JET 12 in. x 21 in. 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.

Have only had less than a year but it's been a great lathe

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.

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!

Really nice lathe but took 3 tries. I took off a star because of the packaging and quality control on one of them. The 1st one I received was in a badly mangled box with missing parts. The Styrofoam was completely crushed and the box was torn and gouged - I exchanged it right away without attempting to try it out. The 2nd one I received also had shipping damage (broken power switch) and a very noisy rear head-stock bearing. This lathe is heavy and a pain to box it back up but I decided it was worth giving it another try. So crossed my toes and exchanged it again. The Amazon return process was seamless and I received the replacement lathe before the scheduled pick-up of the exchanged one (both times). As to the lathe: It runs very quiet and smooth. The second one I had was pretty noisy in reverse but #3 is quiet in both directions. I'm pretty sure the noise on #2 was from the motor brushes and can imagine this would be common for reversible lathes until the brushes seat in. The variable speed is nice but the control is somewhat jumpy especially when going from lowest speed up a notch. In the lowest range, mine jumps from about 50 rpm to 120 rpm with a slight turn of the dial. Not a big deal for me since I'm not turning metal. So far, I've left it in the middle speed range in actual use and am usually in the 500 to 1100 rpm range. I bought the bed extension so I can do table legs or other longer projects. I went this way instead of going for the 14 inch because I can move the lathe around in parts if needed. If I remove the tail-stock and the tool rest, I can (just barely if I'm rested and had my Wheaties that day) haul the machine to another bench or take it outside. I have a very small shop and sometimes need the space. The first machine I received was never tested so I can only say that one of the 3 had quality control issues (the bearing). My only other concern is that I think there should be better packaging for such a heavy item. If you get one in good shape, I think you'll be very happy with it.

Nice quality wood turning lathe. Recommended by my wood turning instructor. Easy to change belts and lathe speed.

Out of the box, the product looks good and seems well made. The first time I used it worked well, however after about 2 hours it developed a very serious wobble. After careful inspection with a dial indicator, I was able to determine that it is coming from the headstock and that it is out about 0.030". That make it unusable for most projects. When I reported my findings to JET's tech support, they offered very little help and tried to tell me I have to use "a larger piece of wood." They must be kidding. I'm still trying to get the machine replaced or repaired. Never again........ Update: 8 months later and I'm still trying to get the brand-new Jet 1221 wood lathe repaired. As instructed by Jet I took the lathe to a certified repair center 50 miles from my home. To my surprise it is an actual machine shop that has actual certified tool and die makers. They inspected the lathe and requested parts from Jet. They had a lot of trouble doing that but eventually the parts did arrive. First set of bearings and headstock casting were inspected and rejected. 2nd set, 3rd set, and 4th set also rejected for poor quality and not meeting the specifications. Apparently, Jet has no quality control on these investment castings and whoever their foreign supplier (China?) doesn't inspect anything either. Also, when I call Jet, they claim they have no record of my case. How convenient. Not sure how they send our replacement parts with no record of a warranty claim. If I could simply send the machine back to Amazon and let them deal with it, but that's not Jet's policy. All defects, even for new tools are dealt with as a warranty claim. THE MESSAGE, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM JET. THEY ARE NO REPUTABLE AND AMAZON SHOULD CONSIDER DROPPING THEM FROM THEIR CATALOG.

This Jet 1221 is a replacement for a small WEN lath to facilitate making pen and rings. This lathe is the right size for a small shop and the accuracy has taken my work to the next level. Easy to set up and perfect construction made of heavy cast iron.