Andrew Finnigan put six midi lathes through a series of performance tests, designed to evaluate them thoroughly both for spindle turning and face work.
Synopsis: Spanning the gap between mini lathes and full-size machines, midi lathes are often the perfect professional machine for woodworkers. Andrew Finnigan put six midi lathes through a series of performance tests, designed to evaluate them thoroughly both for spindle turning and face work. Lathes were separated into two categories: under $1300 and over $2000.
Midi lathes span the gap between mini lathes and full-size machines. A midi is generally more capable and easier to use than a mini, while remaining more affordable, smaller, and more portable than a full-size lathe. Often the introductory machine for those just beginning turning, the midi can also be the perfect professional machine for any number of makers: those looking to turn relatively small items or furniture components, or those with small workspaces.
As a professional turner and furniture maker, my focus is primarily spindle and architectural based work, and most of my days are spent entirely at the lathe. An inherently simple piece of machinery, it holds and spins a piece of wood around a central axis. It has a headstock, bed, tailstock, and centers to hold the spinning work. The banjo and tool rest are moved around and locked to the bed to support the turning tools and allow for the work of turning. How well a lathe does its job depends upon how substantially and how well the stress-bearing components are made and how positively and easily they’re secured and adjusted. Power and power distribution have important roles: An appropriately powered electric motor and properly sized belts and pulleys are critical. Lastly, a reasonable degree of accuracy in machining is necessary. Centers should align and there should not be excessive play in any part of the system. As I examined the lathes in this review, I was considering all of these factors.
7 Performance Tests
To evaluate the various testing criteria, Finnigan chose seven pieces to turn per machine. Each piece tests the lathe in a different way or in a different capacity. All of the turning tests were performed on straight-grained hard maple with the exception of the very rough bowl blanks, which were seasoned ash. Spindle blanks measured appropriately 2 in. square by 12 in. long. Face work blanks were approximately 8 in. dia. by 2 in. thick. The rough square ash bowl blanks were approximately 7 in. square by 3 in. thick. Finnigan performed all the testing in the same order for each machine.
Spindle turning
1. Roughing out a cylinder. Finnigan began the testing on each lathe by quickly and aggressively roughing out a cylinder between centers. By doing so, he placed stresses directly against the lathe’s working axis, attempting to deflect it.2. Turn a simple taper. Most any machine can turn a taper. The value of this test was to see how well the machine tolerated aggression against its axis and toward the tail stock. While headstocks are often built to handle this sort of stress, the tailstock is sometimes overlooked in the design of the machine and can be underbuilt or weak.3. Turn a bell shape. Turning a spindle thin at the center tests the entire machine for high frequency vibrations. All lathes will have some vibration at small diameters and may require a hand or steady rest for support. But a machine should not create excessive high-frequency vibration with a sharp tool and gentle cut.4. Turn a pad foot. With the final spindle blank, Finnigan turned a pad-foot leg to test the machine’s ability to tolerate off-center and out-of-balance work. Pad feet, as non-parallel offset turnings, will by their nature always be very unbalanced.
Face work
5. Rough out a bandsawn disk. This test consisted of wasting down a disk as rapidly as possible, to about the size of the small face plate. Finnigan put his entire body weight behind approximately 1 in. of cutting edge on a side-swept bowl gouge. This aggressive test, which stresses the belt, pulleys, and motor, shows how powerful the lathe is and how that power is distributed.6. Turn a small stool top. Turning a stool seat that’s dished underneath is largely an ergonomics and access test. It shows how comfortable and/or easy it is to work at various positions around the lathe and whether or not the machine’s design gets in the way of routine turning tasks.7. Roughing an irregular square bowl blank. This test reveals how the lathe responds to intermittent and irregular abusive cuts in a difficult, out-of-round material.
The testing criteria
For this review, we divided the field of midis in two by price: those under $1,300 and those over $2,000. I tested 10 lathes overall and assessed them by looking at issues in the following categories.
Delta Industrial 46-460
One of the first things I noticed about this lathe is its simplicity, and I intend that as a compliment. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles or a digital speed readout. It feels a bit boxy and narrow in its castings and stand. This may not sound positive, but it allowed for a lot of maneuverability around the machine.
This lathe performed all turning work fairly well. Vibration was well dispersed even with heavier cuts. Working felt comfortable and the lathe’s relatively narrow profile helped access. While I could be very aggressive in the spindle testing, I could not be as aggressive with face work. The machine is somewhat underpowered, but not enough to stall the machine often or otherwise be a nuisance. I was able to stall the machine with a full effort in the waste block test.
