JET 16" x 40" EVS Woodworking Lathe, 1-1/2 HP, 115V 1Ph (Model JWL-1640EVS)

I had a Harbor Freight lathe. Now I have this Jet lathe. It's like going from a 1985 Ford Escort to a brand new Camaro.First, the good:-1.5 hp DC motor that runs on 120v. Smooth and extremely quiet.-Infinitely variable speed from 40 to 3200 rpm. I've gotten it down to 35 rpm and at 3200 it is so quiet I can listen to music on my Dot.-Reversible. Reverse sanding is a beautiful thing.-Heavy, solid construction and tool rest tighteners that just work.-Tailstock quill travel is a good 4 inches and the increments are laser etched on the quill.-Rotating head stock so you can do outboard turning. <--NEW MODELS NO LONGER HAVE THIS FEATURE.-Digital rpm readout.-Spindle lock. Yeah, I like this a lot.-Indexing. If you know what this is, you know you want it.-Live center can be used without the center pin. You knock it out with the knockout rod. Also comes with a cone live center that can be used without the cone.-Three inch reversible faceplate.-Side mount (on the leg) tool holder. Very convenient.Now the not so good:-Included faceplate is only 3 inches. Useful, but I long for maybe a 6 inch faceplate.-There are two speed ranges you switch between by moving the drive belt instead of a continuous range from low to high. This isn't as bad as it sounds. First range is 40 to 1200. Second range is 100 to 3200. So most of the time you spend on the second range. And moving the belt is EXTREMELY easy to do with the access door on the front of the headstock. Move a lever, open the door, move the belt, lower the lever, shut the door. No screw or latches.-This is HEAVY. 440 pounds in the crate, 375 pounds assembled.Best to have two manly men to put it together, but I was able to do it by myself. Yeah, I'm manly, but honestly, it can be done by one person if you follow the instructions.I expect to use this lathe for the next 25 years or so. I'll be 90 then. For now, this lathe has my Woodturning Seal of Approval.

The lathe is well packaged however it is not delivery driver proof. My delivery drivers saw fit to stand this pallet on end using a hand truck to avoid moving other pallets out of the way resulting in the lathe busting out of the end of the box about 6". After a quick inspection all seemed fine and after unpacking, assembly and testing everything is alright. Maybe there should be big arrows saying this end up do not stand on end! The lathe itself is great.

Jet 1640 - Five Stars: This is a great machine that will, hopefully, last a long time. Like other reviewers said, this thing is HEAVY but easy to setup. It only takes about 30 minutes with two people.Seller and shipping - Five stars: Spreetail is an excellent seller. They were very helpful with any and all questions and concerns. It was shipped freight with RL Carriers, they were excellent also. The delivery guy was courteous and kindly put it in the garage when I asked.The Lathe didn’t come with the cushion that sits on top of the headstock. I contacted Spreetail but they couldn’t order the part number; but made it right. I found the part on Jets website.I also put caster wheels on mine like another reviewer (thanks.) It rolls nice and smooth in my pegboard garage (came that way)

I am going to work with wood when I retire (soon). This is the most special of all the equipment I've purchased so far for that purpose. I did a lot of research to make sure I got what I thought I would need and like. So far, I love it. I'm having fun learning to turn wood again. Even my son and grandson are excited about it and have used it to practice-up for a serious project or two. It comes with a couple of live centers, a small face plate, one tool rest, and a knock-out rod. I added a couple more smaller tool rests, a chuck, and of course, gouges. It was straight-forward to put together, but the weight was a challenge. I won't be putting it on wheels, nor do I think it should be on wheels. I am looking forward to that day when I can spend time turning wood.

Total piece of crap DO NOT BUY JET PRODUCTS lathe has no torque speed range sucks and you’ll constantly be fixing it don’t make the same mistake I did. The best thing to do is save and spend the money on a Vic Marc, powermatic, one way, or robust don’t cheap out or you’ll be buying another one in a few years

The headstock on the jet 1640 no longer rotates, it only slides. You can always slide the headstock to the end of the rail and turn larger bowls from there but you'll have to buy an extention attachment that runs about $290. I wish Jet would have kept the rotating feature.The electronic variable speed feature is really nice. The speed goes down to 40rpm which is good for larger/uneven blanks. It was this feature that made me choose the jet 1640 over the 1440, which can only go down to 400rpm and doesn't let you fine tune the speed.The finish on the cast iron is really poor. When spending $2,000 I would expect for it to be flawless.The Laguna REVO and Galaxi DVR are good alternatives if you're looking for something else in this price range.It comes with a 5 year warranty! Which is much longer than any of the competitors. This was another reason why I chose Jet over the other models.Overall, it runs smooth and is a great machine.