reason to buy an expensive lathe - or not

[Frank Fusco]

A friend and member of my woodturning club called me yesterday. He is moving and gave me a real fine truck load of wood he didn't want to move. Gloat. :D Looking at his tiny shed shop, I felt pretty good about my facilities which I think are small. He specializes in segmented bowls and has demoed at the club. He turns out some really beautiful work. His lathe? Same model as mine, the Grizzly G1067Z, about $400.00 worth. During our conversation he said he was going to buy a Oneway after moving. When I asked him why he said, "I can't take my money with me". Oh, well, can't argue that logic. His Griz does everything he asks of it but still wants fancy. :confused:

[tod evans]

frank, talk to your friend a month after he`s been using the north american lathe and ask his opinion. if you get the chance go visit and try it yourself. i think you`ll find that your griz is worth 400 bucks and your friends lathe is worth what he paid for it.....02 tod

[edit] thanks for the education chris

[Ed Lang]

I have a Sears tube bed lathe and am happy with it. I then got a Jet Mini lathe and am happy with it and like it better than the Sears. I now have a Oneway 2436 and am very happy with it. The Oneway is heavy, and everything on it moves with such ease. The running is so quite and smooth you would never know it was running unless you looked at it. That is even with a 48" blank on it! Yes, 4 foot blank. I have turned pens on it but like the Jet mini for that.

As in anything, the more quality that goes into it, the better it will perform. With quality, comes cost. The point where the cost becomes a problem, the owner will need to find the balance between cost and performance.

I know a guy who has a big chunk of cement with two bock bearings on top with a shaft. Plywood pulleys and a old motor and a system of belts. No tail stock. He only does faceplate turnings. He has a stick that he has cut to the right length for a tool rest when going deep inside of a hollow form. Low cost and all home built. This guy turns beautiful items and makes a living with them. How long will I have to turn and sell my bowls before I pay for the Oneway 2436? A lot longer than he will have to sell to pay for the bits he put together to make his setup. He likes his, I like mine.

You need what you want and can afford.

Good luck, don't let others spend YOUR money for you.

Ed

[Glenn Clabo]

Tools are like anything else...YOU get what YOU decide to pay for it. I stress YOU because it's always an individual decision. They are like cars...yes any car will get you from point A to point B...but (fill in the blank) is what some people choose for reasons such as what what they want in comfort...safety...style. I've seen a Grizzly in action and used others of that price range...and ever after only one chance to be near a Oneway I can tell you...the ease of use...smoothness...power...will make the price difference a distant thought. Besides...buying stuff because "I" want to...or can... is why many of us work our tails off in the first place.

[Greg Savage]

Comparing a Grizzly lathe to a Oneway is like comparing your Grandaddy's .410 Stevens to a Beretta Competition 12GA.......It is really an apples to oranges comparison.

[John Miliunas]

Frank, while I agree that the Oneway is a better and more versatile unit, you're really the only one who can justify the merits of either. I spent a couple years using the Yorkcraft equivalent of your Grizzly and it worked quite well for me. (Still have it!) However, as my interests grew more to turning bowls and my back aches got worse, I found that something more ergonomically suited to me would do a better job. In my case, I found a used Vega 2400 bowl lathe. Now, I can stand looking straight into the bowl and have much less strain on my back. The fact that the lathe is also 500lbs. of mass and has a 24" bowl capacity, also helps. :) Works for me but, may not be the same situation for all turners. That said, it's a totally different class of lathe from my Yorkie. In the end, your personal preference(s), use, need and afford-ability should dictate if you keep the Grizz or move on to something bigger/better/more expensive. :) Just my $00.02. :) :cool:

[Jim Becker]

It's a personal decision, but I will unequivocally say that you can immediately feel the difference between a high-end lathe and others in power, smoothness, ease of adjustment, lack of vibration, etc. The best thing I can recommend is that you try and get some turning time on a PM3520, a OneWay of any size, a Stubby, a Poolewood, etc. Then decide for yourself if you think that you'd enjoy turning more with that kind of investment committment. You may very well decide you're happy with what you have and that's just fine.

