Dave Mount
03-22-2021, 11:19 AM
I have a PM3520B, and an unfortunate penchant for long handles on bowl gouges. When working the inside of bowls, I always move the tailstock all the way right to the pin, pull the quill back and remove the live center to clear working space.
I've been pondering adding either the swing away or a bed extension to help with this. I am pinched for space on the right side, so if I opted for the swing away, I'd have to reposition it largely from the front of the lathe, meaning that I'd be reaching over and down to grab it, rather than moving around the end of the lathe to reposition it. The swing away has a spring assist, but I'm not sure if the manual lift needed is significant. Adding 20" to the lathe bed is also a space issue, but I think I can squeeze it in. But then it's fixed in place, which is a little clunkier than something I could move out of the way when I want to use the space off the end of the lathe for other purposes.
Right now the retail cost difference is $270 (swing away) v $440 (extension); while nothing to sneeze at, this difference is not really a factor when I take the long view. The extension also offers the capability for turning off the end, but 16" is about the biggest thing I've ever turned, and we don't have much wood in this area that big even if I wanted to turn big, so that's not a real factor (not to mention I don't have the space to work off the end of the lathe to full advantage). The extension also gives more space between centers if I wanted it, but in the 10 years or so that I've had it, I've not once wanted to turn a spindle longer than the 35"-ish initial capacity. The purpose here is really just tailstock storage.
My gut is telling me that the extension is a better idea, because I can just slide the tailstock out there and leave it, then slide it back in. It really doesn't require any more motion than I do now, aside from pushing it a little farther along the ways (I'm assuming the extension can be aligned well enough that the seam is a non-issue). No fussing with knobs or leaning over to pull the swing away back. But I've only seen the swing away in video/pictures, never touched one with my hands, and am not likely to in the near term.
One thing I'm concerned about is whether the bed extension sold for the 3520C still fits a B. The swing away explicitly says it fits earlier models, the bed extension lit does not say that.
So, looking for thoughts on the choice, advantages/disadvantages I haven't thought of. I'm also curious about how much clear space off the end of the lathe the swing away needs to pass through its arc (meaning how far out the longest projection of the tailstock is as it goes from the upper to lower position). I haven't been able to find that spec.
Thanks for any thoughts or experiences.
Dave
I've been pondering adding either the swing away or a bed extension to help with this. I am pinched for space on the right side, so if I opted for the swing away, I'd have to reposition it largely from the front of the lathe, meaning that I'd be reaching over and down to grab it, rather than moving around the end of the lathe to reposition it. The swing away has a spring assist, but I'm not sure if the manual lift needed is significant. Adding 20" to the lathe bed is also a space issue, but I think I can squeeze it in. But then it's fixed in place, which is a little clunkier than something I could move out of the way when I want to use the space off the end of the lathe for other purposes.
Right now the retail cost difference is $270 (swing away) v $440 (extension); while nothing to sneeze at, this difference is not really a factor when I take the long view. The extension also offers the capability for turning off the end, but 16" is about the biggest thing I've ever turned, and we don't have much wood in this area that big even if I wanted to turn big, so that's not a real factor (not to mention I don't have the space to work off the end of the lathe to full advantage). The extension also gives more space between centers if I wanted it, but in the 10 years or so that I've had it, I've not once wanted to turn a spindle longer than the 35"-ish initial capacity. The purpose here is really just tailstock storage.
My gut is telling me that the extension is a better idea, because I can just slide the tailstock out there and leave it, then slide it back in. It really doesn't require any more motion than I do now, aside from pushing it a little farther along the ways (I'm assuming the extension can be aligned well enough that the seam is a non-issue). No fussing with knobs or leaning over to pull the swing away back. But I've only seen the swing away in video/pictures, never touched one with my hands, and am not likely to in the near term.
One thing I'm concerned about is whether the bed extension sold for the 3520C still fits a B. The swing away explicitly says it fits earlier models, the bed extension lit does not say that.
So, looking for thoughts on the choice, advantages/disadvantages I haven't thought of. I'm also curious about how much clear space off the end of the lathe the swing away needs to pass through its arc (meaning how far out the longest projection of the tailstock is as it goes from the upper to lower position). I haven't been able to find that spec.
Thanks for any thoughts or experiences.
Dave