Carba-Tec Mini-lathe
Fred Holder
I'm not sure what set up Penn State Industries has, but I would recommend
staying away from the Carba-Tec with the DC motor. Buy one of them without a
motor and put on about a 1/4 hp motor, I used a 1/4 HP Fan Motor on mine. The
basic Carba-Tec lathe is a very good lathe. The DC motor versions that they came
up with have been nothing but trouble. They has supposedly fixed their problems
with the Carba-Tec III, but from reports I've heard they still give problems.
Craft Supplies USA in Provo, Utah sells it this way and I believe that
Woodcraft is now selling the lathe without a motor. You do have to build a box
or mount it on a board along with your motor. I put my motor in a box since I
was taking it to craft fairs this keeps everything clear of little fingers.
Incidentally, I've been trying out a "Pen Set" of turning tools from Crown Tools
that would be a good starter set if you can find one. I'm not sure whether any
suppliers in this country are carrying this set yet, but it is a nice one for
small lathes. It has a 1/2" oval skew, which is a beauty, a 3/8" gouge, and a
1/8" parting tool. All work great. This set contains the basic three tools that
I always recommend for people starting out.
Hope this helps you a bit.
Fred Holder
<http://www.skagit.com/woodturning>
In article <7Uzj2.36$a66.1...@alpha.sky.net>, al...@biteme.sky.net says...
>
>I am a novice woodworker and I would like to start turning pens. It seems
>that Penn State Industries has a really good setup for the beginner. I tried
>to find something in Dejanews regarding this, but was unsuccessful.
>
>Now to my question. How good are the Carba-tec Lathes? I realize that I
>should go with the Jet Mini, but I am limited as to what I can spend. I have
>not seen any reviews in any of the recent woodworking mags, so I rely on the
>experts in this NG.
>
>Thanks....Alex
al...@biteme.sky.net
M&JP
I have owned my Carba-Tec lathe for almost a year now and feel I
received good value for money. Woodcraft have given me good service
also. I was assisted in my selection process by similar advice from
Fred to that posted by him here - it's all good stuff.
I bought my lathe without motor from Woodcraft and I see that they
currently have the lathe for $199.99, which is the same price I paid. I
also bought a 6 inch tool rest at that time. However, check out Craft
Supplies USA 1999 catalog p.90. They list the basic lathe for the
$199.95 and state that they INCLUDE a switch, cord and wiring kit.
Their price for the 6 inch rest is also better than Woodcraft.
I selected Woodcraft as supplier because they ship US postal service to
my location (Canada) and I was able to handle duties etc. through Canada
Post for $5 service fee. Penn State told me they only ship via UPS, who
insist on acting as your broker. In the case of this lathe UPS quoted a
'service' fee of $45-50.
If you have any additional questions, just ask.
Martin
Sudbury
Ontario
Canada
Fred Holder wrote:
>
> Hello Alex,
>
> I'm not sure what set up Penn State Industries has, but I would recommend
> staying away from the Carba-Tec with the DC motor. Buy one of them without a
> motor and put on about a 1/4 hp motor, I used a 1/4 HP Fan Motor on mine. The
> basic Carba-Tec lathe is a very good lathe. The DC motor versions that they came
> up with have been nothing but trouble. They has supposedly fixed their problems
> with the Carba-Tec III, but from reports I've heard they still give problems.
> Craft Supplies USA in Provo, Utah sells it this way and I believe that
> Woodcraft is now selling the lathe without a motor. You do have to build a box
> or mount it on a board along with your motor. I put my motor in a box since I
> was taking it to craft fairs this keeps everything clear of little fingers.
>
> Incidentally, I've been trying out a "Pen Set" of turning tools from Crown Tools
> that would be a good starter set if you can find one. I'm not sure whether any
> suppliers in this country are carrying this set yet, but it is a nice one for
> small lathes. It has a 1/2" oval skew, which is a beauty, a 3/8" gouge, and a
> 1/8" parting tool. All work great. This set contains the basic three tools that
> I always recommend for people starting out.
>
> Hope this helps you a bit.
>
> Fred Holder
> <http://www.skagit.com/woodturning>
>
> In article <7Uzj2.36$a66.1...@alpha.sky.net>, al...@biteme.sky.net says...
