Cast Iron Vs.Steel Lathe Bed

[carl mesaros]

I was looking at both the Versions of the Harvey T60 lathes sold by Grizzly and Laguna.....the G0800 and the Laguna Revo 24/36 respectively. I notice one of the main differences is the cast iron bed on the Grizzly G0800 and the steel bed ways on the Laguna Revo 24/36. I have watched three videos on the two lathes, and both seem to have their proponents.

Some say cast iron dampens vibrations better than steel, and proponents of the steel ways speak of how smooth and rigid the steel ways are, and never mention any issues related to vibration dampening. I do like the ergonomics on the Laguna and the extra set of controls at the tailstock.

I am intriqued, and actually have been considering a new lathe . I was thinking along the lines of a Robust AB or Oneway 2436, but these two Harvey T60 clones have grabbed my attention as well, and seem to be well spoken of.

I had a thought..... After looking at features of what I have been calling “premium lathes,” it seems each design has merits, and there doesn’t seem to be that one model that has every possible desired feature, and perhaps the newer top of the line lathes coming out of China might just be the best all around because of the solid features and the price factor of being about 1/3rd the price of a fully tricked out North American made machine. Warranty certainly is better with Robust and Oneway, but it seems the quality is there in these Harvey Industries T60 clones.......the same company that makes the Powermatic brand.

I would like to hear comments on the steel bed vs. heavy cast iron, and any other line of thinking you may have on my comments above. Am I missing something, or am I on to something here? Oh by the way, I am hoping to have a 3 lathe shop, so plan at this point to keep my G0766, which I am pleased with, and my Delta midi.

Roger as you may remember I have the old version Laguna 2436 lathe(GO-800) and have praised it's functionality. I have zero complaints or issues in the 2/12 years I have turned on it. Love the weight, power, stance, etc. That being said I could never compare it to a Robust or especially a Oneway. Those lathes are like comparing a Ford to high end BMW.
I was close to ordering a Oneway 2436 until I saw the Laguna at Woodwerks in Columbus, Ohio. Hard to pay over double for basically the same specifications. Although that Oneway is so beautiful to look at!

[Olaf Vogel]

Roger,

IMO there's a lot of misinformation around this (and a few other issues on the web).
Traditional lathes, especially metal lathes are cast. They are heavy as hell and hence dampen well.

I have a 1920(ish) Tool Room lathe, that weights around 3000 lbs. Sure, great damping. But for metal lathes, we're talking about damping very small vibrations since they are working for tight tolerances.

My wood lathe has a steel bed. Very difference construction, very different characteristics. Damping sucks, but after adding 1000 lbs of concrete, its really good.
I've used a large Oneway, which is all steel and damping is excellent. Its also very well designed.

Overall, i doubt it makes a difference between the too, assuming both are well designed/built.

Also, IMO, the stainless ways are not an issue. My steel bed see only soaking wet wood.
Wax the bed occasionally and there's no rust.

[Reed Gray]

The only real differences I could notice between my 3520A and my AB were that they made different noises. Vibration issues seem to be more related to mass, sliding headstock vs fixed headstock, lathe frame and base, and how far from the headstock things are mounted. This last one seems to be a theory that only I am advancing. The farther away from the headstock a piece is mounted, no matter how beefy of a cone you have to support it is, the more vibration you will encounter. Basic lever issue. There has been a big increase in lathe models that try to get things farther off the headstock tower so you have easier access to the base of a bowl. Not an issue for me as I don't twice turn my bowls.

robo hippy

[Bill Dufour]

If these have hollow weldements they can be filled with lead shot, steel shot, or sand/gravel. loose metal shot will absorb vibration better then concrete because it is more dense and internal friction soaks up energy.
Bill D

[Reed Gray]

I will admit to thinking about filling the tube on my Robust lathes. The extra weight would help, and a loose filler would be good for adding more mass, which I am not sure if I need or not. I had also thought about using some of that insulation type spray foam for sound dampening, but that would not be easy to remove if you had to...

robo hippy

[Ralph Lindberg]

I will admit to thinking about filling the tube on my Robust lathes. The extra weight would help, and a loose filler would be good for adding more mass, which I am not sure if I need or not. I had also thought about using some of that insulation type spray foam for sound dampening, but that would not be easy to remove if you had to...

robo hippy

Reed, Aetone dissolve's most spray foams.

[Richard Casey]

The steel bed ways are extruded steel tubes formed in a rectangular cross section. The cast bed ways are poured into a mold, then machined down. I am not sure on the cast alloy compounds, but if they contain steel components then they might be just as strong, perhaps?

Roger, I think it comes down to companies working out how to get a bigger market share by reducing costs. It is very labour intensive doing sand castings and then machining and finishing them. When I bought my cast iron Laguna 24/36 it was on display beside a Powermatic. Identical sized bed ways, except for the finish as the PM is ground all over and the Laguna is a lot rougher. Laguna was $4,200, PM was $12,000 which reflects the extra manhours and various extras.
I was at a shop today picking up some laser cut gussets and I ran a scenario by the guy to cut the components for a bed way. He used to machine cast pump bodies and there were high failure rates with the casting process. He said he could draw it up in CAD and get his CNC laser to cut an awful lot out in an 8 hr day then jig weld them so there is minimal machining. Imagine getting that done in China and that is why they are going to welded steel beds.
Rgds,
Richard.