Being a relatively new Turner, I quickly learned that my new found “Wood Friends” are a very frugal bunch! This is due to the large investment expended on all the required tooling; I soon learned that the Lathe can be just the start of “The Cost’s”! When you add up all the extras we purchase like a Band Saw, Morse Taper Accessories, Chucks, Steb Centers, the various and sundry Gouges (Bowl, Spindle, Skew, Pyramid, Captive Ring, Scrapers), $10,000 could be the tip of the Iceberg.

While acting as a “Procurement Officer” for the Association of Revolutionary Turner's (ART) Club when buying 2 new Jet Mini Lathes for the club, I found major discrepancies in pricing among various vendors. My quotes were not on-line inquiries, but, actual conversations, live or via telephone, with Customer Service Representatives.

My research on the Jet Mini Lathe shows the following pricing deltas on the new Mini Lathes:

Whereas I'm a "Frequent Flyer" at Woodcraft in Woburn, MA and only live about a mile away, I stopped in and saw Eric the Manager to see if there would be any Club Discount available; I asked him to check with Woodcraft Corporate on this issue. Eric said they normally don't offer discounts on Power Tools but, he would do a discount for us on the Indexing Variable Speed Jet Mini Lathe at a cost to the Club of $296.99 + tax = #311.84, Woodcraft's Stock Number: #147823. This is where we bought the 2 new lathes.

I have found by other personal experiences, that there are large price discrepancies between vendors; such as the Crown 1 ¾” Roughing Gouge being sold at $88 +/- can be found at Klingspor for $65 +/- and the 1” Morse Taper Drills at Craft Supply for $33 are $12 at Enco. Another compared item is a 2"x2"x12" Square Maple Billet at Woodcraft or Rockler is $13..... At Gone Batty, it's $3 for a 3" Round Billet when doing a quantity buy. Therefore, I thought it useful to provide a partial list of Suppliers and their Websites.

It will most definitely pay you to do your homework and research these sources as the above two items were greater than a $20 differential!!! And, don’t forget to ask if there’s a Club Discount….. Some Suppliers will only honor an “In Person” purchase; while others will honor an “On Line” purchase.

I truly hope that you will find this information helpful and that it will provide you with some of your required resources.

May I suggest that you “Add to Favorites” or “Bookmark” them when you’ve opened the page; that way, you’ll always have them.

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Keep on Turning….. Joe