Is anyone using a VB36 lathe?

[Bill Wyko]

I was doing some research on lathes that have enormous swings and came across the VB36. You could turn a giant redwood tree on this thing. Someday I'd like to turn a vessel 3 ft in diameter and I think this is the lathe for the job. I was curious if anyone had one along with an opinion of it.

[Jude Kingery]

Hello Bill,
Yes, we have the VB36. Have had a little bench lathe that belonged to my Dad, and really started turning again maybe 6-7 years ago. Thought long and hard (lots of research) and then decided to buy the VB36, couple face plates and an Axeminster chuck. I keep both lathes (the little one still and then the VB) very busy and very much enjoy EVERYTHING about the VB36. It's an incredible machine. We recently bought the short tailstock to it and have yet to mount and line that up. I used it for oh 4-5 years now with no tail stock at all (I do mostly bowls, platters) and it's just a wonder to turn on. My husband, just the other night, mounted a huge half Black Cherry trunk for me on it and that'll be the biggest thing I've tried yet (maybe I don't know 20" in diameter and a good 15" in depth or so. If I can tell you anything else, feel free to ask. We don't have any regrets about buying it, that's for sure and yep, I think you could turn a hot tub on it if you wanted, ha! If you had a free standing tool rest (which we do not - our max is about 32" in diameter with the current tail stock). Best wishes! Jude

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Bill, I believe I heard that Malcolm has one. I looked seriously at them before the Robust and decided against it for a couple of reasons one being the currency exchange rate. It is a great machine and very impressive. I can't say as much for those who I contacted who are there to help sell it.:confused: Their inactions alone made me question the service aspect of things. I have British blood so it should have been a slam dunk. Instead the more attractive aspects of the Robust arrested me.:)

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks to both of you. I ultimately want to be able to go to about 36 inches in diameter. This won't be any time soon but it will happen eventually. (I think I have high speed steel running in my veins now) I've seen where segmented pieces this size go for a considerable price. Plus you get the bonus of the challenge of building it.:D Service is very important and swing is necessity. Now I'm torn. I will say that I'm in love with the American Beauty but the VS36 has the swing I'm looking for. I don't think reliability would be an issue for either but accessibility to upgrades also comes into play. (I'm all about upgrades:rolleyes: ) I guess it's good I have some time to decide. Do they make an American Beauty with a 36" swing? If so, I'd like to get some info on that too.

[Jude Kingery]

Hey Bill, more than welcome. That's too bad Christopher had a bad experience; I dealt with Craft Supplies and they were great. Then there's this other guy who deals in parts where we ordered the tail stock, he's been very responsive as well. Oh I meant to say with the tail stock and tool rest, the swing'll be about 32". If you take the tool rest off (and no tail stock), then you can do up to 72" in diameter, with a free-standing tool rest. There's another guy who has one, Weyman, up in Amarillo. If you'd like yet another opinion, he likes his and does big stuff on it. Best to you on your decision and I'm certainly not trying to persuade you either way, long as you get what you like and are happy, that's the important thing! Jude

[Bill Wyko]

In this case, as much as I like the American Beauty, size is going to probably be the deciding factor. I don't think quality is an issue for either. Now if I could sell some of my work To pay for it :D

[Steven Wilson]

Bill, the large outboard turning attachment for the Oneway 2436 will allow you to turn up to 48" diameter bowls or platters and 40" turning over the big banjo. You can also get a tailstock riserblock to that you can use your tailstock when turning large bowls (highly recommended for the initial turning stages).

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Bill, it's true, I turn on a VB36; I've had it for about three years. Service has been very good. I broke a start switch and it was overnighted to me; I only lost one day. It's a great machine, but it's not the answer to all turning challenges. I have the long tailstock, but there are times when I wish it were longer. To turn more than about 25" diameter requires taking the tailstock off the main body, which is sort of a hassle. For that reason, most of my more recent work max's at 24". It's a very solid and incredibly quiet machine.

