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Max Alschlager

Joined
Jun 2, 2022
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Burnsville, MN
My turning journey started a couple years ago. I like all sorts of woodworking, carpentry and construction, but I wanted to find something that provided more immediate gratification.

My current lathe is just a small Excelsior lathe (from Rockler), but I’m really limited to small things like pens, handles and small bowls.

With the budget on the high end for and American Beauty, where should I go next? While I could afford that big guy(and since I live in MN, it wouldn’t be hard to get over to Wisco to check it out), do I really need it? This is a hobby for me. I’ve also looked at the Powermatic 3520, the Harvey T60s, and the Rikon 70-3040. Those three are roughly half the cost of the dream lathe. What do I lose by choosing one of those?

Thanks all, and happy to have a place to talk about these things.
 

hockenbery

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Apr 27, 2004
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My suggestion is to start with a modestly priced machine and spend the savings on a high quality class.
The skills you learn will make your turning much more enjoyable and productive than a top of the line lathe would.

A weekend with Trent Bosh, David Ellsworth, Jimmy Clewes, Lyle Jamieson, Rudy Lopez….. will change your woodturning future.
A class at Arrowmont or Campbell is well worth the time and expense.

Give yourself a few years to grow your turning specialties and a direction of work you want to do.
As you turn more you may want to do big stuff - this probably means ONEWAY.
If your more toward reasonable size work Robust, Vicmarc. stubby are nice machines too.
 
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Joined
Feb 6, 2010
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Brandon, MS
Welcome to the Forum. I am kind of a middle of the roader. Did start with a mini and then a 14 inch Jet and finally a PM 3520B. Believe me turning a 19 inch bowl on a 20 inch lathe is plenty of excitement but that wears off rather quickly. Most turners will say ok now I have done that . I do not know of any negative for those on your list but have only turned on the PM and it has meet all my needs for the last 9 years.
Al is right on about the classes and you also might want to look into a club where you can easily ask more questions and get some hands on on different lathes.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
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Lebanon, Missouri
The lathe simply spins the wood. An analogy would be a Chevy will get you there just as fast and comfortable as a Caddie, just without the name. There aren’t any features that the Caddie lathes have that are must haves.

As for budget, there will be quite a few accessories/tools to add in as your turning journey continues, and those can easily be a couple thou. Can’t argue with the suggestions for classes, they can shorten the trip to improved turner capabilities.

As for size, for most something around 14” is about the size limit for household use (measure the stuff used around the house). A 16” swing can get you 14” finished dia, though many will debate the need for clearance over the banjo. An advantage of the pivot HS lathe I use (Nova Galaxi) is I can easily pivot the HS over, slide the banjo past the work, pivot back to center. For larger work, many lathes have methods to mount lower bed ext with tool rest banjo ext or bolt on outriggers (Nova) to accommodate. Its a matter of deciding floor space and process preferences.
 
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
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Location
Lexington, KY
If you lean toward the 3520, go for a used B rather than a C --- I've turned on many of both and prefer the B. And it will save you a fair bit of money. I did own a B.
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2018
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La Grange, IL
The majority of forum members are hobbyists like yourself. That doesn't seem to stop us from spending money, though :) .

My advice is to turn more before you go for a lathe upgrade. It will give you the opportunity to see different types of turning projects and different approaches to making those projects.

Join a local AAW chapter even if you can't make every meeting. Great local resource.

As mentioned turning classes are a super resource. The Marc Adams School is probably the closest to MN.

If you can swing it attend a symposium or two. AAW is in a few weeks and, closer to home, Turn On Chicago is next month. An excellent opportunity to learn basic skills while also seeing advanced methods. And an opportunity to see vendors in person. Because you'll need to budget for tools & accessories, too.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Location
Eugene, OR
Well, lots of folks call the 12 inch lathes 'midi' in reference to size. Not me, I consider the 16 to 18 inch lathes to be mid sized and the 20+ lathes to be maxi lathes, though you can find some bigger or make one that is bigger. As for which mid sized lathe to get, first option would be to find the nearest club. Some one is always selling their tools, and you might get accessories as well. If I was buying new, probable first choice would be the Jet 18 inch lathe. Nova also makes a nice lathe, but it is a bit light weight for me, but they have newer models that are more heavy duty/cast iron. Laguna is very popular, but I have no experience with them. The headstock design doesn't appeal to me. Grizzly is popular as well, but I remember the days when they were pretty low quality products except for their industrial grade ones. Buying used is always the best option.

