Question about head stocks on lathes.

[Jack Gaskins]

I was wondering if it makes a difference to you experienced turners about the design of the head stock. For example, the 3520B is square and the Oneway 2436 is cylinder. Does the cylinder allow better access to your turning? Does the square head stock get in the way?

[Adam Grills]

IMO does not matter.
Adam

[Bernie Weishapl]

I don't think it makes that much difference.

[Burt Alcantara]

My first lathe was a Nova 1624. It had a roundish head. Never thought about it.

Now, I have 3520b. It has a square head. It gets in my way so much so that I sometimes put an extender on the spindle so I can access parts closest to the chuck.

Seems like no one else has this problem but use of the spindle and Tower Jaws on my Talons solves the problem. I don't care what others say about the use of the extender but I've yet to have or discover any problems using it.

The 3520b is a FAT HEAD!
There.
I said it.

Burt

[Jim Kountz]

Yes it matters alot. If I had one beef against my Jet 1642 it would be the square headstock. There has been more than one occasion where its been in the way some what.

[Reed Gray]

The square headstock on the PM never got in my way. Then again, I was finished with the outside when I reversed it, so touching it up wasn't necessary.
robo hippy

[alex carey]

I haven't had much trouble with the square head on my PM, if I ever did have trouble I have always found away around it. If your basing part of your decision on which lathe to buy on this, this should be the least of your worries, if you really needed to you could get an extender but I am guessing you to would find ways around any problems, if you even had any.

[David Walser]

Jack,

I've used the PM several times and like it a lot. (I used the lathe for a week-long class and I've used it a time or two since.) The square headstock can serve as a shelf, which I found very handy.

On the other hand, that square headstock did get in my way a time or two. That was particularly true if I was turning something small and I wanted to make a planing cut with my skew going from left to right. It was also true when I wanted to power sand the headstock end of a piece. Was it a huge problem? No. Not for my style of turning and for the items I was turning. But, I think it could be a larger problem for some styles and for turning some items.

Robust lists their "cut-away headstock" as one of the advantages of their design. On balance, I think I'd prefer the ability to reach in close from the headstock to the shelf PM's design provides. Here's a link to Robust's web page showing some of the advantages of their design: http://turnrobust.com/Turning_Ergonomics.html