I started on an HFT 34706. Six months later I bought a OneWay 1018...a wonderful machine, but ultimately too small. In the mean time, I discovered Stubby and 11 months after buying the One Way, I sold it for a very high percentage of it's original cost and bought a Stubby 750...my "last" lathe. (Although I may buy a mini for the kids and as a second machine to do spindle work longer than 30" with a bed extension on occasion)

[Frank Fusco]

Good responses. Thanks. In defense of my $400.00 Griz: I can run the heastock down near the end and face turn without bendy, twisty body contortions: my lathe runs smooth and quietly (until the Reeves drive belt is almost ready to break, about once every two years) and does so without vibration (I have weighted with sandbags). Granted, my swing limit, over bed, is 14". Granted, I have never used the high priced variety. I have never driven a Rolls-Royce and am happy with my Dodge truck. Maybe there is joy in using a Stubby or Oneway or similar. But, with the work my friend has been doing, I doubt it can be improved upon by his spending 10X more on a lathe than he currently has invested in the Griz.
Agreed, budget is a factor. If it weren't for Grizzly, it is unlikely I would have a woodworking shop at all.

[Jim King]

It doesn´t cost much to build one out of scrap iron and a used motor. When you live just past the end of the world this is the way . Our tools are home made also and have the same elegant cast to them but they work just fine.

[Jim Becker]

That's certainly not going to walk away by itself, Jim!!!

[Barbara Gill]

There is nothing fancy about a Oneway. It is quality that you pay for. I am not sure where the 10K figure comes from. My Oneway 1640 certainly did not cost that!

[Frank Fusco]

There is nothing fancy about a Oneway. It is quality that you pay for. I am not sure where the 10K figure comes from. My Oneway 1640 certainly did not cost that!

Just checked Woodcraft prices. First one to pop up over $5500.00. Make that 13X the money.

[Ed Lang]

The tools do not make the end product any better.

The craftsman holding the tools is what makes the product better.

My Oneway 2436 with all the options Oneway offers on it was less than the 10K. But is was not after I added in all the goodies I got at the same time. One big box of stuff to put together and a day of fun.

I would not worry about your Grizzly lathe. It seems you like it and it is a good machine. It spins wood. That is what it should do. Make sure you have tools you like and a way to sharpen them before you buy a more expensive lathe. You will use the tools and sharpening system with all lathes.

Look at how many of us take wood from the dump or fire wood piles and turn it into so much wonderful stuff..... It is not the wood or tools, it is the skill of the turner.

That is why my turnings don't look as wonderful as any number of others here on SMC. They have in in their eye and hands. I have it somewhere too I just have not been able to find it! One day you just watch me.

[Corey Hallagan]

Frank I have a little red PSI midi lathe. I do not have room for a much larger lathe, but if I ever did have room, a Grizzly would be welcome in my shop. Well.. so would a PM, a General a oneway........ but I couldn't ever justify that kind of cost.

Corey

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Good responses. Thanks. In defense of my $400.00 Griz:...............

Frank, no need to defend your lathe!!

Cheers!

[Tom Sherman]

I agree Stu we all make do just some of us make do with a little more than others. Its all good the main thing is to enjoy it while we're doing it.

[Frank Fusco]

The tools do not make the end product any better.

The craftsman holding the tools is what makes the product better.

My Oneway 2436 with all the options Oneway offers on it was less than the 10K. But is was not after I added in all the goodies I got at the same time. One big box of stuff to put together and a day of fun.

I would not worry about your Grizzly lathe. It seems you like it and it is a good machine. It spins wood. That is what it should do. Make sure you have tools you like and a way to sharpen them before you buy a more expensive lathe. You will use the tools and sharpening system with all lathes.

Look at how many of us take wood from the dump or fire wood piles and turn it into so much wonderful stuff..... It is not the wood or tools, it is the skill of the turner.

That is why my turnings don't look as wonderful as any number of others here on SMC. They have in in their eye and hands. I have it somewhere too I just have not been able to find it! One day you just watch me.

Thanks Ed and Stu and others. That is my point also. My friend does some outstanding work and I'm fairly sure we will not see an improvement because of his high-dollar lathe. He may be smiling a lot more but his work speaks for his talent not the machine. Someone mentioned they turned a 48" hunk o' something. Not only would I not have access to a hunk that size, I would never have access to a suitable piece of turning wood that size. I'm still looking forward to the day when I can turn a 14" bowl. The challenge will be for me to do it, the machine is capable.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Frank, your $400 Grizzly does what you want and need it to, just like my $99 Wilton does what I want and need it to. Given, I enjoy ogling over the high- to ultra-high-end range lathes (got to do that at the Symposium), however I know I have no need or reason to justify them.

I don't make my living from woodturning. For me, my lathe is a fun toy, and I like to keep it that way. If my fun little toy happens to make me an extra buck or so on the side, then that's great. Otherwise, I won't worry about it. I'll spend the money on bigger, badder, and better when it turns out that I actually need it to progress into the things I want to do.

