Oneway 1640 vs Powermatic 3520B

[Steven Fitzgerald]

I'm getting ready to retire and am thinking of buying a new lathe, one that will, in all probability, be the last lathe I buy. I want a lathe that will do just about anything I could ever reasonably want to do, and I have narrowed it down to the Oneway 1640 and the Powermatic 3520B. I would appreciate any advice from forum members as to which of the two I should go with. Thank you for your help.

[Gynia]

Both are very capable lathes which would serve you well as the last lathe you will own. There is no bad choice.

I would tend to get the Oneway. The Oneway has more options.

The Powermatic is a terrific lathe with a fantastic owner community. If you prefer grass routes solutions over manufacture solutions then the Powermatic is likely to be you better choice.

[robo hippy]

I am partial to the sliding headstock. I can't turn out board because my lathe sits in a corner. Oneway has the option of 1 1/2 or 2 hp motors. Other than that, main difference is Oneway has a longer bed, and PM has more throw. Oneway is steel, PM is cast iron. Biggest difference I can see there is they makd different noises when turning. I turned on a PM for 8 years before getting a Robust, which is all steel.

robo hippy

[Dave Ogren]

The sliding headstock would be a great help for bowls and platters. I love turning without the bed in the way. Another thing to check out id the bearing problems a lot of people are noticing in the last year or two with the One Way Lathes. Good Luck and Happy Turning,

Dave

[John Beaver]

Here's my opinion...

I have turned on both, and I prefer the Powermatic, but they are both great lathes.

Both have similar power and smoothness, although I might give the Oneway a slight advantage on the motor.

For me the sliding headstock is a big advantage, and I just find things function a little easier on the PM.

I don't like the handles on the Oneway banjo and tool rest - they interfere with each other. The lock down for the tailstock is in a better place on the PM. I find the bracket for the controls on the Oneway (while a good concept) gets in the way a lot. The space under the PM where you can put a shelf is a nice feature. It's easier to buy accessories with 1 1/4 X 8 then the M33 threads on the Oneway.

The shape of the headstock on the Oneway is better, the big block does get in the way on the PM sometimes, however I like having the outboard wheel to hand turn the spindle on the PM (you can make your own for the Oneway).

I don't mean to bad mouth Oneway, I think they're a great company, I just prefer the details on the PM -- and for the price you can get the PM and lots of accessories.

[hockenbery]

I would get the oneway with the 17" extension on the outboard side gives you the short bed and the long bed.
If you do lots of drilling and use indexing the oneway is better at both.
The tool rest locks and tailstock locks the edge goes to one way.
The ease of moving the tool rest goes to oneway.
The oneway is quieter and smoother all around!

My recommendation:
buy the Powermatic and week class at arrowmont, Campbell, Anderson etc.
The skills you pick up in the class will make turning more fun than getting a new lathe.
Most likely you'll be happier with the powermatic and The skills from a good course.

Happy turning,
A

[flyrod444]

I turn a great deal on both lathes and prefer the 1640. As far as handles on the banjo being in the way it only takes a few minutes to adjust them to lock at ones desired spot to keep them out of the way. The banjo and tail stock on the OW lock more secure with less effort than the PM. I prefer the tool rest of the OW 10 times more than the monster tool rest of the PM. I can take the tailstock off the OW with one hand, don't try that on the PM. The 1640 I turn on has the 24" outboard extension which give one a 24" short bed lathe and I turn most bowls on this end. I placed mine with the end of the inboard side toward the corner so that the outboard side has all the room you will ever need to turn at. This being said by the time you buy the outboard extension, the raiser block to use the tail stock on the out board side and the outboard banjo to accommodate normal tool rest on the outboard side, you will have almost as much in the lathe as you would a true 24" swing lathe such as Stuby, Robust, or VicMark. If Robust had been in business when I bought my 1640 one might be sitting in my shop in place of my OW. They are truly quality lathes and best of all they are made in the USA which is important to me.
Happy Shopping.
Jack

[Dave Peebles]

Originally Posted by Dave Ogren

The sliding headstock would be a great help for bowls and platters. I love turning without the bed in the way. Another thing to check out id the bearing problems a lot of people are noticing in the last year or two with the One Way Lathes. Good Luck and Happy Turning,

Dave

Hi Dave,

I have only heard of one person with a problem with the bearings on the Oneway. Maybe I missed the posts, but when you said "a lot of people" it made me curious.

Who are the others?

Thanks,

Dave

[odie]

Originally Posted by John Beaver

It's easier to buy accessories with 1 1/4 X 8 then the M33 threads on the Oneway.

The shape of the headstock on the Oneway is better, the big block does get in the way on the PM sometimes, however I like having the outboard wheel to hand turn the spindle on the PM (you can make your own for the Oneway).

I haven't any experience with either of these lathes, but do offer these comments:

Believe John Beaver is correct about the availability of accessories for the M33-3.5 vs 1 1/4x8tpi. For me, this would be a major consideration. I wonder why Oneway doesn't offer their lathes with an optional 1 1/4x8tpi spindle? If they did, I believe they'd sell a few more lathes because of that option......

Hand wheel would be necessary for me......Couldn't one just get a faceplate and install it on the outboard spindle for this?

ooc


(BTW: How is that M33-3.5 spindle measured? Is it 33mm in diameter, and 3.5 threads per centimeter?????)

[john lucas]

I will agree with Dave. I've never heard of bearing problems with the Oneway. Or for that matter very few of any kind of problem. They make an excellent lathe.
I am also one who has problems with the handle placements, however these were not my lathe and I wasn't able to adjust the handles.
I tend to lay things on the top of the headstock of my powermatic and you can't do that on the Oneway.
I have heard several people including myself, complain about the controls being on a moveable arm. You have to remember where it is when hitting the off button in a panic, and I end up moving it often for different demos and find that a pain.
On the downside for the Powermatic, they do have a remote switch but it's cheap and quits working often. I have replaced mine with a better quality switch. It stays at the end of the lathe in the same position always so I have 2 switches that never move and I can access either one quickly without thinking.