American beauty owners

[Mike Tilley]

I'am looking at the American Beauty any thoughts on the standard bed vs the long bed?
would vibration be an issue with less weight on the standard bed? The price difference is considerable between the two but I don't do much spindle work so was wondering if the standard bed would work for me just turning bowls? Also looking at the sweet 16 with the long bed for more weight.
Any thoughts?

Mike

[Glen Blanchard]

I had the same decision to make earlier this year. I went with the bed extension. It gives more flexibility than does the long bed, albeit at the sacrifice of a few inches. The extension can be removed should it be needed in the future. The long bed is now a single unit and cannot be removed.

My $.02.

[Alan Trout]

I have the long bed and it is fantastic! I don't use the extra real estate all that much but when I need it its there. I think is was like $750 extra but in the big picture with a lathe in this price range not a big deal. I would do it all over again. I don't think you will find significant vibration with either.

Alan

[Thomas Bennett]

Robust-pine-one.jpgRobust-pine-two.jpgGet the longer bed. You never know what you are going to turn.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike, I have the standard bed and have turned lots of bowls and some fairly large hollow forms on it. If you plan on mainly turning bowls, then the standard makes sense. If you needed extra bed length at some point down the road, then the extension that Glen mentioned would be the way to go.

When I was thinking about getting my Robust, I considered the long bed but my shop is in the basement and I really don't have the room. I have thought about turning larger hollow forms, say in the 20 to 25 inch range, but then would need a new hollowing system as well as the extension. Always something!

Oh, almost forgot, vibration has never been an issue!

[Reed Gray]

I went with the long bed. I used to do some flat work, and on my 3520A I could just barely fit a 29 inch leg between centers. I went with the long bed. I don't use it that much, but it does come in handy if for no other reason I clamp a piece of plywood in the end when I am doing spindles, and use that as a tool bench. I would opt for the Beauty or the Liberty for the sliding headstock option. A lot of people don't use it, but I would be lost, well my back would be more sore, without it. Huge advantage.

robo hippy

[Art German]

I went for the long bed as it gives you so much more versiltility. Doing bowl of the end and having more room for hollow forms and hollowing systems.

art

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I've got the standard bed and find that for bowls it's all that's necessary. I wind up working from the midpoint of the bed to the end of the ways for the most part. That said, for hollow forms I'm limited to about 14" (or maybe 15" max) using my home-built Jamieson hollowing rig. I've been planning on getting the bed extension after the first of the year to accommodate longer forms.
The original long beds were made in two pieces. The latest iteration has the bed as a single piece. I actually think that the new 16" bed extension at the headstock end of the lathe is a better configuration in the space I've got to work with.
After using mine for 2-1/2 years now, I really doubt that vibration would be a problem regardless of the configuration.

[Joe Bradshaw]

While I don't have the AB, I do have the Liberty, and the sliding headstock is great. I don't get to use it much, as, my sweetie has claimed it as her own. If your SO turns, you need at least two lathes. My sweetie is trying to talk herself into buying the short bed Sweet 16.