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks again. This is something I'm going to start saving for now so possibly in a year I can make this investment. Just curious Malcolm, what speed do you turn a vessel that's 24" in diameter, if you don't mind my asking? The one I've been working on is now at 13.5" in diameter and up to 20 inches tall right now. My lathes slowest speed is 400 RPMs but I wish I could slow it down to about 300 or even slower.
Malcolm, do you have any training or events in AZ coming up? I'd like to get some better understanding on some of you methods. Thanks.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Bill, the VB does not have a digital readout. In general, I turn almost everything on the middle belt position, which probably ranges from about 400 to 2400 rpm's. Again, in general, I usually turn at the highest speed with which I feel comfortable - if it's rotating smoothly then I don't feel the need to slow it down. The comfortable speed of a 24” diameter piece would also depend upon height. A 24”platter could certainly be turned at a much higher speed compared to a tall vessel without tailstock support. On the slow belt position, it’ll go down to nothing; on the high belt position, I think it goes up to about 3400.

The closest and soonest teaching event to you will be Anderson Ranch in Colorado. This will be a five day class in late June, '08, focusing on more advance techniques, along with some discussion beyond just "how to", such as "Why?"

[Jeff Bower]

Bill not sure this has been posted before...My dad sent it to me last night. Big bowl indeed!!!!!:eek:

http://www.proserpinewoodturners.com/The_Big_Bowl.html

[John Shuk]

I used one last night. A frien who host nearly weekly gatherings at his house has one. It is a very powerful machine that is nice to work on since you can stand right in front of the piece you are turning. It is very smooth. I don't find moving the tool rest very easy to do. There is nothing at all that isn't stout about this machine. The price tag is waaay up there though.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Bill not sure this has been posted before...My dad sent it to me last night. Big bowl indeed!!!!!:eek:

http://www.proserpinewoodturners.com/The_Big_Bowl.html

Jeff, why stop at 7 foot? Here's one that's about 14'.

[Jeff Bower]

Malcom, where/when and by who was that done? That is amazing!!:eek: :eek:

[Skip Spaulding]

Bill, A guy I know that turns for " Charles Shackleton Furniture" loads on half a tree , maple or cherry and turns a finished bowl. They go $150.00-$600.00. That lathe doesn,t vibrate a bit. Must weigh 1/2 ton +. Probably not for the basement workshop!

[Bill Wyko]

Jeff, why stop at 7 foot? Here's one that's about 14'.
Ok, I'm convinced. It's time to start saving for the VB36. That 's got to be the biggest turning ever. What a monster. Is it segmented or was that a 1000 year old tree?

[Andy Hoyt]

I thought I'd seen that 14' bowl before. And I know the guy who spun it (http://www.mainewoodturners.org/html/jeff_raymond.html). :D

[Jimmy Newman]

I saw that 14' bowl on TV a while back - they attached it to the rear hub of a big farm tractor to spin it :). As I recall it was segmented out of hundreds of pieces and was done for a world record.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

I thought I'd seen that 14' bowl before. And I know the guy who spun it (http://www.mainewoodturners.org/html/jeff_raymond.html). :D

Andy, I think Mr. Raymond is pulling our leg. The pictured bowl (as I recall) was glued up from cedar planks (segmented) and it was turned somewhere in Europe to publicize the opening of a woodworking business. Sorry, but I can’t remember more. I’ve had the photo for a few years.

[Andy Hoyt]

Well ..... yaa, Malcolm .... but that was the point.

[Dick Strauss]

Turned in Austria out of several thousand pcs of spruce IIRC....

[Ian Welford]

VB36 is a wonderful lathe. Turns like a dream and has incredible accuracy. I've met the designer Nigel Vasey ( now deceased) and Roger Buse who comissioned the first one ( hence VB). It's a heavy beast and runs quite hot as the bearings are oil fiilm ( same as on Rolls Royce olympus jet engines). It takes some believeing that that ammount of cast iron headstock can get hot but it does!

Only niggle with it is the removing the bed to trun larger stuff but it will sope with virtually anything you can throw at it.

Watched Mike Mahoney try to stall it with a Mcnaughton centre saver a few years back as he cored out 4 bowls from burr. It didn't stall come what may and was really quiet.

