Harvey lathes

[Ric Williams]

Don't have any personal experience with a servo motor in a lathe, but I just put a servo motor in my Rikon bandsaw and I'm really happy with it. The motor and controller I have were made as a replacement for the clutch motors used in industrial sewing machines. The 2hp servo motor is about half the size and weight of the 1.5hp AC motor, but I've yet to bog it down even on heavy cuts at slow speeds, while the AC motor bogged down pretty easily. Very slow speeds do seem to be a problem for servo motors, but it could be a limitation of the controller for all I know. FWIW, the torque rating of the servo motor is 16 nm. Don't know the torque rating of the AC motor.

 

[Edward Fasano]

I don't have a Harvey lathe. I've watched the T40 in action and it impressed me. The physically small servo motor and the tiny belt seemed to somehow deliver everything needed to the spindle. Had they not discontinued the T50 that once fit between the T40 and T60, I may well have pulled that trigger.
I do have a Harvey C14 bandsaw and after a year with it, I am very happy. Terrific power. Easy to adjust and the fit and finish is first-rate. It sports a rather low table, but I'm vertically challenged, so it's perfect for me. Lastly, my one need for Harvey's Customer Service was a pleasure.

 

[Kevin Tompsett]

I have had a T60 for a month. Love it. Only complaints are the headstock and tail stock have a little more tolerance to the bed ways then I would like. I find I have tug them towards me slightly before locking down. If I do that then they are dead nuts in line with each other. Plenty of power for very aggressive cuts. Also another complaint I have is the rubber feet. With an off center piece run a little faster then it should be running I find that I can feel the lathe vibrating all the way down to the bottom of the legs even with an extra 500lbs on the shelf. I am debating with myself whether its better to leave the feet or replace with something stiffer. Banjo slides great and locks well. Same with head and tail stock.

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

I stumbled across this in a back issue of Woodturning Design. I assume Harvey was manufacturing these for Laguna before the Grizzly G0800 and now under their own name. Grizzly went with an AC motor and drive and now Harvey is back to the servo motor and controller they had on the Laguna (maybe upgraded).

 

[Edward Fasano]

I cannot speak to the Harvey lathes, other than to say the ones I've laid eyes on were impressive. I can, however, speak to the brand. I opted for the Harvey C14 bandsaw a year or so ago. I'm thoroughly satisfied with the machine and with my single interaction with Harvey's customer service. My review of the bandsaw is on the Harvey website.
With where Powermatic and Jet lathe prices have now gone, the Harvey T60 seems an even more attractive value, as do the larger Rikon offerings. Perhaps my skills will someday justify a lathe in the $5,000+ range. Until then, I'll putter along with my (pre-price increase) Jet 1840 EVS.
What I think I know about servo motors (as applied on Harvey lathes) is that they represent a higher level of motor technology and inherent cost. They are reported to be extremely quiet, responsive and powerful.

 

[Kevin Jesequel]

I cannot speak to the Harvey lathes, other than to say the ones I've laid eyes on were impressive. I can, however, speak to the brand. I opted for the Harvey C14 bandsaw a year or so ago. I'm thoroughly satisfied with the machine and with my single interaction with Harvey's customer service. My review of the bandsaw is on the Harvey website.
With where Powermatic and Jet lathe prices have now gone, the Harvey T60 seems an even more attractive value, as do the larger Rikon offerings. Perhaps my skills will someday justify a lathe in the $5,000+ range. Until then, I'll putter along with my (pre-price increase) Jet 1840 EVS.
What I think I know about servo motors (as applied on Harvey lathes) is that they represent a higher level of motor technology and inherent cost. They are reported to be extremely quiet, responsive and powerful.

I too have the Harvey C14 bandsaw and absolutely love it. Not only does it have the power and resaw height that were important to me for woodturning, but I have resawed some thin stock on it and it has cut impressively parallel, even with a worn blade previously used for cutting rounds. I think it is the best value out there for a new bandsaw that does what I need it to do. The table is a bit small though (as with any 14” saw on the market), but with 14” of resaw height, I built an aux table out of 3/4” plywood and still have over 13” of cutting height. This saw was once branded as a Laguna too, the LT14 SUV. Look at the pictures and compare the specs: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/tls/d/van-nuys-laguna-band-saw/7712324853.html