another lathe choice thread

[isaac green]

Hi folks,

I've been turning for a little less than a year now on an old Delta/Rockwell 46-???. 11" throw, belt changes for speeds, banjo stickiness... it's time for a new lathe.

After reading every post everywhere, watching countless videos, and saving a bit of cash, i've come to a crossroads.

I would like a full size lathe that has basically all the trimmings. 18"+ throw, full bed, variable speed, (fancy stuff).

The choice seems to be between Jet 1840 EVS and the PM 3520c. Shout out to the Oliver 18" modern lathe, if anyone has experience with this it might make it back into contention, but for now i don't have enough info.

Laguna seems pretty but the warranty (2v5) can't compete with the Jet or PM.

I have full set of tools, grinder, etc. already. Just need a larger lathe to tackle these growing pains.

Any opinions, insights, horror stories, or anything else would be extremely helpful right now. I've turned on older PM lathes and really like them. I tried my friends Harbor frieght special and was horrified (id stick with my delta if that was the choice). Never tried a jet, or modern PM.

help please!

isaac

[Dave Mount]

I have a PM 3520B and have no complaints except for the slow travel on the tailstock, and they've apparently addressed that in the 3520c. I've not used a Jet 1840 but I don't think it's really in the same grouping as the PM3520. Not saying it's a bad choice, just that I don't think that's apples/apples -- but neither are the prices, so it's not like that necessarily points one way or another.

I have not used a Harvey lathe, but I've looked at their bigger offering on their website. It has an impressive list of features for the price tag. If I were shopping right now I'd be trying to find out more about it to decide if it should be in the running.

And of course Grizzly has offerings in your size range; those machines have big fans and big detractors, not sure how to do that math. Sometimes I think there's a Sawstop-type reflex reaction induced in some by Grizzly products -- by that I mean that there are strong negative opinions supported by logic that doesn't always make complete sense to me. There have been lots of Grizzly lathe threads you can search and read, and reach your own conclusions.

I will say finally that lathes are a little like cars -- there are all kinds of makers and price points and features, but it isn't like everyone buys the same one. All models have people that own and like them. Maybe there's some confirmation bias in there, but I think it also speaks to the issue that different people focus on different features and have different senses of "value". There is nothing like actually turning on a lathe to help you understand what appeals to you.

Best,

Dave

[tom lucas]

If you settled between these two, having ruled out Grizzly, Laguna, Record, Nova, Harvey, et. al., then it comes down to is the PM worth ~ $1500 more? What are you getting for that $$$? It is nearly 200 lbs heavier and can turn a little bigger diameter. I think either will work just fine.

However, there are better values out there in the other brands, like the Harvey T60S and the Grizzly G0766.

[Alex Zeller]

Tools are an emotional purchase. I use to give the wife cr^p about buying shoes but I get it. When picking a tool you shouldn't really want a different tool and feel like you've settled for less. Granted money also is added into the mix or we would all have an American Beauty next to a Oneway in the shop. Have you thought about used? About the only full size lathes I see used on Craig's list that I would like to own on a regular basis is the PM3520 and PM4224. If you can afford the Powermatic ask yourself this "would you feel like you settled" if you bought the Jet?

I have a G0766 and it's been great for me. I have multiple brands including a lesser quality Grizzly mortiser so I don't think I'm a fan of any one brand. But I got my Grizzly lathe just before the tariffs kicked in. It's now almost $1000 more so I probably would look around to see what else I could get in that price range.

[Richard Coers]

If you settled between these two, having ruled out Grizzly, Laguna, Record, Nova, Harvey, et. al., then it comes down to is the PM worth ~ $1500 more? What are you getting for that $$$? It is nearly 200 lbs heavier and can turn a little bigger diameter. I think either will work just fine.

However, there are better values out there in the other brands, like the Harvey T60S and the Grizzly G0766.

By value you only mean price? With that Grizzly you have to keep at least one spare potentiometer on hand, the banjo design is not in the big leagues, and the headstock only has 2 bearings in it.
I'd get the Powermatic. That will be the last money you have to spend on a lathe. They have the legs drilled for a dropped extension for even more capacity over the end of the machine. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If the PM is in your budget, I'd also suggest your get that. I have a Jet 1642, and I also had that choice when buying mine. I don't often regret that, but the choice was to save the coins and get a hollowing setup with the saved monies buying the Jet. Naturally, getting into hollowing cost me even more money in tooling down the road, but that's another story. Next stop for me is a Robust or OW if I would want to upgrade.
Good luck in your decision. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[isaac green]

I have not ruled out the harvey, today is actually the first time i'm legitimately considering it. Thanks for adding it to contention.

