Oneway 2436 or VB36

[Steve LeGrue]

I have 2 beefs with the VB36
1: it uses oil float bushings, not ball bearings. They get quite hot in use.
2: It takes 2 people to move the tool rest.

Go with the Oneway.

[Jon McElwain]

I have 2 beefs with the VB36
1: it uses oil float bushings, not ball bearings. They get quite hot in use.
2: It takes 2 people to move the tool rest.

Go with the Oneway.

You might read the home page of the Hegner VB36 lathe for their thoughts on "hot" bearings. The site is listed below, and I did a cut and past of the response I am referring to - sorry about the length...

http://www.hegner.co.uk/pages/VB36_L...36_lathes.html

from the Hegner website:

"I mention these facts because in the review of the Turnstyler, it was obvious that theVB36 was being alluded to as the only lathe not using "tried and tested" ball or roller bearings. In his conclusion, Mr. Warr emphasised that the Turnstyler bearings "happily need no attention whatsoever" and "thanks to those headstock bearings which remain cool, even under heavy load" and that "they are friction-free". The implication is obviously that temperature and rolling resistance are the ways in which bearing performance can best be determined — irrespective of bearing type, shaft seals, or indeed the working application. The two types
of bearing (i.e. plain or rolling element) are as different in their requirements and operating characteristics as chalk and cheese, and it is silly to imply that these differences are in themselves meaningful. A plain bearing "floats" the shaft and the heat generated through the work of the supporting lubricant film sinks away through the surrounding mass of metal in a predictable and controlled way. It is supposed to happen. Engineers evaluate and plan for it.
In the case of the VB36 the effect is moderate and precisely what we would expect from a fine tolerance assembly of this sort. In the same way, the four multi-lip shaft seals that isolate the front and rear bearings serve not only to keep the lubricant in, but also contaminants out. Their resistance is one indication that they are doing the job they are there for.
On the point of maintenance, I now use my VB36 for an average of between 25 to 30 hours a week. I check the bearing lubricant reservoirs before starting a turning session and, to date, have not had to add a single drop of oil.
What a pity that genuinely top quality engineering should be allowed to be denigrated in support of ill-informed conclusions. I feel very strongly that the term "British engineering" should do more than simply describe a product that was made in Britain!
P.K. Dickinson (Merseyside)"

[Wyatt Holm]

Jon,
I am curious about one thing. You mention several times about outboard turning abilities. Why is that so important to you? With a sliding headstock, out board isn't necessary, you just slide the headstock down to the far end and turn off that end. It does the same thing. I have never turned outboard. Isn't it a left handed turn? Do you need separate face plates and chuck inserts?
robo hippy

On my Vicmarc all I have to do to turn outboard is: take off the handwheel
and switch the lathe to reverse. The spindle threads are exactly the same as inboard, so chucks and face plates mount the same.

[Jon McElwain]

On my Vicmarc all I have to do to turn outboard is: take off the handwheel
and switch the lathe to reverse. The spindle threads are exactly the same as inboard, so chucks and face plates mount the same.

Good to know. I didn't know that the Vicmarc had this capacity. What is the tool rest situation when turning out board? Any option for a outboard machine mounted tool rest, or do you have to have a separate stand?

[Wyatt Holm]

Vicmarc sells an outboard bracket, I have never used it, but it is said to be nice. I have a piece of junk floor stand that I have only used once. If I were to use it again I would need to bolt it to a steel plate or plywood to make it so that it does not wobble. The best outboard setup I have seen is made by Oneway. I want to make a similar setup for my Vic with a bed extension mounted lower on the outboard side, then make an extension for the banjo so I can use the tool rest similar to how the Powermatic 3520 18" bed extension comes with and extension for the banjo; to make it come up to the same hight as your normal tool rest hight.

[Jim Becker]

I think that this discussion emphasizes Jim's point about getting some actual time on the very units you are considering. Everyones turning style is a bit different.

Yes, this is exactly my point. All of these high-end, non-mass market lathes are great machines. No question about that in my mind. But what we do and how we work can be profoundly affected by how a particular machine is physically "lurking" within your personal space as you use it. I'd be very happy to turn on any of the machines that play in this part of the market, but I'm happiest with the "feel" of the particular machine I ultimately chose after turning on several different choices. (Shop space also was an influence)

FYI, my previous lathe was a most excellent OneWay 1018. Suburb machine in every way...except for swing capacity. I had no idea I'd fall in love with bowls and vessels like I did once I was turning on a quality lathe. I toyed with building a riser system to deal with that, but in the end, upgrading to something that had the native capacity I wanted...and ultimately, I wanted that inboard and in a short-bed format. I chose accordingly after turning on all the candidates.

[David Lancaster]

Mike anytime that you or anyone else is in the area feel free to stop to my shop and look around. You can try the lathes yourself and look at my kiln, I'm around most of the time but it would be best to call first I do a lot of shows in the summer. If I can help in any way feel free to ask

[John Gornall]

I don't have a Oneway yet but there's one just down the road I get to play with. The Oneway doesn't really have an "outboard" side, it's more like 2 different inboards. Fully equipped the so called outboard side has ways, big tool rest, and tailstock with as much as 48 inch swing. The outboard side is more like a second big lathe.