Best lathe out there

[John K Jordan]

I have no interest in turning pens....at this point.
...perhaps even be able to try out the machines you guys have suggested.

Bill, where do you live? I suspect if there are turners in your area they would gladly invite you to their shops to try out their lathes. If you happen to be in East TN I'm almost always here and have the PM3520b and the Jet1642 set up all the time.

I rarely turn pens either. However, I have had several kids (10-18 years old) come to my shop to make pens for presents for family or teachers. The Pens for Troops is a worthwhile thing too. I also make many smaller things like boxes, tops, ornaments, and magic wands. It is so nice to have everything needed at hand to turn anything we decide to make.

I occasionally turn long things like tool handles for the farm so I personally like a lathe with a long bed (I can turn a 52" spindle on the PM). I occasionally do a large bowl or platter so the 20" swing is also nice and plenty big enough for me. Note that you do need extra working space around a lathe to turn big bowls gracefully so that might be a challenge for a small shop.

There are lathes that make big bowl turning easier. A used Stubby might work for you. Some people build their own: http://www.winburn.com/BowlLathe.asp

One some lathes you can turn outboard for a huge swing. The lathes like the Powermatic let you turn the headstock around or slide down to the end - the PM bed extension can be mounted low on the end of the lathe and includes a tool rest extension to provide a pretty big swing. (Allows turning a 38" diameter, theoretically!)

Besides the swing you need to manage the vibration from a heavy chunk of out-of-balance wood. The heavier lathes do help a lot but weight can often be added to lighter lathes to dampen the vibration. There are other ways too - a friend of mine has turned quite large bowls on a very old and relatively small Delta lathe. He turned outboard, built a free-standing tool rest, and used long pipe clamps to attach the lathe rigidly to his garage walls. Worked like a charm!

BTW, you can get a pretty heavy lathe into nearly any shop with enough people! I think the PM3520b is almost 700 lbs. However, it comes apart into six major pieces. When I got mine I had help loading it into a trailer but I unloaded, set it up, and moved it into place by myself. Carefully.

JKJ

[david privett]

look at the grizzly g0513anv at one time it was marked down with free shipping . It is a kinda bare bones larger saw with plenty of power

[Russell Neyman]

Good luck discerning an answer from the 199 different responses you get to your question.

[Bill Jobe]

Good luck discerning an answer from the 199 different responses you get to your question.

I'm please that so many turners have given their opinions.

[Gregory Cowart]

I had a Oneway 2436 and it is a fine machine. I bought it used and it was great. Fast forward to today. I purchased a Powermatic 4224b and thought I was getting a lesser machine. Not so. It is heavy. Real heavy. It has a vacuum chuck already built in. The lights that are attached are great. AND the ability to move the headstock down to the end of the bed makes turning a bowel easier than leaning way over. I am impressed with the Powermatic.

[Thomas Heck]

I just got a woodcraft flyer. The new Nova Galaxi is on sale for $1999. It's normally $2499.

[Jamie Straw]

I will definitely give that one a close look. If I can get a good solid machine with that much swing for under 2k, there's no reason to spend more. And I lack a bandsaw so the Grizzly would leave me plenty of $s to get a solid saw as well.

While I'm on the subject, what is a reasonably good band saw and at what price range considering the size bowls I want to turn?

Grizzly has a couple of really nice 17" bandsaws also (as long as you're at the showroom)

[William Bachtel]

How about trying to find a like new lathe, Powermatic 3520b, mine is 7 years old and not a oz of trouble.

[john taliaferro]

You could always build it the way you want ,that's what i did then didn't feel bad bout spending on tools . Mines a 1 1/2 8 cause that is what my southbend is and seams to be a standard large size . The second thing was to build a jib crane off the back .

[Bill Jobe]

The warranty period is longer for the Powermatic and Jet. They are both good lathes....I have turned on both numerous times. I owned the Grizzly G0698 18/47 and sold it to our club, it is still going strong, no issues for 7 years now. They upgraded that model with the G0733 18/47.

I have the Grizzly G0766 22/42 in my shop now, and have put it through its paces with some heavy use for nearly a year. Not a single mechanical issue with my unit, and it is a horse of a lathe. Grizzly did upgrade the banjo to a much larger and beefier unit, but all the 0766's come with that upgrade now. There have been a couple who had to replace the speed control pot, but Grizzly took care of that. Mine has never had a problem. Would I recommend the G0766? You better believe it! At $1575.00, there is not a better value for a large lathe out there.....then you have the cash to get accessories.

