JET 12" x 21" Variable-Speed Woodworking Lathe (JWL-1221VS)

Hello!My new favorite hobby would not be possible without this amazing tool. I love this Lathe, but it is the only one Ive ever owned, so take that lightly. It is wonderful for beginners because it has enough power to do almost anything I want/am capable of doing yet not enough to completely destroy me if I make an error. I don't know if I'd call it a beginner lathe or not, but I don't care. I love this tool.The centering was right on point. Everything fired up without any problem. It is also very heavy, so it doesn't get thrown around much.The speed changeover for belting up and down is a GOD SEND. I wish more of my older tools used this ratcheting system because it is soooo nice. Simply press, lift, change, and press again. Click, click, click and you are ready to roll. Amazing.The rests are pretty nice and everything on the tool can be tightened down nicely. The only issue I had was that the slide would occasionally catch when I was backing it off but it was an easy fix. Overall finish is very nice.My only complaint is that it occasionally reads the wrong RPMs on the digital readout. Its documented that this is caused by low voltage, but it changes on the ON/OFF cycle, sometimes within a few seconds. It's never random-for example, it will either read 1900 or 3600 at max, never anything else. My power where I am is pretty dicey as far as voltage is concerned, so I am assuming that is the problem, but it's pretty annoying to not have a believable readout on RPMs. It also fails slow, not fast, which can be dangerous at low speeds with Cole Jaws. Luckily, I'm aware of the issue so I plan for it. This issue and that the speed knob is a little lower quality than I would like are my only issues. The whole machine is so awesome that it makes me a little sad that they cheaped out on the controls. Again, the RPM issue may be my fault. I have checked my voltage before though, and it reads fine.Given all that, I absolutely love this tool and am planning on having it for a long time.

Jet made a great quality lathe. Was a little nervous ordering this through Amazon, and though it did arrive with what looked like a kicked in hole in the box, the lathe itself was unharmed.This thing is surprisingly quite. Variable speed on the fly is very convenient. The stock spur, plate and live end work great, lined up perfect. Very strong tool guide, and came with two sizes, but could use a larger one. Also a smoother edge on the tool guide would of been great too.My experience with this machine so far has been simple and smooth. Took it out of the box. Put it on a folding table I happen to have in the garage, changed the belt speed. Dropped a piece of fire wood into it, and started turning. It was simple to figure out. If anything changes, I will update. As of right now. Very happy with this buy and very excited to continue turning.

Like most new turners I believe this is a good starter wood lathe. So far I have turned 5 bowls with success. Along with the lathe I bought a PSI barracuda chuck and a drill chuck. I purchased this last August and I did have an issue with the head stock mounting bolts coming loose. I called Tech support for advise and they were excellent. With the help of a buddy I removed the bolts and added blue lock tight to prevent this from happening in the future. If you buy this lathe check the head stock bolts and make sure they are tight. Also verify the tail stock alignment is aligned to the head stock. I set my belt to the middle position. The belt speeds overlap enough to where I think the middle position will work for 99% of turning. Read the manual. The variable speed is awesome and the LED indicator seems to be accurate. What else can I say, don't be afraid to by this lathe. It is an excellent product. If it was made in the states I'm sure I would have not had the issue with the head stock. It is money well spent for a beginner turner.

I've been using my new 1221VS Jet lathe for a couple of weeks now and I am very impressed! I wore out a smaller 10x18 Chinese lathe in four years and decided this Jet model is the one I wanted as a replacement. Not only because of the increased diameter and length capacities, but It has all the features that I didn't have before, such as variable speed, reverse direction, built in speed indicator, spindle lock and indexing feature. Great lathe and I am enjoying more woodturning with my new set up. This one is better quality, made in Taiwan, and all of my attachments from the smaller lathe fit right on with no modifications, 5/8" tool rests, MT2 taper and 1x8 inch threads on the drive and a more powerful motor. Well worth the price and the free shipping saved me $75 - $100, which is an added advantage. Since I already had 3 different sized quality after-market tool rests I won't be using the 2 rests that came with this lathe, they are functional, but in my opinion, would need a lot of filing and polishing to be usable. Five stars all the way!