The Grizzly benchtop lathe, which has levelers with rubbery feet that help stabilize it on the bench, carried out the work of testing
fairly well. Even simply clamped to the bench, this midi tolerated vibration and aggressive cuts well.
I was not able to be aggressive in testing the Jet midi. The machine did turn the small spindle work adequately, but it did not have the power required to drive larger face work or spindle work. Vibration and wobble were issues. The lathe itself is adequately built in terms of castings for its capacities, but the stand is too light-duty for the task and moves during use. I’d recommend an aftermarket banjo and tool rest for improved performance.
Despite its small size, this lathe is built heavy in its castings. The wide bedways and footprint and weight make it stable, tolerating aggression and vibration very well. The machine held all of its adjustments well through abuse. This lathe was also intuitive and easy to operate. Electronics were simple and worked well. The tool rest design lends itself to comfortable use and is well constructed. While the Laguna performed very well with regard to stability and tolerating aggression structurally, it falls short in power. It did manage its way through the testing, however, and had more torque at the low end than expected. The drive and live centers had points that protruded too far to be generally useful. The banjo design is very good and comfortable.
This lathe had the smallest feel of the machines I tested. Despite that, it was adequately built and felt solid beyond its size. I like the lathe’s simplicity. While it does have a digital readout and electronic controls, it’s lacking in premium features.
There was minimal setup required with this machine. It came almost entirely assembled and bolted to what looked like a custom-made
pallet. The only real work was lifting it off the pallet and assembling and installing the control panel, which ships within the stand. All supplied hardware came in a well-packaged kit.
Everything about this lathe was clean and neat. The welds were clean and tight and there was no sign of slag, dents, scratches, etc. from manufacturing. Even the paint job was beautiful. Intuitive, simple controls are located just below the headstock and bedways where the user’s hand frequently is when at rest. The supplied centers, tool rest, banjo, faceplate, tailstock, and clamping mechanisms are, like the Oneway’s, among the best commercially available.
The Harvey Turbo, the only lathe in the group to come wired 220 instead of 110 and supplied with a 6-20p plug, is fairly well built. The bed, headstock, and tailstock are substantial and the extra weight keeps the lathe stable and helps to absorb vibration. The provided tool rest is of reasonable quality and ergonomic. There was no creeping or excessive vibration during use. The motor on this lathe is much smaller in size than the other lathes in this review, which can hinder performance. The electronics and controls take up a lot of room behind the headstock and get in the way during use. They are also among the most complex I’ve seen on a commercial lathe. Out of the crate, all the components were coated in thick grease. Many applications of solvent were needed to remove it.
The heaviest built lathe in the group, the PM2014 is modeled after Powermatic’s 3520 series, a professional, heavy-duty workhorse. The castings are substantial. The thin stand, though, is not on par with the lathe. This lathe is unique in the group for its sliding headstock. The Powermatic performed all turning work very well. There was little vibration present within the lathe itself even during aggressive cuts. The headstock, banjo, and tailstock moved easily along the bedways and held their placements well. It has a great deal of power and I struggled to slow or stop the machine in the waste block test. Three speed ranges power the machine with wide belts and pulleys. Changing speeds was quick, easy, and intuitive with a magnetic door and levers to unlock and lift the motor. I also really liked the lathe’s spindle lock and tool rest locking mechanism. The banjo’s locking mechanism is particularly well-designed.
How much effort was put into the design with regard to extended use and overall functionality.
Actual working dimensions
A lathe’s listed swing and length dimensions are rarely accurate. I’m interested in the actual swing over the bed, over the banjo, and what’s safely possible between centers.
Ease of operation
Overall ease of use of the controls and ease of adjustment of the headstock (if applicable), tailstock, banjo, and tool rest.
Quality of stock hardware
Does the machine come with a high-quality. well-designed tool rest, live center, and other hardware? Would the machine immediately benefit from aftermarket upgrades?
Stability
I checked the ability for cams and locking mechanisms to remain solid and stationary during use and to take abuse without failing or creeping. I also examined quality of construction as it pertains to the machine’s ability to tolerate heavy cuts and unbalanced work without excessive vibration.
Power
More important than horsepower, what is the power delivery like? Can the belt and pulley handle heavy cuts without slipping? This would be of particular interest for bowl turners.
Expandability
While the midi is a perfect fit for many woodworkers, it’s also a first lathe for many woodturners due to its general affordability. Speaking from experience, some turners may want to expand the capacities of their machines after a time. Are bed extensions or other aftermarket add-ons compatible with the lathe or offered by the manufacturer?
Andrew Finnigan designs and builds furniture in Kerhonkson, N.Y.
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