3520b questions

[Burt Alcantara]

How easy is it to move the headstock back and forth?
Do you have or know about the Robust Tilt-Away for the Powermatic?
Is a remote available?
I've heard the tailstock is heavy so what do you do to move it on and off the lathe?

Feel free to add anything else. I'd rather read posts that address specific likes and dislikes.

Thanks,
Burt

[Jeff Nicol]

Burt, I have the 3520B and I just love it. The headstock is easy enough to move when you need to, just keep the ways clean and waxed and you should have do trouble. The only thing is that when you release the lever that locks it in place, is loosen it just enough to let it move. Then even pressure in the direction you want to move it. If you loosen all the way you can tip the headstock up a bit and then it will bind. I get right at the end I am going to push or pull from and keep the movement horizontal and it move easily. The tailstock is heavy, but not that bad. If you want you can get a swing away for it or have a table or bench that is the same height as the ways of the lathe so all you have to do is just move it horizontaly and not lift it much. I have 2 torn up shoulders and I can do it just fine. If you can go look at one locally you can try it there.

It is a wonderful lathe!

Jeff

[Chris Jenkins]

Burt,

I also have a 3520B and here is what I can answer:
1. Just as Jeff said make sure to push low and even on the head. Pushing on the top of the headstock will rack it.
2. I do not know about Robust, but if you go to Wood Central and look under the shop shots one person posted a home made tilt-away method for the tailstock.
3. Yes, a remote is available, but if you just read the electrical schematic in the manual provided you could easily make something custom to your needs. It is just a switch you add to the leads on the inverter.
4. The tailstock has i a good amount of weight to it, but I just pull it off when needed. I put it on a little shelf I built under my lathe so I don't have to go all the way to the ground with it, most importantly dead lift it off the ground to get it back on.

[Pete Jordan]

Burt,

I have this and it works great!
http://www.butlerturning.com/

[Chris Jenkins]

Burt,

Here is the link to the homemade swing away stock I was talking about.

http://www.woodcentral.com/shots/shot853.shtml

Chris

[Burt Alcantara]

One concern about swing-aways is it's in the way for hollow turning either with boring bars or captured systems. That's one reason I like the Robust Tilt-Away but that thing is $850 plus shipping.

Burt

[William Bachtel]

I have a 3520b I have no problems with the head moving, or the wt of the tailstock, I did buy the bed extension so I mostly just move the tailstock out of the way, I almost never remove it from the bed, it is simply not that heavy when you have to. This is great machine, I wish more things were built this way today.

[Burt Alcantara]

When moving the tailstock on and off, do you have to hold levers? On my Nova, I have to hold the locking lever up with one hand while pushing it off with the other, all the while holding the weight in both hands.

Getting it back on is nasty. Holding the tailstock, keeping the lever up and guiding the pressure plate requires 3 hands. I gave up and bought the 20" extension so I just push it out of the way.

With the 3520B, I'd like to take the tailstock off for hollowing so I'd like that to be a simple slide it off, slide it on with out requiring 3 hands.

Where are the screw holes on the rear of the bed and how many are there?

Since I was thinking of buying a more expensive lathe I wonder what it would cost if I went to a machine shop and asked them to make a tilting headstock thing.

Burt

[Gary Herrmann]

Somewhere online I saw a cart someone built whose top emulates the ways of the 3520b, so the builder could just roll the cart up and take off the tailstock.

I haven't started hollowing yet, but swmbo did buy that butler tailstock swingaway because I have back problems. It works well, but I can't speak to it's affect on hollowing.

As others have said, even pressure will move both the head and tailstock with no problem.

I got the remote with mine, it comes in very handy when turning off the end. No rpm control, just on and off, but still handy.

[Burt Alcantara]

Is there any device that will allow speed control on a remote?

[Jeff Nicol]

Burt the Vfd that comes with the 3520B should be able to add a control box and a forward and reverse switch. I have not looked into it but I did do in on one of my other lathes. All you need is the correct potentiometer to control the speed remotely. So if you can look and see what the one that is mounted in the lathe is get the same resistance and it should work. I have not needed a remote yet for mine as I mostly turn bowls and hollow forms with it so the stop and controls are close enough for that.

Jeff

[BILL DONAHUE]

I've used the Butler rig at the Campbell school and it works fine. However, for about the same expense the Harbor Freight hydraulic lift table gets the tailstock completely out of the way and it has many other uses. I can slide the tailstock off in seconds or use it to pick up and move my 3250B or many other heavy objects. I've used it as an adjustable table to paint things and a seat when I'm assembling projects on the floor.

[Mike Peace]

The PM3520 tailstock weighs about 47 lb. Here is a picture of my tailstock stand. It sits on a crate on castors so I can roll it out of the way if necessary. The tailstock slides on to the wooden rails.

[Tony Pridmore]

Burt, you do have to hold the locking lever when putting the tailstock on the lathe. Fortunately there's a high-tech solution. You can see it in Mike's picture. :D I did the same thing on mine.

[Chris Barnett]

A remote? Why? Kinda like a toilet with a remote flush lever.

[Kurt Bird]

Burt,
I have a 3520 that is now a little over a year old. I bought mine with the bed extension kit, the remote switch, and the dust collection hood.

The bed extension is awesome. For the most part, it stays in the upper position, but allows me to move the tailstock out of the way. When the tailstock is in for use, the bed extension is where my tooltray sits. But I have used the extension in the lower position a number of times for the additional swing. There are three mounting holes up, and three down, all drilled and threaded. BTW, the Robust Tilt Away is not made to fit the Powermatic. Maybe it could, but that is an $800 experiment.

The remote switch is great if you are turning a bowl at the tailstock end. It lets you turn the lathe off and on while you face directly into the bowl (or hollow form) to work. If you like to do hollow forms by hand, sometimes it's easier to stand on the back side of the lathe - the remote switch is a lifesaver in that case.

I would advise you to think about a rolling cart with ways on top for actual removal. The bed extension does give you quite a bit of room to get it out of the way for most of the smaller hollowing.

If you want to email me with your number, I'll be happy to answer your questions. kmbird@cox.net
Kurt

[Burt Alcantara]

A remote toilet flusher. Say, that's a great idea! I like the high tech solution to keeping the lever in place. Fortunately, I have a lot of the lever holders.

Kurt, thanks for that description of the back. I may try to fabricate a tilting mechanism if I ever find some free time.

I'll probably put my order in on Monday with ToolNut. He quoted me $2959.99 with a free bed extension, tool post extension and a Powermatic sign. With that price I'm going to get some new gouges, skews, Stronghold with #4 and maybe a bigger compressor.

Burt

[JerHall]

here: http://docs.google.com/View?docID=d4b7vjd_31hpg89x&revision=_latest
or go to mustardmonster.googlepages.com and go to the "Tail Stock" page. The downside of many of the swing away solutions is that the tailstock is in the way when doing deep hollowing. Some solutions swing down and away.

There are several effective inexpensive solutions you can make yourself.

[Chris Barnett]

Got my planer from toolnut but had not heard about them when I bought the 3520. Wish I had known about them and thought about the extension like you did. And now that you mention it, would be nice to have remote if working from backside. And can you imagine the fun of having a remote for the toilet when you have guests :D, and really if that is the only way it will flush.

[George Morris]

Burt this is what I do to get the tail stock out of my way. You can get info of mustard monster site. This works well I spent about 20 dollars on parts and paint. The tail stock is not in the way when working on bowls at end of lathe I guess you have to try to belive. It beats spending 250 to do the same thing. The remote shut off is well worth the money! George
107330