This is my 5th lathe. I have owned a 70's Delta, 2000's Nova Comet II, 50's Craftsman, and 20's Goodell Pratt. The Nova Comet II is the most similar to this one but the Delta Midi is a huge step up in quality: it's heavier, belt changes are easier, quieter, has WAY more power, and overall the design and fit and finish are far superior to any previous lathe I've owned. Mine did come with the forward/reverse switch wired backward but I expected it based on other reviews and it takes about 5 minutes to fix. You remove a couple screws, switch 2 wires around and it works like it should. So far I am very happy with this one and sold my other lathes.
Update, been about 23 months and still loving this lathe.

A few people have asked about my more power comment since the Comet II has 3/4 HP and the Delta 1 HP. My Comet would stall if I aggressively removed stock or got a catch. The Delta never stalls and rarely slows down. My Craftsman had a 1 HP DC treadmill motor that had more power than the Comet II but less than the Delta. It could be a difference in the DC controllers, or could be that Delta uses a higher quality motor, or maybe both. Say what you want about Delta (I know some people like to bash them) but they have a reputation for using high quality, powerful, motors.

Original review circa 12/25/2011:

I have been a wood worker for over 35 years and finally decided to try my hand at turning. My family listened and got me my choice of lathes for this Christmas. I decided on a midi-lathe, since a full-sized lathe would have been too expensive and a waste should I not like turning. Who wants another expensive tool to dust off in the shop. However, I have learned a long time ago you get what you pay for. So, I wasn't going to cut my teeth in turning on poor equipment and risk invalidly marring my opinion of the activity. Before I made my selection, I read up on mini lathes all over the 'net and not just here on Amazon, but on turning websites and forums as well. I could not find anything that suggested the 46-460 was not a top of the line midi-lathe.

It is not that they are complicated but the ease of use, machining, alignment of turning points, heftiness, speed control, etc. are all factors that separate a good mini/midi-lathe from the next. I got this lathe set up only yesterday and had never turned before. Becuase I had watched many TV shows of our favorites turning, I had some idea on how to do it. Straight out of the box with a set of mediocre chisels, i.e. not of Sorby class, I was able to make my first turning, a handle for a triangular file out of a stick of red oak bound for the fire pit. I bought the chisels here PSI Woodworking LCSIXW High Speed Steel Wood Lathe Chisel Turning Set, 6-Piece as a gift to myself.

The 46-460 is a quality machine, very quiet, plenty of power, well-designed, feature-filled lathe. It comes with a face plate, which I haven't attempted to use yet, and one each of the spur and live centers. These fit snugly into the headstock spindle bore and the quill, respectively. You don't have to remove the face plate to insert the spur center. A couple tool rests, 6" and 10", round out the equipment. You can turn the longest piece of wood by moving the 10" tool rest only once. The sliding action on the tail stock and the tools rest is very smooth and uninhibited by rough machining; the lock down handles are easily reached and tighten with less than a quarter turn. In fact, all the machining is top notch, welds are fully ground and smooth, unlike other equipment I've bought made in Taiwan. The movable ribbed-belt on 3 pulleys offers 3 ranges compounded by the electronic speed control provides ultimate flexibility. Although I don't know much about speed control and what to turn at for what process or wood selection, the electronic speed control is a luxury (I'd say). Changing out the belt is quite simple with access from the front and side through two portals; there's a tensioning lever that makes changing pulleys a piece of cake. Since it is a midi-lathe the length of the piece being turned is limited but with a 12 1/2" swing pretty large plates and bowls can be achieved. Also, there is a forward and reverse switch that makes sanding in both directions easy; just remember to return the switch to forward if you are going to turn anymore after sanding! Nothing bad happens but your chisels won't cut...The thing weighs over 100 lbs, which is awesome for being that size. I just put in on my bench top temporarily to get a taste of turning and it never budged an inch. I wasn't turning huge lop-sided pieces of wood but the equipment itself is extremely smooth, no vibrations and well-balanced. I also like the base expandability and optional legs, which are available even for an expanded base.

It's only been a day or so but I would recommend getting or upgrading to this lathe. If you turn or want to turn pens or smaller things, like ornaments, tool handles, goblets, etc. you won't go wrong with this tool. I am no wood turner yet, but I know quality when I see it.

