Best lathe for budget of 6500

[Damon McLaughlin]

After turning on numerous Powermatic 3520B lathes for a year I purchased a brand new Powermatic 3520c. Unfortunately it took four and a half months and four lathes to get one that worked. In my opinion the new C models are not built like the previous B models. I agree that Vicmarc, Oneway and Robust are all excellent lathes with great support should you need it.

If you have turning club nearby you might want to see if there are any members in your area that can show you or give you a hands on demo on any of the lathes mentioned.

[Alex Zeller]

Seams like your replies are based on two different ideas. Is your budget just for the lathe or will it have to include the tools. Since you are in a woodworking shop I'm assuming that you already have a dust collection system, a band saw, and probably a way to sharpen tools. I would still plan on investing up to $1500 into the chuck/ tools needed. If your making bowls for selling then a coring system could also be something you'll want to look into. I don't mind 80% of my blank being turned into shavings but if I was paying for the wood I'm sure I would feel differently. So the question really is if you do spend $6500 for a top of the line lathe can you still spend the extra money?

My personal opinion is that a $4000 price range lathe is going to give you what you want. If you were planning on using this lathe on a daily basis or if it was going to be a personal lather then I would spend the extra money. From what I have learned almost any lathe in that price range is going to be a very good. So it comes down to features. I have a lower end Grizzly. If I was to upgrade to a $5000 lathe both the Laguna 24/36 and Grizzly G800 would be at the top of my list. I just like the Laguna lathes and the G800 has an optional bed extension that can be mounted in line with the bed to extend the length if needed, it can be mounted lower than the bed to do outboard turning of large blanks, and it can be mounted perpendicular to the bed so you can move the banjo to the side and out of the way of the tailstock.

[Bill Jobe]

3 Grizzly G0766's and half a dozen chucks.

[Jason Ramey]

Seams like your replies are based on two different ideas. Is your budget just for the lathe or will it have to include the tools. Since you are in a woodworking shop I'm assuming that you already have a dust collection system, a band saw, and probably a way to sharpen tools. I would still plan on investing up to $1500 into the chuck/ tools needed. If your making bowls for selling then a coring system could also be something you'll want to look into. I don't mind 80% of my blank being turned into shavings but if I was paying for the wood I'm sure I would feel differently. So the question really is if you do spend $6500 for a top of the line lathe can you still spend the extra money?

My personal opinion is that a $4000 price range lathe is going to give you what you want. If you were planning on using this lathe on a daily basis or if it was going to be a personal lather then I would spend the extra money. From what I have learned almost any lathe in that price range is going to be a very good. So it comes down to features. I have a lower end Grizzly. If I was to upgrade to a $5000 lathe both the Laguna 24/36 and Grizzly G800 would be at the top of my list. I just like the Laguna lathes and the G800 has an optional bed extension that can be mounted in line with the bed to extend the length if needed, it can be mounted lower than the bed to do outboard turning of large blanks, and it can be mounted perpendicular to the bed so you can move the banjo to the side and out of the way of the tailstock.

Hi Alex , I should clarify that 6500 is the most I would want to spend outright on the lathe not including tools. I can use another 2000 or so on the remaining tools/ accessories and would definitely like a coring setup. We have dust collection in place but would still like some type of customized setup. We also have a few tools but can definitely use more. A few people have mentioned the Grizzly g0800 and it is very tempting. It definitely looks like I could get 30-40 years out of it.... I hope.
I took a look at the laguna and not sure which one would be the best option between the two.

[Roger Chandler]

A few people have mentioned the Grizzly g0800 and it is very tempting. It definitely looks like I could get 30-40 years out of it.... I hope.
I took a look at the laguna and not sure which one would be the best option between the two.

You should look at the thread about the Laguna Revo 24/36 spindle getting warm. While that issue was resolved for the owner, there is a post on the differences between the Revo 24/36 and the Grizzly G0800. Basically it comes down to heavier build on the Grizzly 0800 vs. the pendant feature on the Revo, and of course more advanced inverter on the 0800. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ing-quite-warm