My G0766 performs superbly......power, features, size.....it has a lot going for it. My G0766 performs as well as any PM 3520b I have ever used.

Wow, 3hp. That's a lot of torque for $1,725.
Why don't manufacturers offer a jog or at least an rpm under 10 or so?
The G0766 does have ample swing and a bed length to cover taller vases.

[Roger Chandler]

Wow, 3hp. That's a lot of torque for $1,725.
Why don't manufacturers offer a jog or at least an rpm under 10 or so?
The G0766 does have ample swing and a bed length to cover taller vases.

Bill, the Powermatic and Jet lathes have the VFD programmed to cut out at 50 rpm, same with the Grizz 0766. The reason they do this for the most part, is that theoretically, if one runs at very slow rpm's for a while, motor overheating could be a problem. I personally have never had either of my Grizzly lathes overheat whatsoever, but I usually sand at about 120 rpm, and when I apply finish on the lathe, I am usually at about 80 rpm or sometimes 60 rpm.

I have turned on 9 different 3520b lathes and several Jet lathes........some of the multiple times, and honestly, my G0766 performs just as good as any of those ever did, and better than 4 of the 3520bs. One of those 3520b's had a serious thud when the speed dial was turned down, and the spindle comes to a stop; and one of those 3520b's was as smooth and quiet as any lathe I have ever used. It belongs to Dr. Joe Glick, a fellow club member. One of the clubs I belong to has a 3520b as its lathe for demonstrations.........that lathe has some issues, and it was purchased by the club new a few years ago, but it has a handwheel that comes off, and the quill lockdown screw has broken off, so the quill cannot be locked down without a wrench on the nut someone put on it , so one never knows.

[John K Jordan]

...One of the clubs I belong to has a 3520b as its lathe for demonstrations.........that lathe has some issues, and it was purchased by the club new a few years ago, but it has a handwheel that comes off, and the quill lockdown screw has broken off, so the quill cannot be locked down without a wrench on the nut someone put on it , so one never knows.

Is it possible that lathe has suffered some abuse?

When more than one person uses a thing no one is ever responsible for breaking something or fixing it. Tools in schools seem to get the worst abuse possible.

If a new quill lockdown is too expensive seems like someone could make a replacement easily enough from a bolt and a tack weld. I seldom use the lockdown on my lathes.

JKJ

[Roger Chandler]

Is it possible that lathe has suffered some abuse?

When more than one person uses a thing no one is ever responsible for breaking something or fixing it. Tools in schools seem to get the worst abuse possible.

If a new quill lockdown is too expensive seems like someone could make a replacement easily enough from a bolt and a tack weld. I seldom use the lockdown on my lathes.

JKJ

True John, sometimes abuse and or lack of proper maintenance is an issue. I have also read posts from turners who had to replace motors/vfd's on the 3520b's and Jets, but that is the exception, not the rule. Any make lathe with electronics can develop an issue, just like most Reeves drive units need periodic maintenance to keepthem going, and yet they still have failures from time to time. Sometimes it is user technique .....you know, the "hurc & jerk" or "slam & bam" heavy handed style of working that some use that dents, scratches and abuses the machine.

The last demo I did was on a fellow club members 3520b, and it really needed some cleaning, maintenace and some lubrication in the quill and other moving parts of the banjo assembly. I never let my machines get into that shape!

[Jim Sevey]

G0766- I agree. Plenty left for accessories...or a bandsaw. My G0766 has not disappointed me from spindles to bowls to pens. I've turned hundreds of pens. It's a kind of funny sight to see a tiny pen spinning on such a massive lathe but the precision and solid components allow for very close work. If money was of no consequence I would go with the Robust- not because I need it but because I want it. Robust is a work of art and American made. But for me- money is a serious consideration. Happy, happy, happy with my Griz.

[Justin Stephen]

I have been a happy Powermatic 3520B owner for several years now and, for many years, it was widely considered to be the "best buy" among large lathes. However, if I was buying today I would be looking very long and hard at the Laguna 1836. In fact, I have even considered (although not yet seriously) selling my 3520B for the Laguna, mostly because of the tailstock riser kit available for the Laguna but not for the 3520B (although the larger 4224 has one) as well as a few other, less critical design issues. I keep hoping that PM will release a tailstock riser (along with a longer extension to accommodate it) for the 3520B. I mostly turn large platters and segmented pieces to the extra beefiness of the 3520B over the Laguna doesn't weigh into it much (pun intended).