Powermatic 3520B - How Much To Budget For Accessories?

[Jeff Wright]

I am considering buying a 3520B before the end of the month to beat the price increase. I am looking for some guidance in how much to budget for accessories for such a lathe. I have no cutting tools suitable for lathe work, nor do I yet have a bench grinder (My preference is for the Delta Industrial 8-inch slow speed version and upgrade its wheels to a couple Norton 3Xs). I will need things like Wolverine sharpening tools and any chucks and mounting plates commonly used for turning. I do have a set of Norton water stones and diamond cutters, but don't suppose they have any use in sharpening turning tools. The rest of my shop is well equipped with heavy machines including a MM20 bandsaw and European combo.

What's your best guess as to how much a guy will spend in accessories? Should I get a second mortgage? :D

[Thomas Canfield]

Jeff,

There is no limit. Best bet is to hook up with some local turners and discuss the options to get started with quality tools to be added to in the future. You should plan on at least $500 worth of accessories as a start and keep adding. It is not hard to see several thousand worth of chucks, lathe tools including bowl gouges, scrapers, skews, parting tools, spindle gouges, sanding accessories, finishes, waxes, polishing wheels, lamps, vacuum chuck, face plates, boring tools, etc added in short order. The slowspeed Woodcraft grinder with the white wheels is a good grinder. Some of the locals find that the wheels alone are almost worth the price of the grinder, and the Wolverine sharpening system is a good investment. It is a vortex, but enjoyable. Did I forget to mention the chainsaw.....

[Scott Hubl]

Hi Jeff,
If you PM me I will give you my Phone # and we can talk, it saves alot of typing with 2 fingers.

[Reed Gray]

I figure one rule of thumb is you will spend as much as you did on your lathe. I am now at triple that, at least, and still getting more things. This will change a bit when the Robust gets here, but I will probably catch up again. It depends on what you are turning. Chainsaw, chuck (or 2 or 3), gouges for bowls and spindles, scrapers, skews, hollowform tools, parting tools, sander and various abrasives (both sheet and disc), dust collector and hood, finishes, scoop shovel, hand truck, compas, center finder, just for a start....
robo hippy

[Hilel Salomon]

Second mortgage??? Heck, sell your house and move into the shop! You will love your PM lathe. The rest of the stuff depends on what you will turn and how pricey you want to go. I'm easily at 3 to 4 times the cost of the PM, but seriously considering declaring the items as medicine on my tax return.
Luck, Hilel

[Ralph Lindberg]

I figure one rule of thumb is you will spend as much as you did on your lathe. I am now at triple that, at least, and still getting more things. This will change a bit when the Robust gets here, but I will probably catch up again. ....
robo hippy

I agree with Robo, I'm at ~2X now, but you can start for less (it just keeps building)

[Tony Wheeler]

take a picture of the money in your wallet cause its the last time you will see it the vortex sucks it out as fast as you can print it

[JerHall]

Opinionated list. Of course good alternatives exist, but these will work well for you for around $500 and could well last you a long time (but won't!)

Penn State HSS Tool Set at $85 a true bargain: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lxwm1007.html
1/2 bowl gouge
3/8 spindle gouge
1/8 Parting Tool
1" Skew
1" Roughing Gouge
You can upgrade and diversify later, but these will always be useful tools.

Grizzly Chuck 4 Jaw Chuck $99 with 1-1/4 insert!:
http://grizzly.com/products/4-Jaw-Chuck-1-1-2-X-8-TPI/H7820
This is a copy of the respected Vicmarc 100 and is compatible with Vicmarc jaw sets. I have heard that it takes the Nova jaws also, but can't confirm this.

Woodcraft 8" Slow Speed Grinder $95: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=4605
Two very decent Al Oxide wheels included. Later you can upgrade it with the Oneway balancing system and Norton 3X wheels. But this grinder may well last you for your turning career.

Wolverine Jigs: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=1998&cs=4605&pcs=fam
Grinding Jig: $80
Fingernail Jig: $48

Diamond "T" Wheel Dressor $15: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=223&mode=details#tabs

Norton 3x Sandpaper:
80g
100g
150g
220g
320g
400g
You can try it in onesies and twosies or buy it in 20 sheet sheathes $66 total and you might as well at:
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11761
Later you can look into various powered sanding disk systems. I make my own with a $25 Harbor Freight angle grinder and 3M Roloc discs with foam and hook and loop fastening and a glue gun. See Darrell Feltmate's great tutorial on making these:
http://aroundthewoods.com/sanding.shtml

Many essential no-cost tool ideas and projects at Darrell's site:
http://aroundthewoods.com/contents.html

Other future items:
1/2" MT2 Drawbar Chuck
Different size tool rests
Chain saw (Electric is nice in the shop)
Band saw
Hollowing tools

Don't think you can go wrong on these. Has worked well for me. My $00.02 No charge.

[Jeff Wright]

Jerry, this is a wealth of info . . . worth far more than 00.02 for sure! Thanks to you and the others responding with suggestions. It's this kind of info and shared experience that inspires me to contribute even more $ to SMC.

[Steven Wilson]

Jeff, Figure on $1K to start and maybe another $1K when you figure out where you're going turning wise. Grinder, decent wheels, and the Wolverine system (truing tool too), a reasonable selection of turning tools from Crown, Sorby or similar, a Oneway chuck and a jaw set or two, plus some miscelaneous items will consume most of that $1K. From there you can look at hollowing tools, coring bars, etc, and some usefull stuff for finishing (Beall buffing system is great).

[Doug Thompson]

You don't even want to know... over a year you'll spend the same amount as the lathe but then it settles down a bit.

[Bill Bolen]

Don't care how much the lathe costs, you will end up spending more on all the goodies avaliable than you spent on your spinny thing!!!..Bill..

[Frank Kobilsek]

Jeff,

I started with a Jet mini on Thanksgiving Friday of 2003. The accountant wanted me to start doing my taxes 'correctly' and asked for a list of tools and machines to depreciate.

Tools and machines (not even a complete list, I stopped when my patience for the inventory task ran out) came to almost $8,000. This included the mini, a 1642, small table saw, cheap band saw, bench top, sander and small drill press. Mostly tools, chucks/jaws etc.

Material (only purchased material) a few bowl and plate blanks but mostly pen kits, stopper parts and thier blanks and a small collection of exotics came to $3000.

I am fortunate to have a supportive spouse and low enough family expenses that I can spend fairly freely on my hobby. Sales of turning brings in a few thousand the last couple years but as you can see I spend that too.

So now that example is created: If a new turner wanted to set up his shop quickly and not be lusting for a new tool every time he saw a idea he wanted to try. He needs a budget of about $10,000 and the advice of a good freind with lots of turning experience that can keep him from wasting about $2,000 of the budget on things he should not have bought.

If I scared you I did not mean too - its worth every penny and more in the mental health account.

Frank

[Ron Ainge]

Jeff

I bought my first lathe at auction about 5 years ago and have not stopped spending money for tools and accessories yet. I like you are planning on buying the 3520b in the next couple of weeks, so as you can see the vortex is never ending. I think that I now have well over 10 grand spent on an auction item that cost me $100. I have loved every minute I spend on any lathe.

[Chris Haas]

i've always heard the lathe is the cheap part

[Don Eddard]

How much money for accessories?

All of it, in my experience. ;)

You've gotten good advice so far. You're going to love the 3520, too.

[Jeff Wright]

I'm beginning to get the idea that getting a lathe is a lot like buying a boat (been there; done that). The actual purchase of the boat is only the beginning.