Why not the big daddy mustard??

[Jim Kountz]

So our turning club has a PM 4224 and to say the least its a monster lathe. In researching some other lathes I found the 4224 to be very reasonable in price vs comparable lathes. If you weigh its features against say the Oneway, Robust and Vicmarc it looks like a heck of a deal. I found them for $4700 +/- and I cant touch any of the others for that kind of money. Soooooooo how come Im not seeing more of them here and on the other forums online? I just dont seem to see them mentioned much and it makes a guy wonder. Anyone here have one or logged time on one??

[Reed Gray]

I have never used it. I would try one just for curiosity sake, but wouldn't buy one. It doesn't have a sliding headstock which is a must for me.
robo hippy

[Steve Schlumpf]

Agree 100% with Reed's observation. A sliding headstock is a must for bowls or hollow forms - at least for me!

[Gordon Seto]

We have a member who upgraded from the "baby" mustard to it; and he regretted he did. He said for the couple larger pieces he has turned, he should have got the drop down bed extension instead.
Most members in our Clubs who has the 2436, turn their bowls on outboard side. I don't think that is a necessity, but turning in that kind of budget, comfort and style are important.

[Sean Troy]

I have one and wouldn't give it up for anything. I've been using the 4224 for about 7 years and this is my second one. When I moved cross country a few years ago, I sold mine and then bought a new one out here. I have turned on just about every lathe out there more than once and still would make the 4224 my first all around choice.

[Gary Herrmann]

Another vote for sliding headstock. Definitely easier on my back.

[Jim Becker]

When you get up into the over $4000 range, most folks are looking for features and other things you cannot get with a mass market product. That's not saying the big PM isn't a great machine because it is....but it's somewhat of a "one flavor" beast. Robust, OneWay, Serious, Stubby, etc., all offer customizations and additions. When I bought my Stubby, it was because it fit my intended needs and preferences specifically...the price was not the top consideration at that point.

If I'm not mistaken, Gary Max turns on the big PM...

[Burt Alcantara]

I considered that lathe but like Reed and Steve, the sliding headstock was the primary requirement for a new lathe. I don't turn 8 hrs a day every day of every year. Baby M meets all of my requirements. Plus, I took a few classes using 3520 and liked it.

Most of my turnings are hollow forms. I use an articulated arm but like to do initial hollowing manually. Leaning over the ways puts tremendous strain on my forearms and rotator cuffs which are already damaged. A sliding headstock lets me avoid that strain by keeping a long handled tool close to my body.

If money were no object I would have gone with a fully decked out Robust.

Burt

[Ted Calver]

I've had mine for 6+ years and have been very happy with it. On a couple of occasions the sliding headstock would have been nice but I have no regrets at all. If I were buying today I'd be shopping from Jim's list--Robust, OneWay, Serious, Stubby, etc

[Brent English]

Of course I'm a serious fan of sliding headstocks. And while the PM 4224 is a well made, solid machine, one of the things I've never liked about it is how honkin big the headstock is.

The reason is, I like to do as much to the piece as I can in one set up, and you can't get to the foot of the bowl very well with the big headstock on the PM 4224. Sure, you can get a scraper in there or put on a spindle extension, but why compromise?

Other fixed-headstock lathes, like the Vicmarc, Oneway or Robust Sweet 16 have a smaller headstock, giving better access. For this reason alone, if I was looking at a fixed headstock lathe, the PM 4224 wouldn't be on the list.

Not that I'm biased.....:) Regardless of your decision, you'll find a way to get done what you want to do. The main thing is to have some fun along the way and not have to fight your tools to get there.

Brent at Robust

[Gary Max]

I have had my 4224 for several years now and would buy it again without a minutes thought.
The big sale point to me was the weight of the spindel and the size of the bearings. I wanted the biggest badest lathe made and I Love it.
I would not trade it for any other machine made.

[Brian D Wood]

I've had one for just over a year now and been very happy with it. I also bought the outboard turning assembly for it, which is like having a long and short bed lathe. I love it, but do wish the headstock had been better designed. But, it was the best I could afford and I will have it for a long time. I got mine from http://www.equipmentsalesandsurplus.com/, at the time they had the best price I could find.