Customer Reviews

Jet 708376 JWL-1220 12-Inch X 20-Inch Wood Lathe

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Jet 1220 is an excellent choice for people without a lot of shop space. It's similar to their venerable 1014 models which have been on the market for a while, but is considerably beefier and has somewhat larger capacity. Weighing in at almost 100 pounds, it's not really that portable, but the extra mass seems to help it run remarkably smoothly for a benchtop lathe. Jet also manufactures a bed extension which allows you to turn longer spindle work (the motor is powerful enough for most furniture work).

Jet's customer service is outstanding, by the way. I had a problem early on with the bolts on the tailstock and they shipped replacement parts the next day. I've now had the lathe over six months and it's been reliable.

I agree with the previous reviewer that electronic variable speed would be a really nice feature, though changing the speed manually by adjusting the belt only takes about 20 seconds or so.

I purchased this lathe 2 months ago. First off the packing is adequite but not spectacular. Of course being over 100 lbs can afford some damage issues, especially as the unit sits straight up and its demensions make it high and wide. Remember that the unit must travel overseas to a dealer, through customs, stored in inventory then re-shipped to customer.

in any event my unit while the outside of the box had some issues :)
the unit itself came through unharmed.

This unit is heavy so be carfull. The two hand pulls on either end make transport easier. No problems to set up. Make sure you have a rag, to wipe off excess protective oil. Finish is typical with most of the jet tools....nice..no spurs..typical cast iron bed no rough spots.

With the 3/4 hp motor you do get added stability. I am a pen turner right now and the difference is very noticable. Very very quiet. My wife loves that..at least until I turn on the dust collector. Plan on smaller bowl turning which was the main reason for the change. The light comes in handy as well.varible spped would be nice, hear its in the works, maybe out by now. I'm a firm believer in the more gizmos the more possible breakdowns. As with the sister midi jet, changing belts are no problem.
after the first 2-3 changes your a pro.

Bottom line: This is a great product fair price, has a extention bed and
stand.You will totally enjoy..

All

I've had this lathe for about a year now and it has worked great. The only adjustment I needed to make out of the box was to loosen the nut under the tailstock to allow it to slide more freely when it was not locked down.

Over the long run, the set screws on the motor pulley tend to back out causing some noise and an odd feel when using the headstock handwheel. Fortunately this lathe is light enough to turn it over on the side and tighten them with an allan wrench which eliminates the problem. After a few hundred hours of operation, I have had to tighten these set screws twice.

I have so far used it to make bowls up to 10" diameter, pens, boxes, bottle stoppers, toys, Christmas ornaments and some furtature elements. It has performed all of these tasks with ease.

Variable speed would be a nice option on this lathe if Jet ever ugrades it

I stepped up to the 1220 after learning how to turn on the 1014. Given the choice, the 1220 is a much better machine. The larger turning capacity and weight as well the additional power are the biggest advantages. However the little things like the tool holder, the additional, larger, tool rest and the attached light are a nice plus. Actually I am glad that I had the 1014 first as I pretty much trashed it learning to turn. Now that I better understand how to take care of a lathe I really appreciate the 1220. I have turned bowls up to 10" in diameter with no problem, at least no problem with the lathe :-) If you have limited space like I do then this is a great unit at a super price.

I just got this lathe and was up and running 30 min after I unpacked it. I is well worth the money. Shipping was slow. I had the same problem as mentioned already. Mine was sitting in Dallas with me 45 min south for 2 days. I ended up looking the shipper number up and calling them. It was sent out the next day

This is my first lathe, I researched many other lathes and felt this would be the best value for my money. could have spent $200 less on other lathes but felt I would be sacrificing quality and would have slightly less capability. I have now turned about 10 pens and a few bowls and love this machine. Its quiet and smooth and when spindle speed needs to be changed its a breeze! Ive had the opportunity to look at a few other lathes that are comparable now and can see that the Jet lathe is worth the extra $. I opted not to pay the extra $100 for a variable speed model and dont regret it, nice feature but not a must have. A few items i bought with the lathe are a 4 jaw chuch (MUST HAVE) and a drill chuck (again MUST HAVE) and dont go cheap on the Chisels. Overall a great machine thats easy to use, you cant go wrong with a Jet!

I fretted and studied for some time before coming to a descision to purchase the Jet 1220 from Amazon. (of course the next week it was on sale elsewhere but even had I purchased the on sale and paid shipping it would have cost more than the Amazon with free shipping).
The lathe was easily set up cleaned and checked out true. I have turned a few things and found it has more than ample power and plenty of mass to stay put on the workbench.
I highly reccommend this lathe.

I've only had my lathe for about a month, but I've used it a LOT. I'm VERY happy so far with everything my lathe can do. Changing speeds IS easy to do manually and works well for me.

I'd recommend it to anyone else!

Great Lathe. Nice size for bowls and small projects. Limited on length but has bed extention available. Live center could be better. Would like one with a smaller longer point.

Overall, a very nice lathe for the home hobbiest.

Great lathe, comes fully assembled and arrived ontime. Lathe is exactly what is advertised, and works better than I was led to believe.