The Art of Handcrafting Custom Game Calls > General Call Making Discussions
Rookie call maker looking for advice
Jason Bowlin:
Hello Folks, new to the world of turkey call making. Ive read a lot of info here and learned a lot in the short time ive been browsing this site. I have made a few pot calls in the last few days on my 13x40 high precision gunsmith lathe and needless to say its a little slow, add to that my OCD for .0001 tolerances that i normally strive for and its been a night mare :wacko: So im looking for a wood lathe and proper wood tooling. I currently thread a hole in the center of the blank, mount it on a 3/8-16 spud that i made,true it up, cut the inside and then turn it around chuck it inside and finish back and do final sanding. Id like to do similar to same process on a wood lathe at a much faster pace.
Now for my question..I like the looks of the Nova Comet II with the G3 chuck...can I achieve that with this lathe? I know theres a big following of jet lathes here from reading but having owned several jet products in the past on the metal side of things I tend to steer the other direction. I should also point out that this lathe will used for nothing but pot calls and strikers and Ill probably get bored after 6 months so I dont want to spend a fortune. I was also looking at the WEN 3420t variable speed mini lathe..price is cheap but not sure I can find a chuck for it...anyone had any luck with it?
thanks in advance and im sure there will be many questions to come.
JB
majordog:
Good luck.....
I dont have any experience with either of those two lathes.
FDR:
I make pot calls exactly as you described and after 2 other wood lathes I have settled on a Jet 1221. It will do anything you need to make pots and strikers and all the normal/modern wood lathe accessories fit the 1x8 thread spindle. The 1221 does not take up a lot of room in the shop and will fit on any sturdy bench. Zero problems with my 1221 after 3 years.
The 1221 is also great for duck calls and about anything else you might turn along that line of interest. It also has a lot of uses if you are into muzzleloader accessories like powder horns, etc.
Look at Woodcraft for good quality turning tools and accessories. Penn State Industries also has a good selection of tools.
Fred
Al_at_THO Game Calls:
I use a Jet Mini lathe daily. I paid $179.00 for it, if that tells you how old it is. All I have ever done to it is replace the spindle twice, bearings numerous times, motor bearings once, and rewire the power switch to a foot switch. The lathe still runs true and the motor is strong. It's ugly as hell, but it's a good little machine. For our purposes, the Jet Mini lathes, variable or not, are a very good choice.
Al @ THO
Jason Bowlin:
Thanks for the replies, I went with the comet with the chuck and chisel set. It should be here tomorrow and after i break in the DC motor im gonna let some chips fly and see if I can learn a thing or 2. Never messed with a wood lathe much so probably a little learning curve, so ill be on youtube studying until then.
JB
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