Jet 1642 vs Powerrmatic 3520

[Daniel Heine]

Hello,

I am thinking of a new lathe. I'm quite sure the Jet 1642 will handle everything I plan to throw at it from a size perspective. Why would I want to spend an extra $1,000.00 to buy a Powermatic instead?

I'm looking for your opinion on this issue, and the reasoning behind your opinion, so I can make the right purchasing decision.

Thanks,
Daniel Heine

[Kevin McPeek]

Well I think you are comparing a Camaro and a Ferrari there. The 1642 is a great machine, don't get me wrong. It's got great bang for the buck, but the 3520 is in another class.
If budget allows get the PM, if you don't you'll kick yourself the first time you are limited by capacity or power.
That said, I have a DVR which I am very happy with and I rarely turn where I am limited by capacity, but it has happened and yeah I'd like a bigger lathe but I am content for now. If the prices were the same as now, I would have bought the PM.

[Brodie Brickey]

I have the PM 3520A and am very happy with it. On rare occasions I do run into size constraints with wood collected from the dump. In those cases, I trim it down a little more, before putting it on the lathe.

If you plan on turning large bowls or platters, the extra clearance of a PM will give you the ability to work with larger pieces. If you buy the Jet locally, by the time you pay taxes, you're looking at only a couple hundred less than the PM.

I think the PM is a very sturdy lathe, the newer B model is even better designed, there are a number of tips, tricks and mods (http://mustardmonster.googlepages.com/) that can be done to the PM to make it even better and they've been posted. The PM is built more sturdily as well.

The spindle thread on both is the same, so if you were using a smaller lathe before, chances are you'll have to change chuck inserts & face plates.

Hypothetical Time:
Let's say you wanted to turn a large platter, 15" in diameter. You could turn that on either lathe. If you wanted to turn the platter with off-center details, you might be able to turn it with the Jet, but the PM would give you less difficulty with clearances. I think the PM bearings are bigger. The lathe is heavier, and would withstand the out of balance aspects of the off center turning better.

[Robert McGowen]

You really should pose your questions as:

How many people have a 1642 but wish they had gotten a 3520b?
How many people have a 3520b but wish they had gotten a 1642?

Bet I could guess the answer. :)

[Tom Keen]

I bought a 1642 six months ago and am very happy with it. Ive pushed it really hard and the only time I wished for more power has been coring bowls with the Kelton system. Other than that no issues. Today I loaded on a 40 pound chunch of osage orange and turned a 14.5 inch bowl. The lathe had plenty of power.

If money is not an object get the powermatic. It has a very neat outboard turning set up for the really big stuff. And get the larger motor. I paid $1400 for the Jet; it was on sale. The savings outweighed the need for more power and turning capacity.

I plan on upgrading again in a year or so. The next leap out further in to the darkness will be something larger than the 3520. The big Oneway with 3hp or the big Powermatic, which for some reason is rarely commented on. It seems like a really good alternative to the larger Oneways, robust etc etc.

Best,
Tom

[Dennis Peacock]

I simply got tired of buying, using, selling, and upgrading....

So I bought the 3520A and have never looked back. :D

[Philip Duffy]

You have asked a question that needs no answer; PM is King! Philip

[John Shuk]

I'm on the other side of this. Kind of. I think the 1642 is a very solid machine without alot of limitations. It isn't really all that different from the PM. It is just a bit smaller. Kind of like Ford F150 vs F350. Most likely you will never tax it to the point that you will regret buying it. That $1k could buy alot of nice accesories.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Daniel - I had to make the same decision a year ago. I got the 2 hp Jet in Nov 06 and have been very happy with it! Money was an issue with me but not the only concern. At the time I didn't see the need for a 20" swing but could have used the extra swing a few times since. I didn't see the need for the extra 300 pounds of iron in the 3520B and I didn't want to be fighting with a super heavy tailstock. I did get the 2 hp motor so power wouldn't be an issue no matter what I turned and I ended up making a ballast box that has 7 bags of concrete in it to help when turning those out-of-round pieces!

I am still very pleased with the performance of my Jet and plan on using it until I wear it out but if I had to make the same decision knowing what I know now I would get the Powermatic 3520B - and just deal with the tailstock!!

Best of luck to you in making your decision! Reality is you would be happy with either lathe - they are both great! Looking forward to seeing photos of whatever lathe you get!

[Rich Souchek]

Daniel,
Was asking myself the same question a year or so ago. It was going to be my third lathe, having outgrown 2 older Deltat 12" lathes, the last one variable speed with 1.5 hp on it.
My wife listened a bit while I swayed around, then told me to stop it and to buy just one more lathe, get whatever it was that I wanted, and no more trading or selling/buying lathes. I threatened her with the $5000 Oneway that I learned turning on, but it didn't phase her.
After reflecting, figure the PM3520B would probably be the one lathe that would be trouble free, a joy to use, and big and solid enough that I could not be too limited by it.
Found a good price on it, and it arrived Dec. 21, 2006. I am still absolutely happy with it. It does seem silly to turn pens on it, but it handles pens really good. Have mounted a 130 lb. 26" dia. bowl blank on it too, but need help to align the threads on the faceplate with the headstock and then someone to turn the headstock tightening the faceplate. The PM lathe handeled that piece pretty much like a 12" bowl.
I didn't though. The rim speed on big blanks is amazing, and the shear mass of the blank intimidated me. Was afraid of screwing something up and eating a tool and the blank. But it worked out good.
Coring is still a problem for me, but the problem is Oneways coring system, not the lathe.
Yes, I love my 3520B.
Yes, I would have been happy with the 16" jet, but also would have been looking to replace it with an upgrade sometime soon afterwards.
How about you?
Rich s.

