Hey Creekers - I just made the big jump up from the Grizzly 0462 to a PM 3520 and I'm really excited, it arrived yesterday and I've already got it running, just need to receive my new chuck and I'm operational.
I'm anticipating some slow surprises in this respect - I have been pushing the G0462 to it's limits in size and balance and have developed a lot of habits to compensate, such as always locking a hip to the bed and lots of pressure on the tool rest to dampen vibration or adjusting the speed to match the vibration rather then for the best cut. Sanding has definitely been non-optimal since the old machine had a bottom end of 600 rpm and I used a mix of handheld paper, non-powered rotary and airpowered rotary. Now I have a full range of speeds plus reverse. Another change I know nothing about is the ability to securely move the tool rest above the center axis.
I was wondering if any of you had any memorable experiences of a habit or practice that you brought with you when you upgraded that you no longer needed, or new practices that were suddenly available. Anything that might have kept you from using a new machine at full potential for a bit, like the ability to use heavier or lighter tools which hadn't worked before.
In a similar vein, my town is swarming with "body works practitioners" - massage and physical therapists, etc. Has anyone ever worked directly at the lathe with someone who could talk posture and fatigue? The saving grace on that g0462 was the swiveling headstock- it made it possible to position for difficult cuts like shear scraping near the foot or accessing upper corners of a HF but I would sometimes realize that I could only make certain cuts for a few minutes at a time before I was exhausted. I know the PM gives me the opportunity to work right of the end of the bed so I can still get most of those angles, but I'd like to start forming some good habits where I can.
Also, the SMC community and your reviews and discussions were a big help in choosing a lathe. Thanks for all your enthusiasm!