PM 3520B Remote on/off switch purchase or not?

[James Adams 1943]

I used my friends Stuby lathe recently. He has a nice remote on/off switch that came with the lathe. It's about 4" x 4" and has separate buttons for on and off. I liked it.

I feel it is a huge safety feature. Since then I was turning a bowl on my lathe and while reaching for the big red knob, I blew the whole top out of a HF.

I am wondering how some of you PM users like the remote switch that comes with the 3520B. I can't find an actual picture of it anywhere. They just show a little drawing of one. It appears that it has some kind of paddle for turning it on and off. Plus I think I saw where it is 11" long. That seems huge.

Any comments will be appreciated.

Thanks, James

[Donny Lawson]

I'm not alot of help but I have seen what you are talking about. I could use one of them myself for my 46-460. Maybe someone will buzz in with some help.

[Scott Hubl]

YES ! GET IT! You will LOVE having it wherever you are working on the lathe.

You can make one but heck just toss it in with your order and be Done. Remember to get your BEST price you can find for what you want, Then call Toolnut and they will Beat your best price found.

If someone don't post a picture for you, I will take one and post it later tonight.

[Wally Dickerman]

I'm not really familiar with the PM remote switch, but I can tell you that I wouldn't be without my Oneway remote switch. Very convenient and safer than the conventional switch.

[Steve Schlumpf]

James - I have a Jet 1642 - basically a smaller version of the 3520 and I made my own on/off switch. It is not hard to do and makes working around the lathe a heck of a lot safer, in my opinion. If you are comfortable working around electrical switches, then it is something very easy to do. I did a short write-up on how I made mine and if you are interested, PM me.

[Jon Nuckles]

Scott or anyone else who has one: does it have the speed control knob as well as on and off?

[Rex Guinn]

I did not get one when purchasing my 3520b, but will soon. There are times when it would come in handy, like doing howlling or turning larger than 20" diameters.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Jim,
I bought one with mine. It is strictly "On - Off" and not speed control. There is a web site devotes to the 3520B. Here is the link. http://mustardmonster.weebly.com/
I have already had trouble with my switch and expect to buy a replacement from an alternative source. When I had a problem with my switch I asked advice from the forum on the AAW site. This is a copy of one response. Good luck with your 3520. You will love it.

From another AAW member:
I had two of the PM remote switches die within a few months of arrival. I replaced the second one with a pull on/push off switch from a boat and golf cart supply place. It's a 12v dashboard switch that has ample capacity for the low voltage circuit that's doing he switching on the 3520B. It has worked without a hitch for 3 years or so now. It's also much smoother to operate than the red switch in the headstock, so I tend to leave that switch on all the time, and use the remote one as my primary power switch when using the lathe.
http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/images/buttons/quote.gif (http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=74806)

[James Adams 1943]

Faust,

Thanks for the info. It sounds like I may want to stay away from the PM switches. The motor on my PM lathe started making noise before I had it a year. They sent me a new motor right away. They were good about that, but it's never good to be broken down.

Steve sent me info on making my own switch. I may just do that.

Thanks, James

[Mike Peace]

I made one following the directions on the Mustard Monster site previously posted. Works great and easy to wire up. Parts were about $15 vs. more than $100 from WMH.

[James Adams 1943]

Thanks Mike. I'll try to find that article.

[Thomas Canfield]

My remote switch is homemade using some heavy duty extension cord, a PVC grey outlet box, single pole switch, and a outdoor switch plate cover. The outdoor switch plate cover for wet areas has worked fairly well for me, but there is still some dust issue with the contacts on the switch. Some rare-earth magnets were put on the bottom of the box so that it can be moved easily and sat on the ways or leg. It really is almost a necessity for safety to have the remote switch on the tailstock end when doing hollowing with steady rest and hollowing system in place and also prevent reaching around the "spinning" chunk on the lathe.

Buy or build, but get a remote switch. I do feel that the home made have more flexibility, but may not have the high quality components that could be in the bought. I have not found a reasonably priced dust-proof switch to use.

[Scott Hubl]

Scott or anyone else who has one: does it have the speed control knob as well as on and off?

No, Just the On/Off Switch.

[Bill Hensley]

My setup is similar to what Thomas has. I used a rocker style light switch and it became obvious that dust would soon be an issue so I made a loose cover for it out of clear plastic and taped it to the box. Works fine and if the plastic gets worn or torn it will be easy to replace.

Another suggestion would be to rout the cable out the back of the head unit to keep it out of your way and have the cable long enough to reach the end of your ways.

[Dale Bright]

Here is a link to what I did for my Jet 1642. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?130675-Need-Advice-on-a-Lathe-Mod&highlight

I ended up mounting the gray PVC box on a piece of wood and epoxied rare earth magnets onto it, so it could go anywhere on the lathe. The wiring was pretty easy. I just took the wiring schematic from the Jet website and spent about $20 on wire, lugs and conduit. Project time was about 2 hours total.

I think this is a better solution because you now have all the controls anywhere you need them.

Dale

[James Adams 1943]

I got it done. I ended up getting a box from Lowe's and ordering me an on/off switch from Grizzly. I spent about $25, but it looks and works like the real thing. Thanks to all that took the time to feed me information. I was going to include a picture, but that turned out to be too difficult. I have the picture, but it is wanting a link. Steve, your diagram was very useful. The manual was a little unclear on the wiring.

[Nate Davey]

Like John and Dale et al, I made my own remote and absolutely love it. It's nice to be able to hip check or knee my lathe off.

[Mike Peace]

I understand that there have been dust issues with the PM remote switch as well as shop made versions. I put mine in a zip lock bag large enough for the switch to easily work. Dust can't cant get in.

[James Adams 1943]

Mike, I bought me a second switch when I ordered the switch. I guess the dust problem you're talking about is in the switch and not in the connections. So for $4.50 I can replace the actual switch. I just have to pop it out and put the new one in.

[Steve Schlumpf]

James - you can also vacuum or used compressed air to periodically clean out the switch.

[James Adams 1943]

The compressed air sounds like a winner. I can just blow it out ever time I finish a project and clean up the lathe. Good idea.

[James Adams 1943]

188472Here is the picture of the remote switch that I didn't know how to upload earlier. Steve was good enough to send me the instructions. Which BTW I better hang onto. :)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Excellent! Glad to see you got that photo thing figured out!

Nice switch!