Oneway 1640 or Robust Sweet 16

[Jim Barkelew]

I have a Sweet 16 and love it. I chose it over the other options because it was less massive. I have it bolted to the concrete slab so the weight isn't a concern. I have worked with large precision CNC machines that were welded steel construction. Cast iron doesn't automatically mean a good machine.

Jim

[Mark Woodmark]

I have a Sweet 16 and love it. I chose it over the other options because it was less massive. I have it bolted to the concrete slab so the weight isn't a concern. I have worked with large precision CNC machines that were welded steel construction. Cast iron doesn't automatically mean a good machine.

Jim

I too have experience with large CNC machines. Most had a large table and a gantry.

Your comment about mass answers some questions I had. Such as the lathes weight, the removable bed section as oppose to just a bigger swing and longer banjo or turning outboard. It must have been an engineering challenge to create a removable bed section without adding mass or compromising the integrity of the lathe. In six years of turning I have never wished I could slide the headstock, I just don't get that. Each to his own.

When I was thinking about weight, I was not only thinking about vibration. In my mind bolting the lathe to the floor would help eliminate vibration, but if its going to vibrate, it would just do it in place then. I just wondered what was value engineered or just mechanical engineered to achieve less mass. What was made thinner, smaller, or made from an alternate material to keep the mass down or make the machine cheaper to produce. Part of the love people have with the older machines appears to be their mass of being overbuilt. Some were built to last forever. Not saying this is the case with the Robust. It was obviously thought about a lot before it was put on paper and its owners love it. That says a lot about the lathe

[Timothy Thorpe Allen]

Mark, I don't think there is any "value engineering" in the Sweet 16 (and that is reflected in both the price and the warranty). As far as the weight comparison between it and the Oneway 1640, the Oneway is quite a bit longer than the S16 -- without hanging the gap bed off the end, the S16 standard bed version is rated at only 24" between centers, vs. 40" for the Oneway -- and that could account for a significant portion of the weight difference.

When Jim says he chose the Sweet 16 because it is "less massive," I suspect what he might really have meant is that it is more compact in size -- the overall "footprint" of this lathe is generally smaller than that of competing lathes (that have similar capabilities). Certainly, my S16 takes up no more room (maybe a bit less) in my shop than my old "midi" lathe (Delta 46-700, 12x36).

As far as cast iron vs. welded steel, both the Robust and the Oneway lathes are the latter (at least as far as their bedway structures go).

Certainly, the Robust lathes are expensive; and the Oneway lathes are very highly regarded as well (and not exactly inexpensive, either). I don't think you can go wrong either way.

[Jim Becker]

Mark, a solid machine that's been leveled and shimmed to insure the centers are, um...centered...(cast iron CAN bend...)....vibration shouldn't be a factor at all. If one tends to turn big, heavy, out-of-balance at first or asymmetrical things, bolting to the floor is a good idea, too. These things combined with mass can make turning a real pleasure.

[Mark Woodmark]

Mark, I don't think there is any "value engineering" in the Sweet 16 (and that is reflected in both the price and the warranty). As far as the weight comparison between it and the Oneway 1640, the Oneway is quite a bit longer than the S16 -- without hanging the gap bed off the end, the S16 standard bed version is rated at only 24" between centers, vs. 40" for the Oneway -- and that could account for a significant portion of the weight difference.

When Jim says he chose the Sweet 16 because it is "less massive," I suspect what he might really have meant is that it is more compact in size -- the overall "footprint" of this lathe is generally smaller than that of competing lathes (that have similar capabilities). Certainly, my S16 takes up no more room (maybe a bit less) in my shop than my old "midi" lathe (Delta 46-700, 12x36).

As far as cast iron vs. welded steel, both the Robust and the Oneway lathes are the latter (at least as far as their bedway structures go).

Certainly, the Robust lathes are expensive; and the Oneway lathes are very highly regarded as well (and not exactly inexpensive, either). I don't think you can go wrong either way.

The Robust Sweet 16 with long bed is 57-1/2 × 28 or 67.7 x 28 if you include the motor. It weighs 480 pounds.
The Oneway 1640 is 60 x 31-1/4 and weighs 700 pounds.
38 between centers on the Robust
40 between centers on the Oneway
The seven year warranty looks really good. It appears to be a bumper to bumper warranty. You just cant drive it to the dealer for repairs. Repairs may have to be approved by a service tech coming to your place and then you are responsible for shipping it in to have the repairs done. The big difference from other tools is you dont have to pay for the repairs. Then again at over $1600.00 more than the Oneway I assume part of that is for the warranty.
I understand what was meant by the mass comment. It makes sense to me. Once you realize what Robust was intending to create with this lathe it all makes sense.
Sorry, I didnt mean to imply the Robust was value engineered. It obviously was not. Just making an observation about things in general.

[Jim Barkelew]

I too have experience with large CNC machines. Most had a large table and a gantry.

Your comment about mass answers some questions I had. Such as the lathes weight, the removable bed section as oppose to just a bigger swing and longer banjo or turning outboard. It must have been an engineering challenge to create a removable bed section without adding mass or compromising the integrity of the lathe. In six years of turning I have never wished I could slide the headstock, I just don't get that. Each to his own.

When I was thinking about weight, I was not only thinking about vibration. In my mind bolting the lathe to the floor would help eliminate vibration, but if its going to vibrate, it would just do it in place then. I just wondered what was value engineered or just mechanical engineered to achieve less mass. What was made thinner, smaller, or made from an alternate material to keep the mass down or make the machine cheaper to produce. Part of the love people have with the older machines appears to be their mass of being overbuilt. Some were built to last forever. Not saying this is the case with the Robust. It was obviously thought about a lot before it was put on paper and its owners love it. That says a lot about the lathe

Cincinnati 3 spindle 5 axis gantries, 90 ft beds. Also custom designed 7 axis precision drilling machines. Great fun programming those beasts but making sawdust is as much fun.

