New Toy in the Shop

[johnny means]

So, my employer just picked up this little thing. I haven't turned in a few years, but I'm real excited thinking about some after hours projects.

[JohnC Lucas]

Well that little thing is about 700 lbs of beauty and you will enjoy turning on it.

[John K Jordan]

Excellent! A chuck and a few tools and you're set. Maybe he'll get tired of the space it takes up and send it to your house.

JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

Looks good but I would loose the casters. My 3520B needs all the solid stance it can get even with extra weight and the bed extension mounted. Great machine. Enjoy.

[johnny means]

Yeah, we already discussed the caster issue. I suggested some Zambus or maybe a mobile base.

[John K Jordan]

Yeah, we already discussed the caster issue. I suggested some Zambus or maybe a mobile base.

One factor rarely discussed in the opening salvo - what is the expected use of the lathe? That could save a bit of typing. I have a PM3520b and a few other lathes and don't have them on casters. However, for what I mostly use the lathes (usually smaller things from dry wood like lidded boxes, small bowls and platters, ornaments, vases, lots of spindles) I suspect casters would be fine. The 3520b, like yours, is a massively heavy lathe which can ameliorate nearly any imbalance with a speed change.

I rarely turn large bowls from big honkin' chunks of unbalanced green wood (not enough challenge for me and harder to give away). If I did did turn things that made the lathe hop around the shop I'd probably bolt it to the floor or something. A friend turns such bowls outboard on an ancient light-weight Delta lathe and he secures his lathe to the building wall with long pipe clamps.

Another issue with casters is they add height to the lathe, sometimes too much. However, tall people have posted asking for good ways to raise a lathe.

If the lathe is used mostly for moderately sized things AND the height is ok AND the mobility is important, heavy duty casters may work fine. If needed, a mobile solution would be great. I was at the Greensboro NC club recently and they used a shop-fabricated method to crank casters down to barely lift it off the floor and then up to let the lathe sit firmly on the floor. Someone handy with tools could easily devise one like it. (Maybe they have pictures on their web site) Our Knoxville club uses a couple of cheap furniture dollies - slide the headstock and tailstock to one end, lift the "light" end and slide the dolly under, then repeat with the other end. Works very well and costs almost nothing, but does take two people. John Lucas built a jack-and-caster system for his 3520 - I'm sure he'd gladly tell about it.

JKJ

[Robert Hayward]

Buy, or if you are good with metal working make one of these for a fraction of the retail price.
https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/110/4697/Lift-Lock-and-Roll-Lathe-Mobility-System