Why do Oneway lathes cost so much???

[Steven Wilson]

Yep, you just run in reverse. I like to run the Oneway multiextension outboard with another banjo. That let's me use the tailstock on the inboard side for roughing out bowls and then I just move the piece (still on the chuck) to the outboard side to finish up. The control stock and light stock (lathe light an aftermarket product, very cool for the Oneway, Powermatic, and a few others) move around freely for working outboard.

[Jim Becker]

I so HATE turning bowls inboard.

If you don't do long spindles, you could do like I did and buy a Stubby. It's designed to be able to turn large things inboard...up to 30", in fact. And you can position your body in ways you cannot do with the big OneWay without spending all that extra money on an outboard setup.

[Greg Savage]

But the Powermatic is still under three grand, isn't it ($2750 or something, right?)

I know that the price of a Oneway is the point of this thread, but I'd rather buy from a family owned, North American Company. Oneway's customer service is superb as are their machines and tooling.

Basically, any well-made lathe that let me turn faceplate work outboard would be swell. I so HATE turning bowls inboard.

If you have to turn over a bed, ride it like a horse! Ellsworth does! Oneway's design does allow you to turn out board with a counter-clockwise rotation using the same spindle threads.....motor is direction is reversed.

[Frank Drew]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I asked about the threading because both Woodfast and General, even after offering reversing controls as standard, continued to have different threading (L.H., and size) on their outboard spindles, which struck me as simply dumb. (This might be old news and no longer current; I don't know if they've by now gotten with the program and thread both inboard and outboard the same.)

Thanks for the advice on the Stubby, Jim; I'm aware of them but really don't know much about them yet.

Greg, I may share your sentiments about buying relatively local, and from a small outfit rather than a faceless international company, but the price differences are significant, and I say that as someone who made custom furniture for over twenty years and understands how small runs or one-offs are always much more expensive than mass production.

[Steven Wilson]

Jim, there are a couple of ways of turning outboard on the Oneway; use an outboard tool rest (like the old Powermatic stand), use the Multiextension, or buy the rather expensive outboard extension. I looked into the outboard extension but Oneway recommended against it unless I was going to consistantly turn large bowls on it. My outboard needs are more modest so I chose the multiextension and picked up an outboard stand on Ebay a few years back. The stand let's me turn a 7' diameter table top, not that I've tried that, 4' was enough of a pucker factor for me. The multi extension and another banjo was around $600 at the time I bought my lathe and besides being a nice setup for turning outboard it's also handy for gental curves on long spindles. The multiextension can be mounted inboard which extends the spindle turning capacity of the lathe by 17". Having a second banjo inboard allows the use of very long tool rests.