Grizzly seems to have a lot of hate/love but i feel like I've seen more hate/rehab videos and i hear of other issues (filing off a small amount of metal near the spindle so certain chucks fit tight) that make it unattractive. And the spare potentiometer, etc. Maybe a bit of confirmation bias there but i don't believe I'd be happy spending the money there, I'd always have a little doubt in the back in my head. That doesn't seem to be there with the Jet or PM.

The Jet and PM (and harvey) it seems, while have close to 2k between them in cost do seem very similar in terms of performance, except for weight. I also know i could get them in my basement, unlike a oneway or robust.

anyone turned on a modern oliver? I know andy rawls (youtuber) has one but he has only made 3 or 4 videos using it.

I never see any used PM lathes around me. The Harvey looks great too - anyone turn on one? - edit actually seems less up my alley because of the servo motor.. those seem more expensive to replace or repair as opposed to the others standard motors.

[David Walser]

Isaac -- I purchased a PM 3520C this past summer. It's a very good lathe and I'm happy with my purchase. Both Powermatic and Harvey have their lathes on sale. With shipping (the PM includes shipping, the Harvey costs $379 to ship), they're virtually the same price. However, the Harvey provides a lot of extra capacity: 4" of additional swing and 13" extra inches between centers. It also comes with Harvey's version of a tailstock swing away (on sale, the PM version costs $270). If you can use the extra capacity, I would strongly recommend you consider it. It has an excellent reputation. I wouldn't let the servomotor dissuade you.

So, why didn't I get the Harvey last summer? I have a very small shop. I preferred the smaller form factor of the PM.

[tom lucas]

Sorry, Richard, you are wrong on the Grizzly. Must be thinking of the old ones. New ones have none of those issues. Banjo is every bit as good as a PM's. I've had no issues with the potentiometer in 2 years of ownership. Actually zero issues period. $2000 in my pocket, 50% more power, and more swing without sacrificing anything is my definition of a better value.

[tom lucas]

I looked at Oliver's new lathe. It's hard to beat Oliver's reputation and the lathe certainly is built "like an Oliver". However, the controls look like an after thought. I'm sure it's still a very good machine. Just seems a little "out of date", but that could aesthetics only. I think it would be hard to go wrong with an Oliver though.

[tom lucas]

Have you considered the Rikon 70-3040? Seems like a real space saver.

[Brian Tymchak]

Have you considered the Rikon 70-3040? Seems like a real space saver.

I've been considering this lathe as well. 4 bearings in the headstock. Has my interest peaked. Unfortunately there are none in showrooms to look at. But I can't decide if the sliding headstock on the Laguna 18-36 is a better way to go than the sliding bed on the Rikon.

[tom lucas]

I've been considering this lathe as well. 4 bearings in the headstock. Has my interest peaked. Unfortunately there are none in showrooms to look at. But I can't decide if the sliding headstock on the Laguna 18-36 is a better way to go than the sliding bed on the Rikon.

The design is interesting and a space saver. However, the head doesn't move. So, I don't think you can turn off the end of the lathe as many like to do on bowls. The other thing I see is the base of the tail stock and the offset in the tool rest might make turning really short things between centers cumbersome. Overall, though, it looks like a well made machine. Tough choices; a lot of good options in that $4000 price range.

[tom lucas]

After thinking about it, Harvey's motors may actually still be AC. It isn't clear. Does anyone know for sure? These may be the way of the future. Plenty of servo advancements in recent years with the widespread adoption of robotics. And many manufacturing robots run nearly continuously, back and forth, fast and slow, for days and weeks at a time. So there is plenty of institutional design experience to draw on with a proven track record for reliability.

[Brian Brown]

I looked at Oliver's new lathe. It's hard to beat Oliver's reputation and the lathe certainly is built "like an Oliver". However, the controls look like an after thought. I'm sure it's still a very good machine. Just seems a little "out of date", but that could aesthetics only. I think it would be hard to go wrong with an Oliver though.

The Baileigh WL-1840VS looks exactly like the Oliver. The specs are the same also. It's hard to believe they are not the same lathe with a different paint job. The Bailiegh is about $300-$500 less than the Oliver. Does anyone have any better knowledge about differences between these two lathes?