Update 06/23/2018:

I have had this lathe now for over 7 years and it has performed wonderfully. However...it has just died. The motor will no longer rotate. I have tried the reset switch repeatedly thinking I had overheated it but the switch even feels loose and ineffective. I have to confess that I have periodically turned the lathe on with the indexing pin engaged. I would immediately turn off the lathe and disengage the indexing pin.The lathe would start up without fail. Until yesterday...I did it again and this time it will not turn! So, be forewarned and do not get comfortable thinking your lathe will be OK even with the indexing pin locked in just a brief moment. It will accumulate the impact and it will fail. I think a modification which would kill the power circuit, if the pin was engaged, would be a great product enhancement! A new motor costs nearly as much as a new lathe, so replacement of just the motor doesn't seem right. I will see if a repair of the motor can be done and report back later.

This lathe is well worth the money. Unit is easy to use and setup. Check belt tension adjustment out of the box. The manual says belt tension is set at the factory but mine was backed off so far, the belt slipped a great deal. The banjo and tailstock also needed adjustment on my unit. I would certainly recommend this lathe to a friend.

As a few other buyers have experienced, my Delta lathe was defective upon arrival. When the unit was turned on, nothing happened. When I
Pressed the speed control it acted like it wanted to turn on but would not stay on. When I called Delta customer service, they quickly identified the problem indicating this is a common issue. I have returned the lathe and re-ordered. I will modify my rating with a positive result.

So now I am updating my review. My second shipment of this item came in today. The shipment was very quick. In fact, it was ahead of schedule by a day. I got the lathe set up in my shop in fairly short order, and I was turning within the hour. Thus far, everything seems to be working in order. The cast iron frame makes for a stable lathe. The easy access bolt holes assisted in easily anchoring the lathe into a foundation that I had built. I've already created two items. The first successful item was a Christmas tree made out of maple wood. The second item was a mallet replacement handle that turned out quite well.

I still have concerns about the shipping problems that occasionally result in a broken variable speed switch, but if you can get the unit delivered without being damaged, it seems to be well built and something that will offer hours of enjoyment.

This lathe was delivered on Dec 30th 2015. It came in a double box setup and in excellent condition and quickly. Very satisfied with the shipping.

My lathe setup prior to the Delta was a 1983 ShopSmith Mark V. The SS worked fine for small projects like pens and tops, but since the lowest speed is about 700RPM, it does not work well for anything larger. It also does not have a movable tail stock and contains a lot of flex. So that is why I started looking for a new lathe and one that would go down below 500RPM.

My research shows that to get lower speed lathes requires a minimum of $1500 to get something like a larger Grizzly. A G0733 is nearly the one I purchased. Jet has a similar unit for a few hundred more. I'm glad I looked a bit more before purchasing. Both the cost and the size were more than I needed.

This Delta is smaller, but has plenty of power for my work. The headstock does not swivel (it is fixed) for outboard turning so the largest it takes is 12in and since it can get down to about 250RPM, I can comfortably start a larger blank without pucker factor. It is smallish so it needs to bolted down to a firm work bench. I built and bolted it to a custom bench and put a 5 gallon bucket of tire weights on it as ballast. It doesn't move. Which is good for my multi-axis turning where the wood purposely rotates off-center. See the picture for an example of the result.

Overall I could not be much happier with my choice and I saved a bundle on the cost and shipping. If I upgrade again in the future, it will be to get a larger swing or outboard turning if at all. Of course I have only been running this for about 2 weeks, so durability has not be tested. If initial quality is any indicator, then this should last for quite a while.

There are a few small gripes which made it lose a star:
- The FWD/RVS switch was wired backwards out of the box. This made it run backwards when in the FWD position. It was very easy to open the switch box and swap the leads going to the motor. Now it is correct.

- The tool rest banjo is 5/8in instead of the standard 1in. This means most aftermarket tool rests will not fit.

- A live center got stuck in the tail stock after pressing it into a very hard chunk of maple. I had to add persuasion to get it out. The ejector didn't have enough torque and I thought it would bust. It could be my fault. Probably not.

- No digital speed read out, however there is a speed chart that matches the numbers on the speed knob, so it is easy to hit a specific speed if you need it. Everyone I know does it by feel anyway.