General Gloat

[Pete Jordan]

Hey,

After a three hour trip to Woodcraft after work, I finally have the General Maxi, a Talon and a collet chuck set. The lathe runs very smooth and the head and tailstock line up perfectly. Since it was a two beer setup, I will wait till tomorrow to make some curlies. I have taken photos with my shower curtain setup after a Dave W consult.

Thanks for lookin

[Corey Hallagan]

Pete, congrats. I think if this one holds up has the Jet beat. If and when I upgrade from my PSI, this will be high on my list. Keep us posted on how you like it! What collet chuck did you get?

Corey

[Jim Becker]

That looks like a very nicely built machine, Pete! 'Looking forward to a "full review" once you have some chips flying!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hey Pete, congrats on the General. Let us know how she works when you put it thru the paces.

[Mark Pruitt]

Way to go Pete! This one will give you a Maxi-mum amount of turning pleasure I'm sure. Get that thing dirty!:D

[Andy Hoyt]

Hey! That's a stout looking bugger. I like it.

[Travis Stinson]

That's a good looking lathe! Be sure to give us a full report. Congrats Pete.:D

[Jeff Myers]

Nice looking lathe Pete,,,Can't wait to here your review on it.

[Tom Sherman]

Awsome gloat Pete, looks like a set up that will produce many hours of warm fuzzy's(not on the wood though).:D

[Bob Noles]

Pete,

Great pictures and the machine looks like the new contender for the #1 slot of the mini/midi/maxi market.

I am anxious to see your thoughts on the performance and quality of the machine, but I also want to read more about the shower curtain. Both look interesting for sure. :D

After the Maxi has been on the market long enough to prove itself, I am sure to be adding it to my shop. I realy liked the demo model I was exposed to at Redmond/Rockler a few weeks ago.

[Mike Jory]

Hi Pete;
I'm liking your shower curtain setup. I also use clear shower curtains. When the lathe is idle:o , during the week, or when I'm at work, I roll up the two curtains on the pipe. I discovered one thing, it gets a little warmer in between the curtains.

I admire your setup. I notice your lathe is on carpet, I could not get away with having the lathe inside the house:D
Mike

[Keith Burns]

Pete, very nice "CLEAN" set up. Like the shower curtain as well.:) :)

[Chris Chavis]

After a three hour trip to Woodcraft after work, I finally have the General Maxi, a Talon and a collet chuck set. The lathe runs very smooth and the head and tailstock line up perfectly.


Nice looking lathe there. Whats the on the floor behind it in the first picture? Looks like a UPS so you can keep turning when the power goes out :P

That's a good idea with the shower curtain, I think I'll see if I can re-arrange some and get something along those lines going for me.

[Pete Jordan]

Pete,

Great pictures and the machine looks like the new contender for the #1 slot of the mini/midi/maxi market.

I am anxious to see your thoughts on the performance and quality of the machine, but I also want to read more about the shower curtain. Both look interesting for sure. :D

After the Maxi has been on the market long enough to prove itself, I am sure to be adding it to my shop. I realy liked the demo model I was exposed to at Redmond/Rockler a few weeks ago.

The machine works like a champ! It is very smooth and quiet. Belt change takes less than a minute.
I am very impressed so far and look forward to many years of pleasure.
To show you what a nitwit I am, I had my neighbor help me lift it on to the stand since it is quite heavy. After he left, I noticed the controls were on the back so I lifted it by myself and turned it around on the stand. I then realized that I forgot about the rotating headstock so I got to move it back again! The stand needs weight and to be bolted to something. If I put something heavy on it I will be chasing it like a spinnin plate.:eek:

My shower curtain setup in just ppvc pipe hooked up to a heavy board on a shelf rack. I joined 2 ten foot pieces and cut them to size and hung a wire in the middle for support but it is not connected to the walls.

If anyone is interested in the manual for the Maxi, just email me and I will send it to you. The file is 4.4 megs

I have a question. I need dust collection for this lathe for sanding. Should I use a dust collection system like the 1hp Delta or just use a shop vac. It will be going though the wall behind the lathe.

Thanx!

[Gary DeWitt]

Depends on how much noise you want to endure, if the shop vac is in the same room with you. It will work fine for the dust.
I have the 16" general, recently purchased, and I really like it too, but you're right, needs a lot of weight. I built a plywood box between the legs, and put a piece of ply in the bottom of both legs. Filled the legs about half full of dry sand, and 200 lbs of bagged sand in the box, for a total of 350 lbs. Helps a lot with out of balance wood.
Seems to me someone should come up with a dynamic balancer for these things, a hollow ring with a heavy liquid inside would do the trick.
Nice curtain setup. I think it would help if you had a box fan directly overhead blowing down to cool you off a bit, but not when you're sanding!