General Maxi-Lathe VS+

[Stan Cook]

My wife is asking for (demanding ) a lathe that she can call her own. I am considering the General Maxi-Lathe VS+ over a Jet mini vs because of the larger motor, larger swing, ability to turn outboard. I would like to hear the opinions of any with firsthand experience with this lathe. If you had it to do over, would you buy it again?

How portable is it? Is it small enough to be moved frequently?

Thanks

[TYLER WOOD]

I don't know about the maxi as I don't own it, but I did stay at a holiday in express last night.

No I own the bign'. They are well built and very sturdy. I would not hesitate to buy another one of their products. I have also heard good things on their customer service. If you want to check out some post on the genereal woodworkers forum there is one about a bad incident with a planner. General stepped in a hopefuly made the situation right, when it was really not even their problem. To me that is the sign of a good company.

[Pete Jordan]

[QUOTE=TYLER WOOD;628174]I don't know about the maxi as I don't own it, but I did stay at a holiday in express last night.

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but I do own it.

It is my second lathe to go with my mustard. It runs smooth and true. I use it mainly for pens and bottle stoppers and boxes and to teach my sons. It does what I ask it to do, but I don't ask for much. I did try to do a larger bowl and it stalled but I was aggressive.

If I had to do it over again I would probably do the same for the money.
As far as moving it, it can be moved easily with 2 people but it is kind of heavy for one. I asked my neighbor to help me move it to the garage for the summer. You could slide it by yourself though.

Good luck!

[Gordon Seto]

I don't own this lathe, I didn't stay in Holiday Inn Express either.

I have tried the non-vs of this lathe several years ago. Out of the box, the pulley sheave was not tighten at all.

If you do a Google search on "General Int'l Warranty joe fisher video", it seems that some model may have some design flaws and the service from General and General Int'l may not be the same.

FWW has an article comparing lathes:
http://www.teknatool.com/products/La...April%2007.pdf
It is not about the lathe that is discussed here. I would be more conservation to go with a lathe of known reliability than being the guinea pig.

Gordon

[TYLER WOOD]

Again I do own a General Ineternational lathe. Not the maxi, though. The waranty is the same as what my friend has on his General. The lathes both have performed excellently. Well built heafty machines. I also have worked on a couple of other General prducts as well. I have seen very few products in person that would compare to them, that are even close to the same price range. My lathe came nicely packaged, set up easy. Lined up perfectly without mojor or even many minor adjustmets. The variable speed and reversing has worked like a champ. I have seen a few product reviews that do not give the General lathes as high of marks as others, but looking at the things they are testing and working on the thing myself. None of the compaints they stated have negatively affected my turning. Ask Gary Hermann about the waranty on his General planner, and thier customer service being top notch.

This may sound like I am touting General products, YES I AM. Not affiliated with them in any way, just asounded at the quality of the machine for the relatively low cost. Sorry I don't mean to be ranting, and I'm not angry. Just making sure a company that I have had great service and satisfaction from gets a fair shake on comments.

[Brodie Brickey]

Stan,

I think the question begs, what lathe do you currently have? If your current lathe turns 12"+ diameter, get the Jet Mini with VS ($299 from Amazon). By my rough calculations its anywhere from 300 - 350 dollars cheaper. Yes, cheaper!

Yes, 2" inches of extra swing is available if you get the General, but why? You've already got a larger lathe, right? If you need to muscle up to a larger blank, put it on the other lathe. Use the extra $300 you were going to spend on the other one, for another good chuck and some changeable jaws and or tools. Even if you bought a stronghold (which would be serious overkill unless the other lathe is a PM), you could get an extra set of jaws to diversify your chuck choices.

Admittedly, I don't know how your wife will react to a smaller lathe, but the Jet is a workhorse. Although I have a PM, I'm seriously considering getting a Jet for doing some of the smaller stuff like pens, boxes, and bottle stoppers. Sometimes, it just seems easier to work on a smaller lathe.

I think two lathes would make it easier to get more done for the both of you, but unless you're both set on turning large hollow forms simultaneously, most of the turning can be done on the Jet.

If you can't work with the smaller lathe, move up to the Nova 1624-44 ($999). It has the 16" swing and a low speed of 214 RPM. You'll need the lower speeds for those larger bowls and hollow forms. WoodCraft also has a sale this Saturday with 10% off including power tools (*Excludes all FESTOOL Products, LEIGH Jigs, SawStop, Steel City & Gift Cards). I assume the lathe is also available or can be ordered from them.

You might also check the for sale ads here at the Creek and the AAW.