> >
WScott1678
problems with it at all. i turn pens and some candle bases that are in the 5"
dia range. i would shy away from the carba-tech that has the built in motor.
in my opinion if it burns out u have to get a new one from them - if it is a
detached motor then u can replace it with just about anything including a
weedeaterengine if need be...........
take care - happy turning
trav
Who is John Galt?
mike7000
If you have a drill press, a good alternative to a mini-lathe is a
Vertilathe. It costs about $50.00. You can see this at:
www.freeyellow.com/members4/vertilathe
Mike
al...@biteme.sky.net wrote in message
<7Uzj2.36$a66.1...@alpha.sky.net>...
Scott Ledbetter
problems at all. The motor still starts and runs just like new. I haven't
even
broken a belt and I've had some fantastic catches in the last year. I
recommend
the latest model they sell.
Cheers,
--
Scott Ledbetter
mike7000 wrote in message <76o245$7kr$1...@oak.prod.itd.earthlink.net>...
al...@biteme.sky.net
vertilathe in Woodsmith issue #58. I may go this route first just to see if I
like turning pens.
thanks for the response from all of you.....
Alex
In article <76o245$7kr$1...@oak.prod.itd.earthlink.net>, "mike7000"
Spydaman
>
> I am a novice woodworker and I would like to start turning pens. It seems
> that Penn State Industries has a really good setup for the beginner. I tried
> to find something in Dejanews regarding this, but was unsuccessful.
>
> Now to my question. How good are the Carba-tec Lathes? I realize that I
> should go with the Jet Mini, but I am limited as to what I can spend. I have
> not seen any reviews in any of the recent woodworking mags, so I rely on the
> experts in this NG.
>
> Thanks....Alex
Aloha Alex,
Here's another lathe you might want to consider:
http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/G5967.html
This lathe looks almost identical to the JET but costs considerably
less.
Spy in Hawaii
al...@biteme.sky.net
>Aloha Alex,
> Here's another lathe you might want to consider:
>http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/G5967.html
>This lathe looks almost identical to the JET but costs considerably
>less.
> Spy in Hawaii
I am reminded of the adage "You get what you pay for." Since I know only that
the different mini-lathes that I have looked at seem to be much more expensive
(even the carba-tec), I wonder about the quality of this machine. Have you
direct experience with it? If so, what are the good and bad points. Over the
summer, I spent $150.00 on a Sears benchtop tablesaw thinking that it would
meet my needs and ended up almost cutting off all of the fingers on my
left-hand because I was trying to do something that the saw was not capable of
doing (although I was being very careful, there was something that I just
didn't foresee happening). Although price is an issue for me, I am concerned
that I get a machine capable of doing what I want it to do. As I said
earlier, I only want to do pens and maybe some small turned boxes for now.
Thanks for the reply.....
Alex
Kayakaz
Craig
Spydaman
I personally don't have experiance with this particular lathe but do
have experiance with other Grizzly tools (lathes, bandsaw, drill press)
and they have all been very positive. IMHO you get alot more than your
moneys worth with Grizzly Tools, an whole lot of bang for the buck, and
great customer service, along with a great reputation. :-) Or you can
spend over $500 on a DELTA 46700 (?), a total piece of garbage. This
lathe (G5967) is very new to the market so probley not many people here
have even seen one up close. Is there anyone out there who owns Grizzly
5967 who can give Alex (and me) a firsthand report? Thanks.
Spy in Hawaii
Spydaman
>
> The Grizzley has a brush type motor. Aren't they noisy?
>
> Craig
Aloha Craig,
The lathe I have, a Grizzly G5979 (actually a HB 34706) is pretty
quiet to me, and it's quite a bit quieter than my buddy's DELTA 46700.
I don't need hearing protect using my lathe, with his Delta you
definitely need the ear muffs. He is very disapointed in the Delta but
loves turning on my lathe. I would think the mini should be comperable
in noise the Grizzly's larger lathes, which is not much noise at all.
Spy in Hawaii
al...@biteme.sky.net
in the mail today (although I don't remember sending for one). I will look it
over in detail in the am. Thanks for the follow-up and to all who respond to
Spy's request to help me out. I may just decide to go with the Grizzly.
Thanks again.....
Alex
In article <36919E...@shaka.com>, Spydaman <spydama...@shaka.com>
wrote:
>Aloha Alex,
