Thanks for your submission. If your question is about getting started in woodturning, which chuck to buy, which tools to buy, or for an opinion of a lathe you found for sale somewhere like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace please take a few minutes check the wiki; many of the most commonly asked questions are already answered there!
And if you can get your hands on one, I HIGHLY suggest you do so, I have had a few lathes over the years, and my current go to is a mini lathe with a full extension option. I never need more than the 10in for clearance, but the smaller lengths always feel constraining. A bed extension is awesome because you can hang it on some cleans on a stud and just grab it when you need it!
Yeah I love em. Most turners are not turning enormous logs or making 20in bowls, and those lathes, while super awesome, take up way too much space. I have a belt driven Jet 10/20 that goes up to like36in with the bed extension. I’ve turned more table legs and bowls than I can count, and it’s been just awesome.
Yes, bed extension goes there for longer work. You may also have another mounting point about a foot below that so you can take the headstock to the end (where the tailstock is now) and mount the tool rest on the lower positioned extension to do much wider work
I’ve never used a bed extension but my lathe seems very similar to yours. Those 4 small holes are probably to mount a handle/tool rest. The gap in the lathe bed is so you can slide the tail stock off/on as needed. This is usually done for cleaning, storage, or hollowing bowls
Yes, mine has a piece of plastic to prevent the tailstock from going too far that I have busted up pretty bad over the years. I would love to get the extension just to give me more room for my tool handles.
When I had my Delta Midi, I got a small piece of steel sheet from the big box hardware store, cut it to fit the space, drilled it out and bolted it on. No more running the tailstock off the end of the ways. I filed down the edge so it wasn't sharp. Wasn't too hard to make. I did the same thing then I got my Nova DVR XP.
Yes. But...I have a Jet mini with an extension and the rails don't line up well. So - if you do buy an extension, make sure the tail and the tool rest slide SMOOTHLY. If they misalign by 1/16" it's a royal PITA.
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Thanks for your submission. If your question is about getting started in woodturning, which chuck to buy, which tools to buy, or for an opinion of a lathe you found for sale somewhere like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace please take a few minutes check the wiki; many of the most commonly asked questions are already answered there!
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