Dedicated Bowl Lathes

[Ken Hill]

As much as I want to order a hollowing system, I think a dedicated bowl lathe and coring system might suit me better right now. The can of worms i've opened by turning as so many requests for much larger bowls then I can turn on my Delta, so I believe this is the direction i'm heading.

Buying used is a very real possibilty and overall price as well, but I am open to suggestions as well as any advice. Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

[Roger Chandler]

Ken,

Here is a friend of mine that is in our turning club. He made his own and it is nice.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=138559

If that does not work for you then a VB- 36 is a great bowl lathe............not inexpensive, but about as good as it gets for a bowl lathe.

[Ken Hill]

Thats pretty slick Roger....

I found this one as well
http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=26160

The welding is no issue here....ummmm

[David E Keller]

Unless you're looking to do art pieces like the one's Wally posted a link to, most of the large commercially available lathes will do bowls and coring inboard with the possibility of going bigger outboard. My PM will swing 20" inboard and about 3 feet with the bed extension at the foot... I can't imagine wanting a bowl larger than about 16 or 17 inches.

Have you got a specific vision for what you're wanting to turn?

[Ken Hill]

I'd like to do some nested bowl sets, platters etc. Nothing crazy, but deffinatley bigger capacity then what I have now. My Delta 46-460 will be used for calls and bowls , my Jet will be used by my sons to do stuff as well as a finishing set up for me, and hopefully a bigger unit awaits me for the larger stuff.

Im thinking a Jet 1642 might handle what im after.....

[Dan Hintz]

I ordered the 1642 just because I have a sneaking suspicion pens and bottle stoppers won't be able to hold me for long.

[Baxter Smith]

Ken, less than a year ago I thought my lathe was the only tool in my shop I would never need to upgrade. Had a 12 swing and the ability to turn bigger outboard. (Not that I had ever turned a bowl but knew I would someday like to try).

Like you, I have access(though not quite as close and easy)to more free wood than I can ever turn. Its not exotic and always spectacular, but its interesting enough if you pick and choose a bit. Its not huge but there are plenty of pieces over 12". After turning a bit, I began to see (or at least imagine:)) the benefits of features I didn't have.

This summer I picked up a used 3520A and oneway coring system off CL. After 3 months of use, I have no regrets. I have cored 6 sets of bowls, though none over 16. I think 3 have been 15 1/2 for the biggest. That is still a big bowl! Once you hold one(if you never have) you will believe.:) I am talking about something you could actually use.

Although I wouldn't have bought it new at the time, if the lathe were to die tomorrow:eek:....some normally frugal person might not be so frugal.:D I would not replace it with anything smaller. In this case, a 20" swing, 2 hp motor, sliding headstock, and EVS with the ability to slow it way down for sanding purposes would be prerequisites. I think a dedicated bowl lathe that lacks a tail stock you would find lacking.:)
Good luck in your search!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken - unless you are planning to go into production bowl turning - I think you would find a dedicated bowl lathe restrictive and somewhat limited on what you could turn. You will find that as you gain experience turning - your tastes also will change. Highly suggest you consider a lathe that allows you to turn a wide variety of things and not limit yourself.

[Ken Hill]

Steve im with you....im thinking something along the lines of the Jet 1642 Pro VS. It can be used as an outboard when needed and has the swing that should keep me at a nominal range of larger pieces.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken - that is the lathe that I have but there is one thing that a lot of folks do not take into consideration when choosing it - and that is usable swing. Not trying to push a bigger lathe or anything - just want you aware that if you plan on turning a large bowl - say a 15" bowl, then you have to start with a larger blank. Unless you are planning on cutting your blanks round on the bandsaw - you will have a hard time getting a 15" bowl from a chainsawed blank. Just something to take into consideration.

My lathe does everything I have asked of it but there are times I wish it had a larger swing - usually only at the rough out stage!

[Ken Hill]

I have the bandsaw so no worries there. It is infact broken now and turning chain sawed blanks has tested my resolve this week!

[Scott Hackler]

of course there is the "Sweet 16"! Has a removable gap bed turning what is normaly a 16" capacity to a 32" bowl lathe!! Its a pretty cool looking deal and a word of caution.. dont go watch the videos on Robust's site.... :)

[Ken Hill]

I looked at them Scott, but I think they may be a tad out of my price range. Sure look nice though!

[Harry Robinette]

Ken Ive had my Vega 2600 for about 7 yrs.and you can't beat it for a bowl
lathe and medium spindle lathe (6" to 17" between centers).Its 26" total and I've turned bowls up to 24" completed ,I now use the Kelton coring sys. on it
and really love it (much less shavings and more bowls now thats the ticket.)
If you wont any details just PM me. Oh ya I believe the one like mine is now about $2900.00 with 2HP.invertor drive.
Hope this helps.

[Harvey Schneider]

I turn bowls on a Jet 1642 and I agree that 14-1/2" to 15" diameter is a practical size for a finished bowl. I sometimes think that I would like to go larger, but then I can't figure out what I would do with a larger bowl.
I saw a shop made bowl lathe this weekend. It had been used to make table tops for fine furniture. Looks like it was a two man operation. The outboard tool rest gives me inspiration.

[Reed Gray]

For a dedicated bowl lathe, I don't think you can beat a VB36. Built like the proverbial brick out house. I opted for the 3 hp American Beauty Robust. The major advantage to the sliding headstock is that you get the best of both worlds. You get a spindle lathe, and by sliding the headstock down, you have a bowl lathe. Best option in this variety, when money is no object it the Robust American Beauty. Next and a size down would be the Robust Liberty with the vector drive motor (I can't really explain what it does, but it is really nice). Then the PM3520, which is probably the best bang for your buck (I prefer the older A to the B model), then the Jet 16 with the 2 hp motor. The 1 1/2 hp, 115 volt model just doesn't have the torque for production work and lots of coring. You can get it done, but at a slower pace.

How much lathe do you need? Well, bowls over 14 to 16 inches are party/large family size, and are more of a specialized market. You won't sell too many of them. Bowls in the 12 to 14 size sell pretty well. You could easily do with a 16 inch lathe.

As to the coring system, the McNaughton is the fastest and most efficient to use. It has a learning curve. The Oneway is the easiest to use, and the most expensive.

robo hippy

[Dave Ogren]

I have a VB 36 without a tailstock. It is wonderful for turning bowls. No such thing as an out of balance condition. I use an 8" face plate for almost everything. I don't have a band saw, but cut the corners and length with a chain saw. It takes about 5 minutes to get a 18" to 24" hexagonal blank round. But there are some things that have to be done differently. Example: I just started a natural edge bowl that will finish at just over 16" Dia. Mount the face plate on the wood then onto the lathe, then you cut on the bark side a recess just over 8" dia., take it off of the lathe and remount the face plate into the recess so you can turn the outside first. That whole process takes maybe 10 minutes. The great thing is no vibration or shaking etc. the machine is extremely smooth. I have never lost a piece. Most of my blanks weigh 30 lbs. or more. no worry about a spur slipping or making sure the tail stock is tight. The main worry is taking too deep of a cut and stalling the machine. They do make two different tail stocks for the VB, but I have never seen one for sale used.
I have never turned on a Stubby of a Robust, but I have turned on a Oneway 2436. No Comparrison. Used VB's do come up for sale, but not often.

Good Luck,

Dave

[Dennis Ford]

The powermatic 3520B is a great lathe for bowls (and other stuff too) if it fits in you budget.
If you like to build stuff, a home-made lathe is worth considering (I love mine). Be aware that building a lathe is not rocket science but it is very time consuming.