You do want variable speed, and not the Reeves drive. Reverse is good as well. For a lot of bowl turning, you want 220 volt, and a 2 or 3 hp lathe. My preference is for 3 speed ranges on the headstock rather than the more common 2 speeds. It just gives you more options for speed ranges to use. Vicmark and Oneway have 3 speeds. There are debates about cast iron and stainless steel, and the only difference I can tell is that they make different noises when you turn. No performance differences that I can notice.

If I was much younger, I would manufacture my own lathe.....

robo hippy
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
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Location
Penrose, NC
Mass. Weight. THAT is what I think the biggest single difference you will experience when moving up in size of lathes. The Robust AB is....incomparable. By that I mean the I know of no other lathe that allows you the extraordinary ease of moving the tailstock out of the way. That feature, then the stainless bed, 3hp and LONG warranty...well - make it hard to compare to other brands. There are many capable lathes. But - as with everything else...there are compromises to make based on what YOUR needs are.
 
Joined
May 4, 2010
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Location
Bozeman, MT
A. The budget is often a determining factor for folks selecting a lathe. Consider that half your budget will go for things other than the lathe.
B. How much space is available and what kind of electricity is available are other determining considerations.
C. What do you see yourself turning? At this point, what types of projects are most appealing to you? Many of the professionally turned objects seen in the American Woodturner or in our gallery, are surprisingly small. Nothing over 6" in the latest AW member gallery! Lots of us end up trying big bowls and platters at some stage. If you want to turn 16" hollow forms, you're going to need one of the largest and most expensive lathes. You can turn small things on a big lathe, but you can't turn big things on a small lathe, as you now well know.
D. Most people are happy with their lathe. Most lathes are well made and will serve you well. You don't have to spend 300 hours overthinking the decision (although there are those of us who do, anyway)
I second getting together with your local club and try out some of the other members' lathes. In doing so, you may find some features that are desirable and that will influence your decision. Certainly, the guys above have shared their opinions on what they find desirable, and hopefully you noticed that it's different things for different people. You may need to work on your second lathe for a while, improving your repertoire of turning, before you start to identify what you just have to have in your third lathe. Good luck. The hunt can be fun.
 
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
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Location
Fulton, MD
I started with a Delta midi lathe that had a 12.5 inch capacity, but in reality more like an 8 inch capacity due to the light weight and room for the banjo. I really wanted to turn bigger projects.

Even the 16 inch lathes are limited in capacity.

I bought a Robust Sweet 16 lathe and am thrilled with the quality and capacity. My lathe has a removable bed section that increases the capacity to about 30 inches. I seldom turn platters that large, but I frequently turn platters and bowls up to 20 inches.

Also, Robust offers Different lengths and heights for the lathe. I am only 5’6” tall, so I wanted a lathe that has a relatively short height, no problem, Brent made mine to fit me. I also bought the shorter length model with the tail stock swing away so I could stand at the end of the lathe to easily core bowls. The lathe has a relatively small footprint.

I highly recommend that you call Brent to discuss the benefits of the sweet 16 lathe.

Jerry Simpson

I
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2022
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Location
Beavercreek, OH
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www.ovwg.org
My advice is to find a local chapter and get involved. Take classes if they offer them and learn from professionals. I have taken classes with Kirk Deheer, Dennis Paulus, and Rudy Lopez, and they have helped me refine my skill and technique.

As Jerry said the Robust is a fantastic lathe, (I also turn on a Sweet 16) but I did not buy it until almost three years into my turning. It is nice to have the removable section just in case you want to go bigger. Being USA made was a big selling point for me. The quality is also second to none. The Jet's and Powermatic's are also good options. It just depends on what you would like to have. But if you have the money, you won't regret buying a Robust.
 
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