[William Bachtel]

You really should pose your questions as:

How many people have a 1642 but wish they had gotten a 3520b?
How many people have a 3520b but wish they had gotten a 1642?

Bet I could guess the answer. :)



Robert you hit the nail on the head. I have a 3520 and I have never looked back. I have a friend who had the l642 and he sold it, and brought a 3520. This is a no brainer if you can afford it,and love to turn.

[Wayne Bitting]

I have the same thing to figure out: MayoLite or Mustard... I keep telling myself that the MayoLite will be enough to carry me though for years to come, but I know in the back of my mind Mustard would be the way to go, of crouse then the bank account chimes in and tells me that MayoLite is the way to go. I've got until Thanksgiving to figure out this battle, either way I go it'll be better then what I've got now (ShopSmith an a mini).

[Pat Doble]

Wayne, I'm in the same boat you are - except I probably won't be buying until next summer/fall. The sensible(cheap) side of me says the 1642 will do 95% of anything I'll ever end up doing, but the turner side (which just seems to keep spending money on this 'hobby') really wants the Mustard.
All I know is that I have alot of blanks sitting around that don't fit on my Rikon. :)

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi,

I started off with a Vega in SC and a cast iron Delta in VA. Now I have a powermatic 3520B in SC and a DVR XP in VA. I don't doubt that the Oneway and Robust are even better and badder. For that matter, the VB looks awsome, but I'm delighted with the powermatic. For the money, I can't imagine a better lathe. Here in Columbia, the overwhelming number of turning club members have them, and I have yet to hear one complaint (Oh a visiting demonstrator didn't like the banjo).
Good luck, Hilel.

[Dean Thomas]

I've turned on both and have neither. I like the Jet alot. I like the PM a whole lot more. And I can only presume that you are indeed talking about the 1642 EVS version, yes? That would be closer to apples to apples comparison.

Someone was using cars to compare. I'd use more of a Chevy to a Cadillac comparison, personally. Heavier, better equipped for the stuff that heavier machines are prone to do. It does not vibrate except on the wildest of imbalances.

I'd like to offer an addition to the little poll that someone suggested. I'd add a question about anyone purchase the 1642 and not immediately find a project that was larger in diameter than the 1642 was comfortable handling? Few people ever buy "just enough" lathe. Most find that they wish they'd bought bigger. Is that worth an extra thousand? Only you can say. If you're going to be satisfied with 16" over the bed for the long term and not whine, go for it. It's a dandy lathe. Add a couple of sandbags and you're at about the same stability that the PM comes with, without the sand. I can buy a LOT of sand for $1000, but the quality difference really is pretty dramatic, IMHO.

Find a club or an owner that has both and ask for some time turning on them. The PM just doesn't move. I feel like I can budge the Jet with my own body weight. I have not been able to budge the PM. Again, is that significant to YOU??

[Daniel Heine]

Thank you for all of your kind advice. Pretty much what I expected to hear, so looks like mustard may be in my future.

Thank You All,
Dan Heine

[bob Goldson]

I've been following this debate from the beginning - interesting stuff.
I aspire to owning a Jet 1642 - it would do everything I would need.
Just out of interest you may find prices over here interesting. The best price I have found for a Jet 1642 1.5hp model is £1299.00. That equates to $2645 - I haven't tried to price a Powermatic 3520, I think I'd need a second mortgage for one.

Bob

[Robert Reihsen]

I've been wrestling with the exact same decision for the last week. I can get a real good price on each model, but the Jet seems like all I'll ever need, so I've been leaning toward the 1642. However, judging from the postings to Daniel's query, think I'll go with the PM. Thanks all!

[Matt Hutchinson]

I have to be honest. I never really owned a "beginner's" lathe, and I am glad. If you already know you love turning, enough to even consider a Jet 1642, then you know that you really want the best you can get (meaning better than Jet). My first lathe, the one I use now, is 10 feet long, and believe me, I was nervous as heck when I first bought it. I was so afraid it would not be worth the financial strain. But time and again those fears were put to rest. I found that even at that size, I continually wanted to push it's swing and HP capacity. If I had gotten even a model with 16" of swing, I realized that I would have been disappointed. That being said, I did get a great deal on my machine. Less then what a new PM costs. This leads me to another point.

Seriously consider looking into used lathes. There are many many awesome machines out there from the hay day of big iron. Even though some models are a little archaic in some aspects, I have found that most are more affordable then new lathes, can handle bigger out of balance pieces, and can be upgraded for a reasonable cost. For instance, I will be adding a Oneway banjo/toolrest to my lathe from the 1880s. Even with this upgrade it is still costing me less than a new PM.

However, I do understand the convenience of modern engineering, and not having to fiddle with upgrades and such.

Well, that's what I think. The bigger the better. If you haven't considered buying used, at least take a good look. Right now I know of many deals on great machines made by companies like Oliver. Otherwise, buy new with confidence, and buy the PM. Good luck!

Hutch

[Ray Lanham]

I purchased my 3520B three months ago and the fun hasn't stopped! I, too, considered the 1642 but bit the bullet and went for the big dog. I've built a tool holder/ballast box for between the legs, a home grown remote magnetic switch and a swing-away fixture for that heavy tail stock. Now I guess I ought to start turning something ;-) The file sizes for the three projects I mentioned are too large to upload them here. Email me for your own copy or visit http://docs.google.com/View?docID=d4b7vjd_1hb4nbm&revision=_latest for the files.