and or use the tailstock to help keep it on you can get it done. Once it's round 500 isn't too slow. As a beginner you would feel a lot more comfortable roughing a bowl at speeds more like 250 but you have to pay the price to get a lathe that will do that.
I'd say go for it. Have fun. Get hooked on turning and then upgrade to a bigger lathe. In reality most projects are reasonable small other than big bowls.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

Hey thanks for the replys all, I keep going back and forth. I just saw another lathe near my parents house that comes with some tools and chucks

can anyone identify this delta lathe?

http://toledo.craigslist.org/tls/3826432165.html


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

I believe that is an Delta LA200 midi lathe.... I recently acquired one, but have yet to use it.... I got mine for a lot less though, but it didn't come with anything.... I even had to purchase the centers


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I use the variable speed version of that exact lathe in my shop. In fact I took it to Dalton Ga to demo on it yesterday. Great lathe. You can buy a bed extension for it if you ever want to do spindle work. Can't remember the minimum speed on that one but it's reasonable. The lathe weights about 100 lbs so it's good a solid.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

zrossiter said:


> Hey thanks for the replys all, I keep going back and forth. I just saw another lathe near my parents house that comes with some tools and chucks
> 
> can anyone identify this delta lathe?
> 
> http://toledo.craigslist.org/tls/3826432165.html


Looks like the 46-455 which was a non-variable speed alternative to the popular 46-460.

It seems Delta is no longer selling the 46-455. I did find this brochure which has some information.

http://deltaportercable.com/lathes/pdfs/Brochure_92-401B.pdf

Looks to be similar to the Jet, just shorter bed. With the present parts situation with Delta, and the fact they have dropped this model, I would say the Jet is a safer purchase. Sad, this was a popular lathe at the time.

Model 46-455 Only 
Motor: 

3/4 HP Max.
Speeds: 5 (500; 950; 1,500; 2,700; and 4,000 RPM)

Edit. Comment
After reading the other replies, perhaps it is the LA200. I would ask the seller. Best to get as much information as you can.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

Dave Paine said:


> Looks like the 46-455 which was a non-variable speed alternative to the popular 46-460.
> 
> It seems Delta is no longer selling the 46-455. I did find this brochure which has some information.
> 
> ...


Thanks, yea after doing some googling I was thinking it was the 46-455. I sent an email to get the model number and whatnot, so we will see.


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## zrossiter (May 15, 2013)

Welp I went ahead and got the jet 1236. After an hour drive and a half hour search for an atm (then an hour drive home). I am super excited. $360 aint too shabby. Now all i need are a few tools haha


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## khowald (Nov 8, 2012)

Good job, now we will need pictures of sawdust...have fun and turn safe...ken


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Happy that you made a decision. Do not look back. Just enjoy the purchase. :icon_smile:

Now buy the things you need to use this puppy like a good face shield for as a minimum. :thumbsup:


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

zrossiter said:


> So with that being said, and for the fact that I still have to purchase tools, chucks, etc. Would you say that I should go for the 1236 as a beginner and save money to purchase other things. Or would you recommend ponying up the 900 to buy the nova knowing it has more room for expansion and is a more solid lathe


Hi . 
If it were me , I would go for the Nova.
I have done a fair amount of turning on them , in a Guild clubhouse, and they feel good to me . 
To add to the weight , you can mount the stand on a solid base and lay sandbags on for stability .
The bed can be added to , and if in time you feel the need , the headstock can be replaced with a Nova DVR XP one .

Teknatool make good gear. 
(My own lathe is an XP with a four section bed = 64 inches between centers)

Jock


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