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How much room do I need?

Joined
Dec 13, 2010
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Hello,

I'm a woodworker who plans to get into turning. Before I get the lathe I need to plan for the space to put it in. I've got a space along the back of the garage (22 feet wide) that I plan to build another work bench (already have one along the right-side wall of the garage) on one side and the lathe on the other side.

My wife has been very supportive of my woodworking. Because she's seen that buying small and then upgrading is more expensive than just starting big, she's pretty much given the ok for a Powermatic 3520B.

So, my question for all of you is, how much space on the back of my garage do I need to keep free for the lathe? If I understand correctly, with the bed extension, the unit will be about 6.5 feet long. If I left 1 foot on the headstock side and 3.5 feet on the tailstock side (for a total of 11 feet) would that be about right or not enough or could I get away with a bit less (leaving more space for the cabinet to be built on the left side of the back of the garage).

This is my first post here. I hope to have more by the summer.

Thanks for your help

-Pete Copeland
Houston, TX
 

john lucas

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I would place it at a slight angle with the headstock toward the wall. For several reasons. One is that it's easier to clean out behind it. Another is if something flies off it will hit the wall at an angle and hopefully not come back at you. Mainly however it's because the 3520 has a sliding headstock and there are times when you will really enjoy standing at the end of the lathe to work. It lets you stand more upright when hollowing vessels or bowls.
For that same reason you will want more room at the tailstock end of the lathe even if you decide not to put it at an angle.
 
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Thanks John for the tip about the angle. Just to be clear, are you saying that 11 feet might not be enough room?

-Pete
 
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I agree with John...put it at an angle. I do a lot of turning off the end, and it is well worth having plenty of elbow room on the right (behind the lathe). Also, one foot at the headstock end might not be enough. The knockout bar is about 18" long, and you will need room for it to fit into the headstock spindle. However, it really depends on how often you are likely to need to knock out a drive center when the headstock is at the far left end of the bed. For me, that is virtually never, so I could probably get by with butting my bed up against the wall.

Finally, while planning is good, and it will make life easier. In the end, you will likely want to move it to accommodate what you turn, and how you turn it. I went through several permutations before I settled on my current location.
 
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id put the headstock right up against the wall, if your bed is lubed enough you can slide the headstock a foot down the ways and then use the knockout bar. Like Dick said, I rarely use the knockout bar anyways.

I think 3.5 feet on the tailstock side will be enough.
 

john lucas

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You don't need much room on the headstock side. Although the bar is quite long so is the motor so the knockout bar really only needs 6" or so. I do a lot of spindle turning and also start my bowls between centers so I use the drive center and knock out bar a lot.
Stand at the end of the lathe with the tool rest at the end and hold your longest bowl gouge like you would for hollowing. Then you can measure how much room you need at the end.
No one has put swiveling feet on the lathe yet I don't think. It would be handy in your situation to be able to push it against the wall when not needed and pull one end out for turning. Heck it would be handy for me since I also build some furniture and could really use the space.
 
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3520A on wheels

Hey Pete,
Welcome to the addictive world of woodturning. You are going to love it as a hobby. Your situation sounds like mine six years ago. My garage was 20'x20' and was already full of woodworking equipment. After purchasing all the woodturning stuff, that space looked a lot smaller. I decided to make a diagram to follow; And several revisions thereafter, came a workable shop plan. After lugging those machines around into several different arrangements, it dawned on me that this would be so much easier, if everything was on wheels. So that is what I did for my shop and my daughter's shop as well.
If you put the heavy duty lockable wheels on the lathe and whatever wheels on all else, life becomes so much nicer. My daughter and I both have a Powermatic 3520b and both on wheels. We wouldn't have it any other way. Cleanup is easy; Turning from both sides of the lathe is possible; Moving equipment to improve time or the flow of work or isolating noise, not so bad! All of a sudden these things are not such a pain in the neck.
I hope you find this of some help.
Dwight
 
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No one has put swiveling feet on the lathe yet I don't think. It would be handy in your situation to be able to push it against the wall when not needed and pull one end out for turning. Heck it would be handy for me since I also build some furniture and could really use the space.

I don't have a set of these as of yet, but we do have a set on one of the PMs at our clubhouse. I like them and do plan on getting a set when I can afford to do so. They swivel and have a foot that can be screwed down to stabilize the machine. They have different overall heights of the casters, so if you are a tall person you can get the lathe up to a workable height.

http://www.greatlakescaster.com/foo...___110_lbs___threaded_stem-GD-40S.php?cat=262
 
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You didn't mention what kind of lighting you have in your shop. If you have overhead lighting, I like to have the lathe between me and the light so I can see the work better. If the wall at the end of the garage doesn't have any windows, you might consider moving the lathe out from the wall so you stand between it and the wall. This configuration will give you the back wall of the garage to mount tools, accessories and possibly a grinder. Just a couple of ideas to consider, hope they are of some help.
Tim Carter
 
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Clear Some Space.

Pete,

I have a similar setup with a 3520B. I have a row of cabinets along the back wall. There is 3.5' in between the cabinets and the lathe so I stand at the lathe with the cabinets to my back. It makes access to my chucks and things easy and keeps them clean as well.

The bed of the lathe at the headstock end is about 2' from the wall. With the headstock flush to the end of the bed it still allows me to use the punch out (barely). The bed extension ends about 7.5' from the wall. 11' from the wall should allow you a significant amount of room to perform most outboard turning.

If you plan to do outboard turning the Robust tilt will get in the way. I have considered it and I wish it were an option for me.

I am also fortunate to have a window at the wall near the headstock that provides natural light as well.

I do agree with Jason, since owning a lathe I use it and my bandsaw. The rest of my tools are stands for bowl blanks and blow outs.
 
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