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Nichols lathe

Kevin Jenness

Kevin Jenness

Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
843
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721
Location
Huntington, VT
This lathe is for sale. Has anyone here turned on one? I know it would be a big upgrade to my 20" General 260 for large work , but would it be too cumbersome for smaller work? I am wondering about the toolrest maneuverability in particular. I only have room for one lathe. I would like to do some pieces larger than my present lathe will support inboard but I also plan to do more relatively small boxmaking.


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You can do small work on a big lathe, but doing large work on a small lathe is not possible. I think Lyle Jamieson had a nichols lathe for a long time (before becoming a Robust dealer) you might check with him. From what I've heard, they are well made and nice to work on.
 
JeffSmith said:
You can do small work on a big lathe, but doing large work on a small lathe is not possible. I think Lyle Jamieson had a nichols lathe for a long time (before becoming a Robust dealer) you might check with him. From what I've heard, they are well made and nice to work on.
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True, but is this a lathe that is easy to do small(er) work on? That's a good idea to contact Lyle. The lathe in his older videos appears to be a Nichols but has a continuous fixed bed without the adjustable gap or the transverse banjo supports, and he had a Oneway banjo. I have to assume he prefers his Robust or he wouldn't have switched. This one looks more like a Subby on steroids. It appears that there is a minimum gap dictated by the setup. I am waiting to hear back from the seller about various questions. No doubt buying a lathe like this would involve replacing or adapting various accessories as I suspect the spindle and toolrest are oversize.
 
Well that one has all the bells and whistles.
I turned on one just to take a few cut when one of my friends got a new one.

I know several folks who have Nichols and love them.

It can be a stand in front bowl lathe. The one In the picture can handle a pretty big bed post.

I got a ONEWAY 1018 a long time ago and did most of my ornaments on it.
It was to me a more intimate experience
However I do quite a few small pieces of my 2436 when the 1018 is in the corner.
 
Are you equipped to use the potential of that lathe. Additional equipment like a large chainsaw, a hoist to position the wood and a way to bring into the shop large potential blanks If your shop can only house one lathe I would think twice about this purchase.
 
I spoke to the seller who had the lathe custom built in the late 90s. I couldn't really get an answer on whether he uses it for smaller work - he said he mostly makes large bowls like the one pictured. He does have a Oneway as well so I suspect that gets used for smaller stuff, but he said he likes the Nichols better overall- for sure it would be great for really massive turning. If I had room for two lathes I would be sorely tempted but I think I will have to pass. For anyone interested it's in MA. Nichols lathe
 
My Nichols lathe is elegant in its simplicity. From what I understand, there were about 150 of these lathes made from the mid-1990's to early 2000's by John Nichols in Oregon. All the items on it can be sourced from machinery suppliers (such as the pillow block bearings) or customed by a welder. You can fill the headstock side with sand to really anchor it down. It can turn up to 39" in diameter, and mine has a hoist with it (1 1/2 " iron pipe with bend that drops into a hole on the head stock side). I did keep my first lathe (Delta 12" midi, Christmas gift from my wife) and do pens and small items on it. It sits right behind my Nichols lathe.
Whomever purchases that lathe will enjoy the heck out of it, and find that there is nothing that you cannot do on it. Plus you would own a piece of American woodturning history. And if space is an issue, you could easily mount a midi on the lathe bed, and emplace or remove it with a hoist.
 
Kevin Jenness said:
I spoke to the seller who had the lathe custom built in the late 90s. I couldn't really get an answer on whether he uses it for smaller work - he said he mostly makes large bowls like the one pictured. He does have a Oneway as well so I suspect that gets used for smaller stuff, but he said he likes the Nichols better overall- for sure it would be great for really massive turning. If I had room for two lathes I would be sorely tempted but I think I will have to pass. For anyone interested it's in MA. Nichols lathe
Click to expand...
The owner should list it in the For Sale area on the AAW Forum.
 
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