What Lathe do you use?

[Keith Bundy]

Whit - When I was thinking of moving up I was going back and forth between the Vicmark and the Oneway. I got a good deal on a used Oneway and will probably never own anything else, but, I think you'd do well with a Vic. I've always thought they were well made and every one I know who has one is more than happy with it.

[Whit]

Thanks for the input Keith. As I mentioned, I'm not making a move real soon but comments like yours are very helpful to me and and others.

Whit

[Matt Wimpee]

Well, I just added a new Green Lathe to the shop. A General 26020 now sits where my Nova DVR did sit. Linda now has the DVR. She said I can use it if I ask nicely.

Reason for the addition? The General has a 20 inch swing over the bed and a 24 1/2 inch swing over the gap. 2 hp 220 volt motor. Reverse and variable speed. Had to rewire the shop. I still am a very big DVR fan and am keeping the vacuum chuck system on it.
The General is built like a WW11 tank and lets me do some of the larger chunks of wood without moving the headstock. I have a floor stand tool rest to use the outboard side and that would allow me to have a swing of over 6 feet. Don't think I will be using that much swing. All of my chucks and face plates etc are interchangeable with the DVR.

Who am I kidding. I think one of the reasons was the fact that it was used in the school shops in the 80's. If high school boys can't break something it has to be solid. NO, I was not in high school in the 80's. That would be wishful thinking. I as many others took the classes offered to the community. Back then I was lucky to be able to afford a hammer.

The down side? Man o man get someone to deliver and move it into place. It would also help if you can speak French. It comes from that part of Canada that uses French as the language. The manufacture takes for granted that you are very experienced in using a lathe. The owners manual gives you about 5 min reading in the bathroom. That is except for the manual and CD that explains the variable speed electronics. If any of you MIT grads with that Phd are sitting around it would give you something to do. Otherwise you just unplug and it will reset to the factory specs.

If it does not live up to my expectations I will let everyone know.

Y'all have a good year now.

Matt

[Robert Gulley]

Congrats on the new lathe, Matt!! I am confident you will enjoy it. It will be interesting for you to experience the new size/weight of the lathe and to see what kind of difference it makes in your turning. For me, moving to a large lathe immediately improved the quality of my turning experience, mainly because of the stability. My tools seemed to work more cleanly, and I felt I had more control over the production. I'd be interested to know if you experience the same thing.

Take care, and Happy New Lathe, er, that is, New Year!
Robert

[Matt Wimpee]

Morning Robert,

I waited until I had a chance to really put the General thru it's paces before giving it a total thumbs up.

The weight and solid feel makes the lathe a pleasure to turn on. I do a lot of big ol chunks of wood and the response really good. The Variable speed control was a little unhandy as the magnet used to mount the control on any metal was a little weak and if there was any amount of dust between the control and the metal it was too easy to dislodge. (dust in my shop? ya gotta be kidding) I solved that by mounting a hinge with a piece of angle iron on the outrigger mount. It now swivels like several other lathes such as the Power Matic. nylon ties are almost as good as bailing wire. (I know a bunch of city fellas never heard of bailing wire. Kinda shows my age and upbringing on a farm in Ky).

The major thing I had to get accoustomed to changing from the Nova DVR as the primary lathe is ..... the run like heck delay the DVR gives you when you punch go. If anyone changes to a DVR they will find this delay a little different when they start using it. After about 5 years of using it I do miss that. I stand way out of the way when I flip the switch on the General.

The other thing is the moment you turn a DVR off there is no resistance other than the momentum caused by the wood. Small items with little weight allows you to stop the spinning a lot quicker.

I forgot that initally and if you grab the hand wheel on the General it a matter of turning it loose quick or learn to do flips.

I may still need to bolt the General to the floor. Some of the stuff I turn can really be out of balance big time.

Final evaluation..... really great lathe in the $4000.00 range. I did save some money as all of the chucks, faceplates etc are interchangeable between the DVR and the General. 1 1/4 by 8 tpi.

