Bit the bullet

[Reed Gray]

If you turn bowls, you want the tilt away. If for no other reason, it shares the bearing load with the headstock for when you are roughing and rounding out a blank. I did wear out a set of headstock bearings on my PM3520A in about 5 years. I never used the tailstock. The tilt away takes almost all the work out of it. I am not sure if he changed the design of it or not, but with the Liberty, there is one bed for the tailstock. With my Beauty, there is one bed for the tailstock, and when you tilt it away, there is another short one at 90 degrees to the one the tailstock slides of on to before you tilt it away. I have bumped my hip on it several times.

I also have considered filling the diamond tube with sand, and even the spray expanding type foam just to dampen some of the noise. Not important enough to get excited about. It does make different noises than the PM did.

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob: quick, get on the phone and call Deb to add the tilt-away. If you haven't done it yet, try hoisting that 25" tailstock a few times and that baby pays for itself in no time. It seems expensive, but the incremental addition to the cost of the lathe is small in the long run. Amen on the rock solid base...just my opinion.

I understand the heft. I lifted the powermatic one plus raising and lowering the extension. I have been turning 40 years over the bed with the lathe against the wall. With the long bed I will rarely take the tailstock off. With the extension on my 3520 in the upper position I never had to take it off, just slide it back ( plenty of room). I removed the pin from my live center years ago so no holes in the elbow. I spent a couple hours in the Robust manufacturing facility and looked closely at the tilt away. Beautiful accessory, but it didn't seem necessary to me.

[terry mccammon]

Congratulations on your machine. I am very sure you will be very happy with it.

Bob, we are getting to have quite a Robust Club at CWT.

[Bob Bergstrom]

I turned on Al's before I ordered it. Al even let me dirty up his shop with some inch wide curls. I did leave him some nice cherry blanks though!

[alex grams]

got the call today it is shipping out tomorrrow, so should be here early next week.

I was expecting to wait another week, so this is early, but somehow knowing it is on the way is going to make the remaining wait unbearably long, hah!

[Bob Bergstrom]

They told me it would take close to 8 weeks. Bet your not going to sleep much. Time to get excited. Be sure to post pics. Enjoy!!

[alex grams]

Deb said it was slow for the last month, but they got a rash of orders in. She said they are busying working all of the overtime anyone wants, and they are out to about a 10 week lead time now.

It is nice to hear of a small, ma and pa american company doing well.

[Steve Doerr]

Alex, be sure and get you helpers lined up. One word of advice on unpacking your AB. DON"T lift it up by the tilt-away. I did that when I was moving mine into the shop and it took for every to get it re-aligned. If you need to pick it up, I would suggest a couple of 4x4's underneath the ways. I picked up a couple of mover's 4 wheel dollies from Harbor Freight and it sure made the process a lot easier. Good luck and keep us posted. Just remember, without pictures, it never happened.

[alex grams]

hmm, nothing like going home at lunch, signing for the crate, then having to go back to work without having time to open the crate...

I am absolutely useless at work this afternoon....

[Bob Bergstrom]

Should have whipped out the sawsall and crow bar. Good luck sleeping tonight. Might set up a cot in the shop? I'm having a hard enough time with still 4+ weeks to go.

[Jeff Gilfor]

You suck!!!

just kiddin. I'm just a "bit" jealous. Good luck, and use it in good health!

[Steve Doerr]

Definitely a familiar looking crate. I'm impressed that you were able to get it in the shop in one piece. Must have had some mechanical assistance to get it there.

Like Jeff said, enjoy it in good health.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Wow - I never got to see mine in the crate - took delivery of after it was as a demo in San Jose (didn't have to pay shipping, did have to shoo Ellsworth off - he was using it for elbow support as he chewed the fat with Brent. Should have asked him to sign it...). A word of warning, though. My experience may be different from yours, but I've found the strength of the vortex pull of a new lathe is directly related to the numbers at the bottom of the invoice. You might want to voluntarily surrender any means of purchasing either on line or in a store to your significant other until you've adapted to the strength of the new force that's sitting in your shop.
Have a great time, and just remember, it was designed to get dirty eventually.

[alex grams]

I think calling the crate a 'crate' was a massive misnomer... that thing was built more like a wooden vault.

I got it all opened up and moved in to position. I will have to adjust the bandsaw location if I want to do outboard turning,but the 25" swing over bed is probably going to be more than enough for me for a while. I will most likely build some cabinets for above and behind the lathe, and I need to make a new tool storage method. Also I need to mount the vacuum pump somewhere and put the switch in to start/stop it easily.

The wall on the left will get some heavy duty doors in the inset cabinets that will allow me to hang calipers/misc items on the outside of the doors for quick access..

I need to go buy a plug today so I can turn the thing on to test it out.

soo much to do..

[Steve Doerr]

Alex, it looks good. But it does need a little dust on it so that we know that its not a photoshop, like something out of Hollywood :-D In addition to moving the bandsaw, you may want to consider moving the AB a little more away from your cabinet area. That 3 HP motor and headstock are pretty heavy and it is much easier to push it than to try and pull it when you want to move it on the ways.