Robust "liberty"

[Steven DeMars]

Has anyone seen this new lathe?

From the specs it appears to be a "PM3520" with all the bells and whistles.

Steve :)

[Gary Herrmann]

http://www.turnrobust.com/PDF%27s/Liberty%20Lathe%20Handout.pdf

[Reed Gray]

What is the 'Vector drive with auto tune'? Is it like the Nova DVR?

robo hippy

[alex carey]

if all of the info on the that page is correct its a 16" swing not a 20" swing like the mustard, seems a lot more like the jet 1642. 3700$ is a lot to pay for a 1642, the bells and whistles must be pretty darn nice to make it worth it, and that's without the legs. Though, robust tends to make much higher quality and the service is top notch.

[Bob Bergstrom]

That is with no legs and a 1 hp. motor. If you get legs and a 2hp. motor, it's $4400. I love my 3520b even more now!!!

[Mike Stephens]

Looks like a sweet lathe but I would definitely spend my money elsewhere.

[Brent English]

Hi Guys

Brent from Robust here. Standard motor on the Liberty is 1.5HP, 110 volt. The spec sheet has been updated, and the link above will take you to it.

In regards to vector drive with auto-tune: Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are used to give the variable speed you enjoy on better lathes. VFD's have really made a lot of advances in the past few years. A basic VFD just sends different frequencies to the motor (typically0-60Hz) to change it's speed. A basic VFD does not put out more torque when you are taking heavy cuts. A Vector drive actually monitors the power the motor is using and will boost the torque when you are making heavy cuts. Most of the premium manufacturers are using vector drives. We're using a drive that takes it one step further, and it actually tunes itself to the exact motor on the lathe. This is programmed in when we assemble and test the lathe. This gives you just a bit more torque when you really need it.

The Liberty is new, having just been introduced at SWAT in October. We've got a few in the field and few more sold. We're just starting to market it this month.

Thanks, hope this isn't considered too commercial of a post, just wanted to correct an error we had on the website and respond to the question about the drive.

Brent

[Reed Gray]

Brent,

How does your variable speed drive compare to the one on the Nova? Similar? The same thing? I did do one demo on a DVR, and thought it was nice, but not anywhere near my Beauty, and the torque of 3 hp.

Just as a side note, the Robust lathes are not made to compete with the PM, Jet, Grizzly, Laguna, or Nova lathes, they are made to compete with the Oneway lathes. I do like the 'Made in America' part which was one of the reasons I chose a Robust. They are custom made, and if you have any questions about your lathe, you call and talk to Brent, not some tech who has to read from a manual to figure out what you are talking about.

No association with Robust other than a satisfied customer.

robo hippy

[Brent English]

Hi Reed;

Thanks for the kind words. I don't have any personal experience with the direct drive Nova, but the first guy who bought a Liberty was replacing one and he is happy with the decision. He likes the extra power as well as the extra weight and improvements like the stainless steel ways as he turns a lot of green wood. Liberty is "geared down". The pulley on the motor is about 60% of the diameter of the pulley on the spindle, so there is a mechanical advantage that the direct drive Nova doesn't offer.

Nothing wrong with the Nova, great machine for the money, just like the PM3520, etc. We're just trying to offer something else that people may find compelling.

Brent

[Joe Mioux]

Hi Guys

Brent from Robust here. Standard motor on the Liberty is 1.5HP, 110 volt. The spec sheet has been updated, and the link above will take you to it.

In regards to vector drive with auto-tune: Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are used to give the variable speed you enjoy on better lathes. VFD's have really made a lot of advances in the past few years. A basic VFD just sends different frequencies to the motor (typically0-60Hz) to change it's speed. A basic VFD does not put out more torque when you are taking heavy cuts. A Vector drive actually monitors the power the motor is using and will boost the torque when you are making heavy cuts. Most of the premium manufacturers are using vector drives. We're using a drive that takes it one step further, and it actually tunes itself to the exact motor on the lathe. This is programmed in when we assemble and test the lathe. This gives you just a bit more torque when you really need it.

The Liberty is new, having just been introduced at SWAT in October. We've got a few in the field and few more sold. We're just starting to market it this month.

Thanks, hope this isn't considered too commercial of a post, just wanted to correct an error we had on the website and respond to the question about the drive.

Brent

so does this mean the 1.5 hp vector drive motor can do more (i.e. torque - or something else better), than say a regular 3phase 2hp motor with VFD?

Hopefully that question makes sense. I understand the variable torque thing. I'm just curious if it means vector drive is better than just a larger motor or is does your vector drive provide better value - lower cost alternative.

thanks joe

[Brent English]

All other things being equal, a 1.5 HP Vector style VFD will out preform a 1.5HP non-vector VFD. I have not seen data for the comparison you are asking about (1.5HP with vector vs 2.0HP without). My gut feeling is that that the answer is yes, but you also asked about cost. A vector style drive is 20-30% more than a non-vector drive. The auto-tune feature we are using costs a little bit more too. So the cost/benefit you seek might not be there.

I've never had a customer complain our machines are too powerful. One of the reasons people upgrade is to get more power, do bigger work, get your roughing done quicker etc.

Many of our customers tell us they are buying their "last lathe". No time to skimp on the HP or the drive when you are considering that.