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One Way 16/40: Considering the Possibilities

Joined
Jan 3, 2021
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My local mentor, whom I met through our mentor list, had me over to his shop recently for a bowl-turning lesson on his One Way 16/40. I was blown away by the stability, power and precision of this fine machine. There was/is just no comparison to my Laguna 12/16. And though my reaching out to him has sparked a revival in his own turning pursuits, he acknowledged to me yesterday on a visit to my shop that at almost 90, he will have to sell it at some point in the future. And while I am not trying to take advantage of his age-related decline, obviously, I would like to own such a dream lathe if he indeed has to sell it.

But I have some logistical questions for you experienced lathe buyers and movers:
1. It is a 700 pound machine. How to move it through two backyards, and up a couple of steps into my shop? I'm a wimpy, 55-year old English teacher with back issues. Can you hire a moving service to do something like this? I would think it would be worth it, as I would no doubt spend much more on chiropractor visits if I tried it myself.
2. Once I get it into my shop, should I put the legs on heavy plywood or other surface? My floor is plywood floor-boards in one of those barn-style shops I had built on site, so concerned about even weight distribution.
3. If I read the specs correctly, this model has a 2hp motor wired for 220, which I don't have. I am not an electrician, but I know a good one (whose daughter I taught). Is it feasible to re-wire my electrical feed in the shop, or at least one line, to 220?

I'm sure there are things I'm not thinking about here, and this would be a big investment for a hobby-level turner. Any and all advice is appreciated. Aaron
 
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Lexington, KY
1. It is a 700 pound machine. How to move it through two backyards, and up a couple of steps into my shop? I'm a wimpy, 55-year old English teacher with back issues. Can you hire a moving service to do something like this? I would think it would be worth it, as I would no doubt spend much more on chiropractor visits if I tried it myself.

I used a piano moving company to move an even heavier and larger lathe.
 
Joined
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Aaron, as to your first issue, you can definitely hire a moving company and this approach can be a very satisfactory and low stress way to go. Especially for an heavy assembled item that's in someone's home. And even more so if the item is going to be sited in your home.

As to the third issue why not ask the electrician what he proposes?
 
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I just had a 600 pound pool table disassembled, moved to a new location across town and re-assembled. The costs was $400, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Check your home's breaker box. If you have two open/unused slots, an electrician can use those existing slots to set up a 220v circuit. I had a sub-panel installed in my basement a few years ago, and run a 220v/40amp service from it to my Powermatic. Running a line to the new sub-panel should cost in the neighborhood of $200-$300, driven by the run's length and routing.
 
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+1 for subpanel. Just consider that where you need 1 240V circuit you'll eventually need others (e.g. BS, DC). And then there's not having to go back to the house to flip a breaker.
 

Tom Gall

TOTW Team
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You probably already have a sub-panel box in your shop so this will be an easy project - you can do it yourself if you are comfortable with electricity. If you have to trench a line that's a different story. If you have to do that then add a sub-panel.
 
Joined
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A lathe of that size is pretty easy to move if you break it down into manageable pieces you can handle with a 2-wheel cart. The legs usually unbolt from the bed of the lathe, the headstock can be removed and moved by itself, the banjo and tailstock can also be stripped from the lathe and moved with all of the accessories.
You might want to check the motor name plate many of them in that size can be wired as 220V or 120V you just need to swap some leads around in the motor if it has that option. The motor name plate will usually display the leads and how they can swapped to different voltages if applicable.
If you need to run a 220V circuit that is doable by most homeowners with some guidance on the process, most sub-panels can accept a 220V 2-pole breaker you will need a total of 4-wires for the circuit to the lathe, 2-voltage conductors, 1-neutral conductor and 1-bare grounding conductor, this could be run in Romex of appropriate size to handle the motor on the lathe, most likely a 12AWG or 10AWG depending on the motor horsepower and length of run from the panel to the outlet for the lathe.
You could also get a 120V motor if your motor is only rated for 220V.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kN5BlxqkRQ


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3oum5mES5A
 
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Thanks for all the creative ideas, fellas. Mike, I was wondering how far I can break it down for a move without banging anything out of alignment, so that is good news. I will probably pay somebody to do the electrical stuff. I will admit that I am one of those people who are kind of intimidated by electricity and how it works.

I do have a dedicated line and a breaker panel in the shop with a few unused slots. I will take a pic of it next time I walk out there.
 
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My PM 3520C came disassembled on a pallet to the alley behind my shop. It was a 25’ trip up two steps and then up and down another two to get the pieces in the shop. Total weight is also a bit over 700# I believe. The heaviest piece was the bed, although for me the most awkward was the headstock/motor as I was most concerned about what to grab and lift by, not wanting to damage any of the sensitive pieces, VFD, controller, etc. I managed to do it all myself using lots of blocking, bottle jack, long levers and lifting in small increments. If you take it slow and thoughtful, it’s a doable job, although if your back is susceptible to injury, I think a moving or rigging company for a few hundred $$ would be money well spent. I ran the wiring and had an electrician neighbor who moonlights come to make the connections for $100. I was less worried about doing it correctly,than having cover in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I ever have a shop fire, and the insurance company asks who ran the wiring.
 
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Aaron,

Your photo indicates you most likely have a 60A 2-pole breaker being used as the main for your sub-panel. You should be able to purchase a 2-pole stab in GE breaker most likely a THQL2125 or a THQL2130 depending on the amperage of the breaker you need to feed the size of motor you have on the lathe. It looks like you have breaker spaces available on the right hand side of the breaker load center in the photo, you could remove the front cover from the load center to verify you have bus stabs to accept your additional 2-pole breaker in the panel, without seeing the
panel model number I can not confirm you have the available spaces, but based on the breakers and blank spaces you should have a total of 14 spaces available in the panel.
 
Joined
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If you want to have more outlets, it would be fairly simple to have the electrician pull a new heavier wire through the conduit into the shop. I do tend to try to have more than what I actually need, just in case...

robo hippy
 
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Thanks for more follow-up help Lou, Mike and Reed/RH. I will investigate my electrical needs further. I honestly thought I had asked the guy who wired it all up for enough outlets: 2 per wall, and 2 on my workbench side. And yet still, I've got power-strips everywhere. Not good for heavy machinery, I am told.
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
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Portland, Oregon
The wheel kit for the oneway is a great investment and way cheaper than the kits for many other lathes. Alternately, you could use a floor jack and wood blocks to lift the lathe up and put 1000lb moving dollies under each foot. Secure them with some cargo straps. Then you can roll it into a trailer with a drop gate for easy transport. My used Oneway came with the wheel kit and I rented a trailer from uhaul for $30. Easy. As far as getting it accross the yards, get two sheets of osb or plywood(if you're rich!) and lay them down end to end, roll the lathe onto the furthest one, then leapfrog the sheets until you get to where you're going. Its awesome that you found a mentor and its even cooler that you have revitalized his interest in turning. Continue to learn all you can from him and I am sure he will make you an offer you can't refuse on the lathe when the time comes. On the wiring, if any of those circuits are feeding a single receptacle, it is super easy to convert it to 220v using the existing wiring. You have plenty of room there to add circuits as well.
 
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