Looking for a lathe

[TonyD]

So I am completely new. I purchased a recordio and it's broken and I probably won't be able to get it working. So I am going to be looking for a record cutter that works. With that said though, is there a type of lathe that's worth getting in the roughly $1000 range? I know they are expensive but in hoping some light can be shed for me. I've seen a J5 for under that but I don't know if they are worth getting. then there's also one of those Japanese lathes available for like 2 grand. Is there something in the middle I should be looking for? What is the best bang for my buck? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you so much in advance and I look forward to hearing you opinion

[piaptk]

The j5 is probably 78 only.

Depending on your mechanical skill level to fix machines, the days of a $1000 working lathe are more or less gone. Depending on your skill level and what your time is worth to you, you might want to just save up and buy a restored and guaranteed working machine from someone who can show you how to use it.

I have some machines for sale that start at about $2500+ but they include $500 worth of blanks and needles, are Fully functional and restored and guaranteed, and probably the most valuable thing of all, include tech support via phone, FaceTime, Skype, text, etc and I will walk you through getting it running and help you troubleshoot any issues anytime with no limit.

Believe me, buying the lathe is the least expensive part of record cutting. The more you can cut down on the learning curve the more money and time ahead you will be. Mike

[TonyD]

What kind of machines do you have? Do you have any pictures or a website that I can browse? Also thank you for your response

[soeffingodly]

So I am completely new. I purchased a recordio and it's broken and I probably won't be able to get it working. So I am going to be looking for a record cutter that works. With that said though, is there a type of lathe that's worth getting in the roughly $1000 range? I know they are expensive but in hoping some light can be shed for me. I've seen a J5 for under that but I don't know if they are worth getting. then there's also one of those Japanese lathes available for like 2 grand. Is there something in the middle I should be looking for? What is the best bang for my buck? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you so much in advance and I look forward to hearing you opinion

I started cutting about a year ago on a Presto K-8 with a 1C head. After getting beat up by the steep learning curve I decided to upgrade to a Presto 6N. (Which I purchased from Mike) I am very, very happy with the purchase and Mike's support and general mentoring has been invaluable. His lathe camp was super fun as well. Met some cool folks that I still stay in touch with.

Depending on your budget, if you are serious you could look into a 6N, but that depends if any are available. (pricier than the K-8) If you are just looking to get your feet wet and learn the ropes, the K-8 is a pretty fantastic machine. I am super happy that I purchased that machine first. Honestly, I was going to sell it after I got the 6N but it's such a great machine and the tube amp works so I decided to keep it. (Plus my original buyer started acting flaky which didn't help anything)

Lastly, getting something you KNOW works is always worth the added money. Rolling the dice on EBay can be a risky bet. You don't want to end up with a sexy paper weight.

Hope some of that helps!

[TonyD]

Thank you for the response. I'm looking to get my feet wet but also not have something that's just fancy garbage ya know? My budget is a little flexible but I need to just know what I'm getting

[soeffingodly]

Thank you for the response. I'm looking to get my feet wet but also not have something that's just fancy garbage ya know? My budget is a little flexible but I need to just know what I'm getting

The K-8 is a solid starter machine for sure. Even better if you can slap a 1C or 1D head on it. But those aren't exactly raining from the sky.

Good luck!!