SHOP FOX W1752 Mini Wood Lathe
by Shop Fox
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Our Price: $296.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of SHOP FOX W1752 Mini Wood Lathe
Customer Review: chinese manufacturing strikes again
Summary: 4 Stars
well i bought this lathe as an entry level machine and i am not convinced that it is a good buy for a beginner. The machine arrived mostly intact with the only damage being to the top platic belt cover, it was missing a small chunk out of it right on top, i covered it with duct tape to help protect the belt and gears from wood and other debris. The first thing i did was check to make sure all the parts were present ( they were) and then set the lathe up and turned it on, it ran fine. after that i checked to see if the tail stock was in line with the headstock, it wasnt and there were no lateral adjusting screws, the vertical allignment was acceptable (off by just a hair) and after i checked the gap between the ways and the allignment posts on the tailstock i found that there was a .015" differance between the two. i solved this problem with some .005" shim stock that i bent arount the alignment posts, after that the fit was very snug and the tailstock lined up close enough. As far as opperation goes the lathe perfoms acceptably, i have no trouble with excessive vibration or loss of power. As far as general design, the machine was obviously made in china (stickers all over it) and the quality of work was not that great, the major beef i have with design is that the motor guard only covers the front side and front top half of the motor, meaning that shavings end up sitting right on top of the motor, i stop from time to time and blow the chips away from the motor. The belt seems to be starting to fray already, as this is a consumable part of the machine i am not overly concerned and plan of buying a new one right away incase i need it. all in all i would say that this is an acceptable lathe for the price, but if you are a begginer who has no knowlege of lathes at all ( i work as a machinist) i would reccomend either buying a more user friendly lathe, or enlisting the knowlege of someone with more experiance with lathes.Customer Review: Missing and Broken Parts
Summary: 2 Stars
The belt tension knob was broken. The belt cover was broken. Neither of the tool rest lockdowns were in the box (so it's useless right now). Also the cover over the motor came off in shipping. And no hex wrench that was supposed to be included. I'm hoping that Amazon can send me the parts so I don't have to ship it back--it's 100 lbs. When I get results, I'll update my review to describe how this was handled and how the lathe actually works. I did turn it on and the motor works quietly. The drive spur is out of round some too. (maybe .015 to .02) I don't know what is acceptable, but from a machinist's stand point it's not good.
Update 1: Just got the replacement lathe...missing parts include--the live rolling center, spur center, and still no tool rest lockdowns--otherwise I could mix and match to get one functioning lathe. Also there is a bent foot, chipped paint, chipped casting and the "Shop Fox" sign that is bolted on front of the lathe is upside down. I'm just going to buy some tool rest lockdowns, it will be easier than lugging two of these back to UPS and probably cheaper.
As far as how Amazon has handled this...they sent me another lathe (with even more missing parts) within two days. They could not send me the parts only.
I do not recommend this Shop Fox lathe.
Customer Review: Shop Fox Wood Lathe W1752
Summary: 1 Stars
I received this lathe as a Christmas Present. It seems that a lot of quill handles are broken when people receive their lathes. I contacted Shop Fox customer service, since it was a present bought on Amazon, and they were less than receptive to talke to me. They would not even sell me one and said I had to go through Amazon. I went to a local shop that sells the unit, they called the factory and ordered one. Said it would be here in 2 days. (Ya Right!). 2 weeks later the wood shop called back to check. The item is on back order until June! (Go Figure)
After only 1 month my lathe started making noise. The lower pulley vibrated in and was rubbing against the cast iron. Then it went the other way and almost came off the motor. I had to completely remove the motor and pulley, realigne them and reinstall. The pulley still wont stay put, the locking screws for the pulley dont seem to be holding at speed. I dont know how to fix it yet!
I DO NOT recommend this machine to anyone! Beware seems to be the prevailing consensus for this machine. It is a shame because it could be an extremely nice lathe.
Customer Review: Finish is terrible and parts missing.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'll lead off by saying that the lathe was damaged in shipping but the box was intact so the inventory should've been complete. Not- so three pieces were missing and the paint was peeling off of the machine on all surfaces. Not just little nicks here and there- but big 'ol potato chip curly Q's. The spindle gears were bent and damaged (most likely due to dropping)but I noticed that there was a machine allen head screw missing out of the two holding the knob to the gear shaft just adding fuel to the fire. Terrible....terrible workmanship and quality. I'm going to spend the extra money and purchase a better built product, with a stellar reputation and less likelihood traveling this road again. Delta or Jet...here I come.
Customer Review: 1 year later.......
Summary: 1 Stars
Let's see, where do I begin???? This lathe is a bottom of the barrel mini lathe for people who can't afford anything else. The tool rest has snappped off the shaft 6 times, the tool rest will not stay in one place while roughing a larger piece. Things seem to constantly be falling off of this thing. It is made with the cheapest steel I could ever imagine. I didn't even know that they made steel this brittle. The belt constantly slips giving this "machine" very little power. It is very unstable and flys off of the table. It's probably good for pen turning, spindle work, and small boxes.....anything else is too much for this to handle in the long run. save your money and buy something of quality.