Bang for the buck?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I would suggest you take a week long class at
http://arrowmont.org/2010workshop-preview.html (Details has not yet published)
They have Oneway, Vicmarc, Stubby, Powermatic and General lathes. All well maintained and in top shape. With a whole week day and night practice session, you will have plenty of chance testing out each lathe. Turning class with great food, you will enjoy it. Having hands on experience on each lathe is just gravy.

I like gravy on my food.

[Jeff Nicol]

Best bang for the buck with many happy turners, you will have to get it across the border though

http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=CT128

Attachment 137540

Leo, That one and the new one Grizzly sells are the same lathe just different colors, John Keeton is thinking on one.

Jeff

[Jeff Nicol]

Well I still have the first lathe I ever had and it is still one of my favorites after I set it up with the VFD and 1HP motor. But then I sold my land and payed off my house and bought the PM3520B. Then as you all know I bought the 46-460 a few weeks ago as a reward for all the hard work I did on Christmas stuff and our grandson's cradle. The next new toy will be a big shiney bandsaw just can't decide which one yet! I made a killing this year on my holiday sales and I am truly a tool junky!

Everyone has given you great input, so now it comes down to color and swing, there are just to many choices!

Good luck and have a safe move,

Jeff

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Leo, That one and the new one Grizzly sells are the same lathe just different colors, John Keeton is thinking on one.

Jeff

I didn't know that Jeff, I do know it is exactly the same as the Laguna and made in the same factory (exactly except for the spindle end size that is)
There's a whole bunch of turners that have gotten this lathe and except for the tightening handles there have been no real problems reported, and the things that were not right were taken care of immediately.
The handle issue has apparently been taken care off and a new better set comes now with the lathe, and are supplied to those that have had problems with the earlier once.
I turned on one for a day, and for the money it is one heck of a lathe, no it is no Oneway by any means, but neither is the price

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Jeff, I had a look at the Grizzly site and it appears very similar to the BusyBee lathe, there is some differences, like the Grizzly one has a rotating headstock,(which I don't like) not so with the BusyBee one, and the spindle end is also larger,(which I do like), but other than that it is a lookalike yes, more expensive than the BusyBee one though.

[Reed Gray]

Bonnie,

Ditto on what Wally said about contacting Dale Larson and the two clubs up there in Portland. You should be able to see and talk to people about their lathes. I don't know if any of them have a Robust though.

robo hippy

[Bonnie Campbell]

I know at this point the idea of a big lathe is a dream. Yesterdays post was kind of brought on by the first anniversary of my husbands passing and the property possibly being sold. He had always told me to watch for a big lathe I would want. So I'm looking. Unfortunately There are no turning/wood stores anywhere close to my area here where I could go in to look much less try out. So I'll aim for 'try outs' once I get to Oregon. I'm not much of a driver, so I'll make my SIL play chauffeur lol. I do know my lathe ideas will expand a lot once I can find someone to show me how to 'really' turn. Being self taught, I know I don't know much. So far I've been lucky just creeping up on the learning curve. It's nice feeling excited about something again. Thanks again for all your input

[Philip Morris]

Bonnie,
All the talk of Oregon, I did not even realize you are currently in my neck of the woods (Jackson, MS/Reservoir area).

Not sure about your schedule, but there are a number of local turning club members here in the area that have lathes that have been mentioned. You may want to consider a drive up and spend a weekend visiting some of the local turners here.

PM me if you are interested in such and I can try and help coordinate something on this end.

[Jack Mincey]

Hi Bonnie,
Sorry to hear of your husbands passing. I'm glad to see that you are still into turning and look forward to seeing more of you work. When I bought my lathe I was thinking the same way you are, it should last me the rest of my lahte. As far as lathe's There are a lot of great one's on the market. I love my Oneway 1640 with outboard attachments, but I'me sure that I would like a Stuby, VicMark, or Robust just as much. The one thing you will want to consider is the weight of the tail stock. I can take the tail stock off my 1640 with one hand and put it back on. This is one of the things I do not like about the Power Matic lathes. The tail stock is much heavier than it needs to be. Locking down the banjo, the tool rest, or the tail stock takes less effort on the Oneway I have, than is required on the PM's I use in the school shop where I teach.
Happy Turning
Jack

[Dick Gerard]

If you are truly looking for your "LAST" lathe, I suggest you go with the Robust. Either the American Beauty or their new model ... sorry, forgot the name, but it is NOT the Sweet 16. All American made and the legs are set at teh factory to your specs. Get the largest motor you can get (at leadt 2 HP, 3 or 4 is better) ... and you can contact David Ellsworth ... Robust is pretty much all he uses.