The Jet JWL 1220 is one of the most popular wood lathes on the market, and for good reason. It’s powerful and heavy enough to provide smooth turning, even on large pieces, but not so big that it’s unwieldy for smaller projects. This wood lathe is great for a variety of tasks and has a very nice feature set.
| Overview | |
| Manufacurer | Jet |
| Model | JWL 1220 |
| Size | 12″ x 20″ |
| Motor | 3/4 HP, 6 speed |
| Features | Indexing, spindle lock |
| Rating | 4.7 |
| List Price | $549.00 |
| Best Price | Amazon.com |
Typical of Jet, this lathe is well finished and the workmanship and parts are very good. This lathe is very versatile. With a 12 inch swing and 20 inches center to center, I would classify it as a midi lathe, however, the Jet 1220 can also be outfitted with a 28 inch extension bed, bringing the total distance between centers to 48 inches. Add on the available stand and you find yourself with a very affordable full sized lathe. The 1220 has a powerful 3/4 horsepower engine and weighs in around 100 pounds, so you’ll have no trouble with larger pieces.
The JWL 1220 from Jet
The JWL 1220 has 6 speeds, adjustable with a belt system. The motor is quite powerful for a lathe of this size, and the net result is very smooth and fluid turning when working on small projects, with minimal vibration. It’s a nice step up from the 1014 series in terms of power and size, and well suited to both small and large projects.
The headstock, tailstock and tool rest are all adjustable tool free, which is very nice when you have to make regular changes to your setup. It saves a lot of hassle. The attached light is also a very helpful bonus if your shop isn’t as well lit as it should be, and can come in very handy for fine detail work.
The 1220 comes with 6 and 10 inch tool rests, faceplate, drift rod, live and spur centers, goggles, tool caddy, work lamp, and the required hex wrenches.
All in all I believe this is one of the best buys out there today, as evidenced by it’s incredible popularity and wide appeal. Currently Amazon.com is offering this lathe at very good price and free shipping is available as well.