My next step up in lathe will, most likely, be a Grizzly or Harbor Freight---unless I win the Powerball.

[Chris Barton]

A friend and member of my woodturning club called me yesterday. He is moving and gave me a real fine truck load of wood he didn't want to move. Gloat. :D Looking at his tiny shed shop, I felt pretty good about my facilities which I think are small. He specializes in segmented bowls and has demoed at the club. He turns out some really beautiful work. His lathe? Same model as mine, the Grizzly G1067Z, about $400.00 worth. During our conversation he said he was going to buy a Oneway after moving. When I asked him why he said, "I can't take my money with me". Oh, well, can't argue that logic. His Griz does everything he asks of it but still wants fancy. :confused:

Hi Frank,

After reading the various responses I would have to say that I agree with most of them. However, your original question suggests that you have a question of doubt in your head about the comparison. First, the Oneway is Canadian made, not American, as suggested in an earlier post. Second, I went through a similar process when I moved up to my PM3520a. It was very hard for me to believe that the PM could be 10X better than my Ridgid tube bed lathe. However, after having the experience of turning on several high-end lathes, I came to realize that in general, they were indeed worth the extra cash.

Here's why:

more power
better engineering
much more precise
much heavier (think of paying by the pound, if so then my PM actually cost less than my Ridgid)
completely silent, no noise
better swing capabilities, etc...

Additionally, something you will never hear the owner of a Stubby, Oneway, PM3520b, Vicmark, Poolewood, VB, Silverdrive... say is, "boy I wish I was still turning on my old beginners lathe..." and there is a reason for that. Everybody tends to be prejudiced to their own lathe and defend it. But once they have tried the others that tends to melt away. Think of what your friend said. He is right, you can't take the money with you. And, I personally believe I am worthy of the investment. Sometimes it is good to spoil yourself for a change.

[Mike Ramsey]

This old horse has been beaten to death then resurrected and beaten
some more!!

[Bill White]

It ain't the arrow. Its the indian.

[sascha gast]

This old horse has been beaten to death then resurrected and beaten
some more!!

so has this quote:D

I am on my 3rd and last lathe now and I didn't "need " it, but after a Jet Mini and a DVR, my Stubby 1000 is the best machine in my shop and I enjoy turning on it so much. every time I turn it on and it won't budge i realize how well money was spent.
And now, that I had it for 13 months, it's almost paid for itself. Just a few more bowls to sell and I am even.

[Dick Strauss]

Frank,
I ended up with a new Delta 1440 lathe (46-715). It looked like it was built pretty well and fit my needs. I was able to find it for about $400 on sale (after a $50 rebate). It is not the best lathe going but it was the best lathe that fit my budget and needs.

I have turned on a PM 3520A many times. Let me say that it is in a completely different league than my Delta. The PM is like a Corvette and my Delta is like a Chevy Cobalt. Both can be fun to drive but it may take a little longer to get there in the Cobalt.

Sasha,
It's nice to see you posting again. I really enjoyed seeing your gallery. Who supplies your Aussie woods? If you reply, please send it via PM.

[sascha gast]

here you go, he is a nice uy and has great wood.

http://www.leetreewoodworks.com/Burls_and_Wood.htm

I've been around, just not as much. Been turning and spent a lot of time outdoors with my photography. it's almosst too nice to be in the shop.
I have 5 NIP bowls soaking right now, they got at least another 2 weeks left before they are done, I'll post pics then

sascha

[Frank Fusco]

I give up. Having just swum in from across the border, I don't speak Acronymesee very well yet. :rolleyes: What is a PM lathe? I tried a Google search and came up with a homemade Popular Mechanics metal lathe and Pro Mash beer. Don't think either is what y'all are talking about.

[tod evans]

I give up. Having just swum in from across the border, I don't speak Acronymesee very well yet. :rolleyes: What is a PM lathe? I tried a Google search and came up with a homemade Popular Mechanics metal lathe and Pro Mash beer. Don't think either is what y'all are talking about.

PM= powermatic

[Mike Vickery]

Frank,
I suggest you hold off on stateing that anyone that buys an expensive lathe is wasting their money for no reason until you spend some time on one of these lathes. As an old newspaper man you should know to get both sides of the story before you present it. When your friend gets his new lathe I would suggest you see if he will let you log 30 hours or so on it and then form an opinion.

[Scott Donley]

I give up. Having just swum in from across the border= the Grizz. To take a nice boat with built in bar = PM, they both get ya here it's just a matter of how you want to make the trip :D