Hmmmm, my PM90 or an Oliver 2159?

[Mike Cruz]

Okay, I don't have buyers remorse, and with all that I've done with/to my PM90 with risers, tack, motor uprade, VFD and restoration, I'm sure I will never need another lathe :rolleyes:, but look what came up for sale in my backyard...literally 10 minutes from my house...

An Oliver 2159, 14" swing and 72" bed, 1 hp 3 phase motor, no VFD. It includes some faceplates and a tool rest, but I think the banjo is missing. I'm sure one could be fabricated or used from some other lathe.

Asking $650

Go ahead, tell me how much better off I am...:D

http://ebayimages.rswhost.com/205724/132200A.jpg

[Roger Chandler]

I would take your PM90 any day of the week......American made workhorse! The Oliver might be hard to get parts for........if it were me I would not bite for more than $300. Oliver made good equipment, but I like your PM90 better!

[Van Huskey]

Mike, you simply spend too much time on Craigslist. I am not sure if I am the pot or the kettle.

[Mike Cruz]

Roger, thanks. That makes me feel better even if you are just trying to do so. But, I will assume that was an honest answer.

Van, black is black...

[Salvatore Buscemi]

FWIW, that lathe is also listed on ebay, current bidding is at 112. Same pic and everything. 650 might be pushing it since it's missing the banjo.

Sal

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, Sal, I knew about the Ebay lising, but was tenative about posting that. I didn't want to ruin anyone's bidding by announcing that, but it seems the cat's out of the bag...

Hey guys, they actually have a couple of these lathes. They are all kinda missing some parts though. Like a tailstock here, a banjo there, that kinda thing. They also have some monster TS's and stuff....

[Salvatore Buscemi]

Oops, sorry. I just thought if you were considering it for 650, you might want to know about that listing. I'm restoring a 159 right now (missing a banjo) so I've been watching the ebay listings pretty closely.

Sal

[Jeff Nicol]

Mike, You are kidding right? I think you will be so darn happy with the PM90 in a week or so that you will never want for another lathe again! If the Oliver was had for say $200 or less then maybe worth having another lathe to rebuild, maybe you can find a banjo some place!!;)

Jeff

[Mike Cruz]

HEHEHEHEHEHE. YES! I was just kidding. NO! I wouldn't dream of swapping them. This PM will certainly last a lifetime, plus. Figured you'd run across this thread... ;)

[Curt Fuller]

At $650, the Oliver is a heck of a good deal if everything is in good working order. That particular lathe would be great for someone that was into turning bedposts and other long spindle work. As for the banjo, any PM or Oliver banjo will fit (in fact I have an extra banjo for my Oliver that is a PM brand. The other advantage the Oliver has over the PM is the sliding headstock. You can position the Oliver headstock anywhere along the ways including at the end to make bowl turning easier. And it's a 14" swing. The old PMs and Olivers are both great old pieces of machinery built when things were done right. I love my Oliver.

And BTW, if you do decide to buy it, you cans still buy parts at http://www.eaglemachinery-repair.com/.

[Mike Cruz]

Curt, thanks for the informative post. Whoever does buy this monster could probably use the link. I will not be buying it. I wouldn't trade it for my PM for the world. My PM will be far superior to it when it is completed because of all the extras I've poured into it. The ONLY thing that thing has over mine is a sliding head, and that isn't even close enough to sway me. The draw to the machine was its close proximity to me, just months after my endeavor into my PM. The post was tounge and cheek. I thought, as most that have followed my postings of my PM aquisition, everyone would know. That said, there was a little bit of "greener grass" in the post. I know that old Oliver lathes, being American made and built in an era that made things to last, are very nice lathes. I wasn't 100% sure that this wasn't a gem that was missed. But regarless, I flat out, no questions asked, hands down would not trade my PM for it. And my lathe isn't even finished yet. I will soon have an 18", 2 hp, manual and electronic variable speed, digitally taked, reversable, freshly restored beast...for about a grand. I couldn't be happier...really. That doesn't mean I can't drool over what might have been had a hunk of cast iron hadn't endured a week in a cornfield through rain, wind, and sun... :)

[Rick Markham]

Mike, you simply spend too much time on Craigslist. I am not sure if I am the pot or the kettle.

Hmmmmmmmm... Van Huskey caught wandering around in the turner's forum :eek:... Purely by accident, I'm sure of that... Or maybe it is "just for the 'wife's' benefit" :p Just go ahead and give in already... You're already past the event horizon of this blackhole! Resistance is FUTILE!:D:eek::D

Hi Mike!!! Keep the PM90 <-----(feeble attempt not to derail your thread):p

[Mike Cruz]

Trouble, instigator, devil on a shoulder...ever been called any of these things? ;)

[Rick Markham]

Trouble, instigator, devil on a shoulder...ever been called any of these things? ;)

Who me? I've never been an enabler... I'm "innocent"

...now to just send some large lathe pictures in a PM to Van!