Having 5 lathes in the shop is a little much but, I do invite people that are brand new to turning and scared of the spinning monster to spend some time with me. Those that are new to turning are sometimes afraid to ask questions in a club meeting or really do not know what to ask.

I keep telling people there is ONLY ONE DUMB QUESTION. THE ONE THAT IS NEVER ASKED. If anyone out there reading this and is new, PLEASE don't be afraid to tell someone you don't know what the heck they are talking about if you don't understand.

Long winded Matt will stop now.

keep the wood spinning gang.

Matt

[Robert Gulley]

Hi Matt -

Glad to hear the new lathe is all that you were hoping for! Five lathes in the shop sounds just about right to me - I only have two, but want to eventually have more for the same reason. Shop space for me is a bit limited, however.
I had the same issue with my lathe as you did with regard to having to get use to not stopping the piece by hand. That's one of those things you learn really quickly!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us - always fun to hear "new lathe" stories!

[JJJaworski]

I bought a Oneway 1224..and am very happy with it...I had wanted to get a VicMarc or a Woodfast for the increased capacity and power...however..we were building our house at the time and my lathe fund got depleted...

I was a bit skeptical about a welded bed structure and vibration dampening...it works quite well in all aspects and has quick adjustments on the banjo and tailstock.

I do like it.

I hope to add another lathe when I can and the Vicmarc or a used Woodfast might be what i am looking for.

One problem i did have was trying to use the kelton hollowing system on it...the top of the banjo is about 1/4 inch too high and would not allow me to get the cutters on center...

Fortunately I bought the system from LeeValley Tools and they took it back no problem..paid for return shipping and sent me a check for the amount I spent.
They have a great customer service dept and put me in touch with a Kelton rep.

JimJaworski..turning whenever I can..

[Andy Hoyt]

New guy to forum here. When I outgrew the Oneway 1018 that I acquired used when I first began turning, its replacement was a no brainer. Ended up with a Oneway 1640 and outboard extention. Perfect confguration for what I do and am happy as can be with it.

[Robert Gulley]

Hi Andy
Welcome to the forum!
The 1640 is the unsung hero of the Oneway line, IMO, because it allows you to do so much for a lot less price. I have written a review of the lathe that should be coming out in the magazine in a few months - but of course, you already know how great it is!

[Gil Jones]

I too am new to this forum. Started turning in August of 2004. My lathe is a General International Maxi-Lathe. 10" swing, ½ hp, and (with the bed extension) a bit over 46" between centers. Actually, I find the bed extension to be a great place to park the tailstock. It is a mostly well-built lathe, though I have made a few modifications. A larger machine, with more torque will be welcome in the future.

[Robert Gulley]

Welcome, Gil
I have not turned on a General as you have, but it sounds like a great lathe! I have always heard good things about their line of lathes and woodworking equipment in general. The wide distance between centers is good to park the tailstock without removing it, and it sure comes in handy when you need the length for spindles!

[Gil Jones]

Thanks Robert,
The baby General is great to learn on, but I have "Large, and White" on my mind for the future.
If anyone has the General Maxi-Lathe, and is having a problem with the motor shaft pulley comming loose, I have a fix for that.

[Dosray]

I have the Oneway 1640 - the cadillac of lathes!

[N_Addy]

I started off on a Jet mini-lathe. Great little lathe that I still love to this day.

I now drive a Jet 1442. It probably won't be my last lathe but I'm hoping it will carry me for a few years before the craving for more iron gets to be too much. I figure a PM3520 or even a Oneway 1640 is somewhere in my future but I'd have a hard time justifying it at the moment since I'm just a weekend warrior. I guess it would be different if I was showing/selling my work.

[jawbrey68]

as a new turner about 4 months now bought a jet 1236 w/ a bunch of acc for a good deal but i really want a larger heavyer machine mabey a delta 16/42 w/ electric v/ speed




james