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View Full Version : Robust Lathe Handwheel.....


Wally Dickerman
08-16-2015, 4:45 PM
A friend got an AB Robust lathe recently. Yesterday I made some comparisons between his Robust and my Oneway. Both are top quality and service is good. My one real complaint with the Robust was the lack of a large handwheel. My Oneway provides a hub to turn your own wood handwheel. Mine is about 9 inches and I would be somewhat lost without it.

Question....Do any of you Robust owners feel the need for a better (IMO) handwheel and if so, what if anything have you done about it?
Alan Trout
08-16-2015, 7:34 PM
Wally,

No not really the early models had a significantly larger wheel. I have a large hand wheel on a couple of my lathes and when I got the Robust at first I thought I would not like it. After a while it seems to worked just fine. I love my American Beauty.

Alan
Reed Gray
08-16-2015, 7:40 PM
Wally, with lathes that have a sliding headstock, the larger hand wheels are impossible because of the placement of the motor, and you want it small enough so that if you grab it and it twists your fingers a bit, they don't get pinched in between the motor and the wheel. With electronic breaking on the 3 phase motors, you don't need it to slow things down. I never even considered having a larger wheel on it, but then I have had 99% of my turning experience on a 3520A and my Beauty. If I have to spin some thing by hand, I am turning it by using the bowl or the chuck.

robo hippy
Jeffrey J Smith
08-16-2015, 10:08 PM
having come from several years turning on a Jet 1642 with a handwheel that is so small it must have been just an afterthought, the handwheel on my Robust AB seems just about right and is as comfortable to use as the lathe is.
Bob Bergstrom
08-16-2015, 11:09 PM
I've had the AB since May and haven't had a need for a bigger one. Moved up from 3520. I also use the chuck or bowl to rotate the spindle. Really like the locking head stock at 90 degree intervals.
Steve Schlumpf
08-17-2015, 8:38 AM
Wally, I've never had a lathe with a large handwheel (so maybe it is having never used one, I don't know what I am missing) but I have not felt the need for a different handwheel. Like Reed, I just turn the chuck or whatever is locked in the chuck if I need to rotate the work.