I have spent many hours on a friend's yellow Powermatic and it just feels "heavy" to me. Not a criticism, but I was thinking of how my engine hoist would be able to get it out of my pickup and how to move it around. Also, I picked up my S16 at SWAT and Brent helped load it into my truck. Pretty good customer service.

Jim

[Ron Diamond]

I own an American Beauty and have turned on a Robust 16. It is a great lathe, and when you take out the bed section has a huge capacity for when you want to use it. I cannot compare to the Oneway but the Robust is great

[Jason Edwards]

The Robust Sweet 16 with long bed is 57-1/2 × 28 or 67.7 x 28 if you include the motor. It weighs 480 pounds.
The Oneway 1640 is 60 x 31-1/4 and weighs 700 pounds.
38 between centers on the Robust
40 between centers on the Oneway
The seven year warranty looks really good. It appears to be a bumper to bumper warranty. You just cant drive it to the dealer for repairs. Repairs may have to be approved by a service tech coming to your place and then you are responsible for shipping it in to have the repairs done. The big difference from other tools is you dont have to pay for the repairs. Then again at over $1600.00 more than the Oneway I assume part of that is for the warranty.
I understand what was meant by the mass comment. It makes sense to me. Once you realize what Robust was intending to create with this lathe it all makes sense.
Sorry, I didnt mean to imply the Robust was value engineered. It obviously was not. Just making an observation about things in general.

I'm pretty sure that Oneway weights are shipping weights, which include the crate. Robust weights are actual machine weights. I do own a Sweet 16 standard bed and have to admit I love it. The shipping weight was 650 lbs. if I recall correctly. It just went out of warranty after seven years. To one of the original poster's earlier questions, one nice thing about the Robust Sweet 16 is the ability to turn up to 32" and provide tailstock and live center support. To get something similar on the Oneway 1640, you need to add the outboard bed extension, bigger banjo and tailstock riser. That gets you up to 24" and increases the cost around $900. Both are good lathes, but not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

[Jim Becker]

I just Googled the Sweet 16 just to be sure what the configuration is....the principle is similar to my Stubby 750 with the difference of a removable bed section vs a moveable bed. The end result is turning much bigger than one would normally be able to do on a "sixteen inch" lathe. What I like about this is the compactness. But the Vicmark also has nice compactness for folks who primarily turn bowels, platters and vessels.

[Mark Woodmark]

Well, because I am fickle, I am now thinking about either a Robust AB or a Oneway 2436. When you upgrade to stainless steel ways on the Oneway, its price will probably be higher than the Robust. I haven't done any twice turning of green wood and at this time dont plan to. Do I really need the SS ways? I also wonder if the SS ways are less or more wear resistant than the steel.

[Jim Becker]

I personally see no reason for using SS ways unless someone is using a lot of wet material that seems to react with the cast iron. Cleaning and drying it off after use pretty much can deal with the moisture, IMHO. Sounds like "big iron" may be in your immediate future, Mark.

[Mark Woodmark]

I personally see no reason for using SS ways unless someone is using a lot of wet material that seems to react with the cast iron. Cleaning and drying it off after use pretty much can deal with the moisture, IMHO. Sounds like "big iron" may be in your immediate future, Mark.

Well I am now leaning towards the Oneway 2436, but I may forget about the SS ways. That is an $820.00 option. Also I would have to have a M33 x 3.5 spindle. They wont make one with a 1-1/4 x 8 spindle. On another note, I have been looking for a Vicmarc VM120 direct thread chuck with no luck in either M33 x 3.5 or 1-1/4 x 8

[Prashun Patel]

I turn a decent amount of green wood. Ss ways are definitely a nice to have because it will keep them looking pristine. But they are not necessary. Eventually even non ss will develop a patina that will prevent rust in a normal shop. This is contingent upon your shop location.

I would think twice about the metric spindle . A lot of accessories here are available in the imperial. Not a deal breaker but I suspect itd be a nuisance.

I imagine whichever you get, you will believe you made the right choice and you will likely be 100pct happy. The only reason either of these machines would be a regret is if you don’t use them that much to justify the expense. I have used neither, but have read a million reviews of each and have yet to read a negative one for either.

[Mark Woodmark]

I turn a decent amount of green wood. Ss ways are definitely a nice to have because it will keep them looking pristine. But they are not necessary. Eventually even non ss will develop a patina that will prevent rust in a normal shop. This is contingent upon your shop location.

I would think twice about the metric spindle . A lot of accessories here are available in the imperial. Not a deal breaker but I suspect itd be a nuisance.

I imagine whichever you get, you will believe you made the right choice and you will likely be 100pct happy. The only reason either of these machines would be a regret is if you don’t use them that much to justify the expense. I have used neither, but have read a million reviews of each and have yet to read a negative one for either.

I hate to think the deal breaker is a metric spindle. After talking to Oneway, they wont budge on the spindle due to safety concerns

[Timothy Thorpe Allen]

I think there are plenty of decent chucks and faceplates available for the 33mm spindle thread, Beall supplies a spindle tap in that size as well for making your own accessories, and then you can always get a 33mm to 1-1/4x8 or 1x8 spindle adapter if necessary. What throws me is the #3 MT in the tailstock quill - whatever possessed them to do that???? ;-)