I think I'm in love...

[David Walser]

One of the vendors at the DWR was Serious Toolworks, maker of the Serious Wood Lathe. This lathe is a monster -- 1530 lbs of cast iron! As large as the lathe is, I was more impressed with some of the details that are not as readily apparent. First was the rack and pinion quill in the tail stock. The quill moves quickly, smoothly, and almost effortlessly along it's 6" of travel. There was a PM 3520B on display not far away. I've always thought the PM had a fairly nice quill (and it does!), but the Serious' quill is simply much nicer. Second, the Serious comes with 6" casters. On its, despite its large size, the machine is easy to move around the shop (assuming you're on level ground!). Lower the feet -- splayed wide front and back -- and the lathe is rock solid. A very nice touch.

There are other things, like a digital indexing system or the ability to turn 25" inboard and 44" outboard, but they all add up to one very nice lathe that answers for me the question: "How could anyone spend that much for a lathe?" Wow! I understand how it could be done -- and with a smile, too!

I'd like you all to understand two things: First, I'm in no danger of plunking down the close to $7,000 (plus shipping) it would take for me to buy one of these lathes. I'd have to expand my shop. Second, for some unaccountable reason, I feel that I'm being disloyal to Robust -- my former lathe love. Hey, Robust doesn't even write me anymore and has never sent me flowers. Why should I feel disloyal?

Go here to drool: http://www.seriouslathe.com/wood-lathes.php

[Mike Vickery]

Yeah I saw the Serious lathe on Friday and it is quite a piece of equipment. I am not suprised it weighs in 1530.

I will have to say I was a little turned off that some of the welds looked really sloppy to me. If you are going to charge 7 grand whip out the grinder before you paint.

[David Walser]

I will have to say I was a little turned off that some of the welds looked really sloppy to me. If you are going to charge 7 grand whip out the grinder before you paint.

Welds? There are precious few welds on the lathe. The lathe is virtually 100% cast iron. It's basically 5 (IIRC) large castings that are bolted together. Their theory is that cast iron absorbs vibration better than steel or aluminum, so they made everything they could out of cast iron.

[Brett Baldwin]

I never did get over there to get a close look at it in action. I kept being distracted by all the burl in the booth next to it. Oh, and overseeing the video for the symposium, that took a little bit of my time. I did look at it on Thursday before they had it hooked up. I certainly wouldn't mind if one were dropped off at my house mysteriously. I'd even be willing to tear a wall down to get it in my shop.

[Jason Clark2]

I lusted over it from a distance but I'm very happy with my Powermatic. I haven't exceeded it's capacity (yet) and I'm not planning to be in the market any time soon, but it never hurts to see what else is currently available.

We are still talking about lathes, right?

Jason

[Kevin McPeek]

Boys boys, settle down.
That thing is a beast that's for sure. I spent a little time giving her a once over, is it okay to refer to a lathe as her? Refer to Jason's question. But even though I have had to trim a few pieces to get on the DVR I'm still happy with her, eventually I will get something a little bigger though. But we are talking years from now... I think I said the same thing when I had my mini.

[Rich Boehlke]

I was impressed by the headstock bearings, they look like something out of a one ton truck axle. If you have the resources, it would be a nice machine IMHO.

[Reed Gray]

The one thing that it didn't have that I wanted was a sliding headstock. I just can't be without one, kind of like variable speed.
robo hippy

[alex carey]

It certainly looks like a nice lathe and the idea of putting a 500 pound block that is completely out of round and not having it shake at all would be great, I really don't think there is much it can do that the Robust or the Big one way can't do. I seem to remember those lathes being a bit cheaper, and the robust has the sliding headstock. I agree with Reed, that is a must for me.

I think the only thing that would push people over to the serious lathe compared to others is the weight and just doesn't seem to be enough.

[Jason Clark2]

Yeah, lathes can be a she. My Powermatic is lovingly referred to as "Maxine".

Jason

Boys boys, settle down.
That thing is a beast that's for sure. I spent a little time giving her a once over, is it okay to refer to a lathe as her? Refer to Jason's question. But even though I have had to trim a few pieces to get on the DVR I'm still happy with her, eventually I will get something a little bigger though. But we are talking years from now... I think I said the same thing when I had my mini.

[David Walser]

The one thing that it didn't have that I wanted was a sliding headstock. I just can't be without one, kind of like variable speed.
robo hippy

Reed,

Why is the sliding headstock essential to you? The Serious is designed to turn outboard (with a 44" swing), so it should have the same capacity as the Robust with it's headstock slid all the way down. Is it that you find the ability to "shorten the bed" when hollowing or bowl turning makes turning more comfortable?

[alex carey]

@David Walser You answered it perfectly. Moving the headstock makes everything much more comfortable. I actually wish they would rotate also but then you loose too much stability.

[David Walser]

It certainly looks like a nice lathe and the idea of putting a 500 pound block that is completely out of round and not having it shake at all would be great, I really don't think there is much it can do that the Robust or the Big one way can't do. ...

I think the only thing that would push people over to the serious lathe compared to others is the weight and just doesn't seem to be enough.

The Robust is a very nice lathe. (Or I should say, the Robust lathes are very nice. Let's not forget about the Sweet 16!) It's also a few dollars cheaper. It also has the option of a swing away tailstock, which the Serious does not have available. However, the folks at Serious would claim that there is more than a weight difference between the two lathes. The weight is distributed differently, with the Serious having a much lower center of gravity. (For example, the Robust's motor is mounted high, close to the spindle. The Serious' motor is hung close to the floor.) Even if the two lathes weighed the same, the Serious should be more stable than the Robust.

In addition, the Robust is made of steel, which is one of Robust's strengths. What could be stronger and more rigid than steel? (Per Serious,) steel is also one of Robust's (and any other steel lathe's) weaknesses. Steel vibrates easily. That why we make springs out of steel. Robust deals with vibration by attempting to out muscle it. The lathe's frame is so strong, so well braced, and so rigid, it simply resists vibration. Serious' approach is different. It's cast iron frame absorbs vibration and directs it to the ground. (If I were arguing the steel lathe side of things, I'd point out that bells are sometimes made from cast iron.)

Which approach is better? I don't know. I'd love to have either lathe (assuming I had the room, which I don't). Before I bought either one, I'd like to try spinning a large out of balance bowl blank on both of them and see which one fit my turning style the best. One thing I do know, the folks at the Serious booth had a large out of balance blank spinning on their lathe. Stacked on top of the headstock in a tall tower were alphabet blocks spelling out "SERIOUS". Not exactly the same as standing a nickle on edge, but pretty close. I put my hand on the lathe bed. If I did not see the blank spinning, I'd have been unable to tell that the lathe was running. It was that smooth and quiet. Very impressive.

Of course, I've never seen a Robust in action. If I did, I might fall in love all over again. I'm feeling very fickle.

[David Walser]

@David Walser You answered it perfectly. Moving the headstock makes everything much more comfortable. I actually wish they would rotate also but then you loose too much stability.

I can see that. Thanks for the explanation.

[alex carey]

Definitely, no question in everything you said. Serious is definitely better to handle those huge out of balance pieces and those pieces you never will balance for artistic purposes. But after the initial rounding of most pieces I think the robust is better after that. I must say I haven't turned on either so I really am not an authority by any means. The extent of my knowledge is based on eye sight and reading.

I think the best way is to put these guys head to head and who wins. I'll even nominate myself to test them. Hell, I'll pay to test them.