sawhorses - Wood Tools

very tinle I flip through :r toolcatalog, it seenrs there's yetanother new nridi-lathe onthe market. Tl-rey're calledmidi-lathcs becruse their rurrringcapacities are about nildway berweennrini-lathes, which are ued primarilyfor turning pens, bottle stoppers, andother small items, and full-size lathes,which can tul'n everything fi'ornenormolts bowls to porch columns.So why the sudden populariry ofnridi-lathes?There are a few relsonsF^. tL"+^-r"-11..First is their compact size. Unlikea freestanding lathe, which requiresits own dedicated space in the shop,midi-lathes are relatively unobrrusive.Theyrequire little more than acorner of the workbench.And eventhough they're a bit heavier thanmany benchtop tools, iti not out ofthe question to store them awaywhen they're not in use.Another reason is the affordableprice of these lathes. Consider thatthe top performer in this test sellsfor iess than $300, comparcd to rwiceor three times that for rnany fuil-sizeIathes, and this is a very economicalway to get started rurning.The third reason is capaciry. Rightout of the box, many of these lathescan turn a bowl as large as 10" indiameter and spindles as long 14",15", and even 19". (Con-rpare this to1"2"- to 16"-dia. bowls, and spindles40" or longer on a full-size lathe.)Additionally, rnost of these lathesoffer the option of bolting on a bedextension, which can as much astriple their spindle-turning capaciry.62wor{KBENCH ! t)ECEMntn 2005