Had my workshop floor reinforced so I can get one in the future!

Cheers and happy turning.

Ian

[Wilbur Pan]

All other things being equal, why would you want oil film bearings if they really run that hot as opposed to other bearings that would run cooler?

[John Shuk]

I can attest to the fact that they run hot. I wasn't sure if that was normal or not.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

All other things being equal, why would you want oil film bearings if they really run that hot as opposed to other bearings that would run cooler?

Wilbur, to quote the VB website:

"Ball or roller bearings have theoretical point or line contact with their tracks and the actual contact area is therefore very small. Especially when subjected to high loads at low speeds (typical operating conditions for woodturning lathes), the boundary film provided by the lubricant breaks down. The load then forces metal-to-metal contact within the assembly. The damage is cumulative and limits the life expectancy of any rolling element bearing. (Also, the necessary working clearance in all such assemblies allows the rolling elements to generate noise, which worsens as the bearing ages.)
P recision plain bearings by contrast "float" the shaft in a thin film of lubricant and, because the curvature of the adjacent surfaces is practically identical, are capable of carrying hugely increased loads without ever allowing contact between the shaft and the supporting faces of the bearings. In fact, the special lubricant used for the VB bearings provides a boundary film resistance that will withstand load pressures at the interface in excess of 200,000 pounds per square inch. The VB's main bearing alone has an internal surface area of more than 20 square inches so could probably withstand the force of a small nuclear event! The necessary working clearance between the shaft and the supporting bearings is completely taken up by the lubricant film so that the shaft has no detectable play. "

In addition to being so beefy, one of the reasons that I purchased a VB is they are so quiet; much more so than any other machine that I've used.

[David Woodruff]

I was doing some research on lathes that have enormous swings and came across the VB36. You could turn a giant redwood tree on this thing. Someday I'd like to turn a vessel 3 ft in diameter and I think this is the lathe for the job. I was curious if anyone had one along with an opinion of it.

I have had a VB for 10+ years. In a word it is awesone, The smoothest, quietest, most rigid lathe I have ever turned with. For pure bowl, platter, vase, hollow forms nothing can touch it. Do not purchase the tail stock as this severely compromises accessibility to the work piece. My opinion. Very powerful with the 3hp motor. My other lathe is a Oneway 2436 and the two make a formidable wood turning pair. I could go on but I would probably bore everyone except me. With the Oneway or VB you can believe the write ups by the companies.............David Woodruff

[Steve Kubien]

Ummm, I may be missing something here but with the American Beauty you could move the headstock to the end of the ways and turn off the end. As Bill Grumbine explained it to me, you could turn down to the floor so your only limitation would be how high you jack up the lathe.

[Allen Neighbors]

I turned about 2 minutes on one in 2006, in Georgia. I was duly impressed!! Giant machine, and I think it is the very top of the whole line of lathes available today.
There are only two reasons I don't have one right now: Wooden floor in my shop, and the original price. I'm satisfied with my Oneway 1640, but I believe the VB's the very best of the best. JMO... JMO. :)

[Dave Ogren]

Bill,

I also have a VB-36. I have had mine for about 15 months, the only other wood lathe that I have turned on was a Oneway 2436 for a short time. I am quite partisan to the VB. I don't have the tailstock assembly so I am limited somewhat. You can turn up to 36" dia. without the outboard tool rest, that is why it is called a "36". You will never regret getting a VB.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting,

Dave

[Karl Card]

the bigger the lathe, the bigger the bowl, the bigger the disaster when that dude comes loose...lol

id still have to try it though.

[Chris Haas]

concerning bowl lathes, you dont want that to be the only lathe in your shop. i used to have a vega 2600 bowl lathe, now i know you shouldnt even mention that lathe in the same sentence as the vb36, but i got rid of it not because it was a bad lathe, it was just way toooooo limited for me. I got it because i thought i really only turned bowls, but you dont realize how many times you use the tailstock over 20 inches away, and just how rarely you turn anything over 18 inches in dia.

for the money, i would go about 20 different ways than to just have a bowl lathe.

my 2 cents. not worth anything to most.