What kinda lathe are you using?
I've been turning for close to 2 years. I picked up a Delta Midi lathe when woodworker warehouse went out of business. The salesman tried to talk me into the bigger model, but I stubbornly refused. He was right. The midi is great for small stuff, but I quickly developed a taste for more.
I lucked into an amazing deal: I found an old guy who had planned to take up woodworking when he retired. He went out and bought a basement full of tools, but threw his back out before he ever got to use them. Many years later, he had back surgery, and never got the chance to use them. He sold me the whole basement full for $300. Most of the tools had never even been plugged in.
The only tool I was interested in was the lathe (I gave the rest to my brother). It was a craftsman 15". I brought it home, built a stand for it, and started turning some bowls. I didn't like it. The quality just wasn't there. I used it for a few weeks, and decided to sell it to my brother (yeah, his tool collection is growing in leaps and bounds!)
So, for now, I'm back to using the midi lathe until I find a new one.
But there is the problem. I can't find any used lathes. So I guess I'll end up buying a brand new one. I don't want to rush into it, and I'm not willing to spend a fortune.
So I figure I'll pick other turners' brains. See what they use. What do they like about their lathes, what don't they like, what brands (models) do they recommend, and which would they steer clear of?
For the record, I'm looking for something around 14"x36". I plan to use it in my garage, where I also park 2 vehicles, so it HAS TO BE MOBILE! I'm also hoping to spend around $500, but will probably end up going higher. I rarely do spindles. The majority will be bowls and hollow forms. I make a lot of pens, but I'll continue to use the midi lathe for that.
At the moment, I'm about 90% sure I'm going to get the Jet 1436. (Amazon has it for $850 with free shipping).
I have only owned one lathe, so I can't speak from a LOT of experience. But I would think about how you're going to keep a lathe that size mobile, but still have it sturdy enough to not bounce around your garage when turning an uneven blank. I would certainly be wary of any leightweight stands, for that very reason.
Would it be possible to build a heavier stand on casters that you could lock into place once you've got it in position?
Re: What kinda lathe are you using?
Actually, I already did this once. When I got the big Craftsman, I built a stand for it. It was about a foot deep, 34" tall, by 5' long. It was built out of 8 2x4s, and a full sheet of 3/4 melamine (that stuff that looks like particleboard, with white formica on both sides). It was extremely sturdy. I built outriggers, for added support. The plan was to put high-quality locking wheels on it. I never got to that point; I sold it to my brother before I got the wheels. But I'm very certain it would work.
I have a lot of large tools in my garage, and they're all mounted on mobile bases. When not in use, everything "parks" against the walls, so that both my vehicles can fit in the garage. It's tight, but fits.
The majority of my big, bowl turning will be done during the warm months, when I can open the garage doors, and let the chips fly. During those months, the lathe will be set up semi-permanently in the doorway. I'll only move it out of the way in the colder months. So it won't be moved that frequently.
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