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Oneway lathe order, delay and then cancel

F

Fred Harville

Joined
Dec 14, 2022
Messages
7
Likes
6
Location
Eva, AL
I’ve got a first question to the group. Back in November 2022 I contacted Highland Woodworking in Atlanta about a price quote and lead time on a 1224 with bed extension. I got a reply that the current lead time is 4-6 weeks. I placed the order a few days later, 11/27/2022. Six weeks passed, I contacted Highland, they contacted Onway and was told another 4-6 weeks. Long story short, after several more weeks, Highland checked on the order again. They contacted me on 3/20/2023 and said Oneway is now saying there is a delay on headstocks and it will be 4-6 more weeks. They asked if I wanted to cancel the order...which I did.

The question is, is this type of delay typical for Oneway? I get ‘supply chain shortage” and ‘labor shortage”, but being told 4-6 weeks at the onset and then subsequent times being told 4-6 weeks more... I don’t get that. I really wanted the 1224 with bed extension for spindle work but it just didn’t happen. I ended up buying a powermatic 2014 and am waiting now till August 2023 for the bed extension.
 
That's really disappointing. I would try and get the One-way. Don't want to spoil the experience, but I had a 2014 and it is not the best lathe. I had a lot of problems with it from electronics to construction and even power. The things from Taiwan are just not equal with Canadian or USA manufacturing. I know I had to wait 4 months for my Robust tho
 
I waited 6+ months for my vb36. And that was long before supply chain issues started. I wish you well in a tough decision process
 
They had a 1+ year wait in 1998 when I bought mine, so ordered from a dealer that always kept one on order (John Jordan). Did you check other dealers to see if anyone had one in stock? Check with Packard. I would not blame Oneway on that initial estimate. Oneway evidently didn't make that estimate and very easily could have been a guess based on past experience at Highland. Lastly it's my opinion that the 1224 in not a lathe with high production numbers at Oneway based on the number of manufacturers of that size lathe in the industry.
 
I appreciate the responses. I’m not sure if the lead time was from Oneway or not. I know the lathe expert at Highland said he had to contact Oneway and get the lead time. It was at least one, maybe two days later that he replied back with the lead time.

A part of this that really disappointed, other than the lead time getting pushed and pushed, was I setup a payment plan with my credit card company. It was for 12 months of equal payments and the plan cost me $349. So once the lathe order was cancelled, Highland refunded my purchase price and estimated shipping. I contacted Highland about the loss of $349. In all fairness to them, I won’t disclose what they did for me but they understood my frustration. Needless to say, I have been and will continue to be a loyal customer of theirs. Highland is a good company.

I didn’t search out other dealers other than checking WoodWerks website.. I didn’t even think to order directly from Oneway.

After I cancelled this order I contacted a Robust dealer to get a quote for a Scout. It was a little too rich for my blood at the time. I think I was quoted around 3-5 months. That in itself wasn’t an issue. I had just already been without a lathe for several months and needed to get a couple of projects done.

The Powermatic PM2014... it did make me a little sick at my stomach to wait so long for the Oneway and then concede for a lathe that didn’t quite fit my bill and not made in North America. If my coffers fill back up in the future, I may look at the Scout, 1224 and 1236. For the time being, I will putter along with this Powermatic.
 
You learned some lessons Fred. Boutique high ends lathes are not production high quantity runs that are never stored in warehouses. That financing plan from your credit card company was really pricey. You had to pay 12% non refundable up front to finance the lathe? You can likely get better financing through Highland than that! And finally, all the mess from the pandemic is still affecting machinery purchases. Next time it should go more smoothly now that you understand the rules of the game. Good Luck
 
Yeah - what Richard said - Getting a Robust lathe would be akin to getting yourself a Lamborghini Countach - You can get them off a dealer that has one in stock... but you have to be happy with what they have on offer... or you can get a used one.. or you can place an order for one and the factory can take weeks or months (or in the case of Lamborghini , a year or two if not more) to get a factory fresh "latest greatest" version ..

Likewise with an exotic car like a Lamborghini - If you have to Finance it (or ask "How Much Is It?") then you may want to consider if you can afford it - better off setting aside your money in interest bearing savings (or investment) until you have the money in full on hand to buy it in cash.. You'll be better off earning interest on the money until you have it all in cash than you would be paying interest on the money for "instant gratification".
 
Brian Gustin said:
Yeah - what Richard said - Getting a Robust lathe would be akin to getting yourself a Lamborghini Countach - You can get them off a dealer that has one in stock... but you have to be happy with what they have on offer... or you can get a used one.. or you can place an order for one and the factory can take weeks or months (or in the case of Lamborghini , a year or two if not more) to get a factory fresh "latest greatest" version ..

Likewise with an exotic car like a Lamborghini - If you have to Finance it (or ask "How Much Is It?") then you may want to consider if you can afford it - better off setting aside your money in interest bearing savings (or investment) until you have the money in full on hand to buy it in cash.. You'll be better off earning interest on the money until you have it all in cash than you would be paying interest on the money for "instant gratification".
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I agree...that’s why I just couldn’t afford the Robust. Most likely could have by now. I’m am all in with buying North American if possible. I’ve got a multi-router and shopbot in my shop because I wanted some of the best America has to offer. They serve me well. I’m sure some knock offs would serve me well too, just wish this Oneway deal would have panned out. Lord willing, there will be a second time around at some point. I’m not a turner at heart...furniture is my deal with some spindle work.

Thanks again for all the encouragement and wisdom from the woodturners world.
 
Fred Harville said:
I agree...that’s why I just couldn’t afford the Robust. Most likely could have by now. I’m am all in with buying North American if possible. I’ve got a multi-router and shopbot in my shop because I wanted some of the best America has to offer. They serve me well. I’m sure some knock offs would serve me well too, just wish this Oneway deal would have panned out. Lord willing, there will be a second time around at some point. I’m not a turner at heart...furniture is my deal with some spindle work.

Thanks again for all the encouragement and wisdom from the woodturners world.
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Fred, if you do spindle work, I’d like to suggest a somewhat lower end Lathe but one that I had for a long time. A jet 1640. you can get one on Amazon for 3000 and it ships in two days.

A 16 inch swing is probably more than you’re interested in but it has a 40 inch between center so if you’re doing spindles this would give you the capacity to do dining table legs and things like that without extensions.

I found a jet to be an excellent performer and never had any issues with it at all and the latest iteration has quite a few improvements. Just my two. Cents.
 
Mark Hepburn said:
Fred, if you do spindle work, I’d like to suggest a somewhat lower end Lathe but one that I had for a long time. A jet 1640. you can get one on Amazon for 3000 and it ships in two days.

A 16 inch swing is probably more than you’re interested in but it has a 40 inch between center so if you’re doing spindles this would give you the capacity to do dining table legs and things like that without extensions.

I found a jet to be an excellent performer and never had any issues with it at all and the latest iteration has quite a few improvements. Just my two. Cents.
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I appreciate the advice. I probably should have looked at the Jet after I canceled the Oneway order. I was just so miffed about waiting so long on the Oneway. The PM2014 I bought wasn’t exactly fitting my bill either. Thus the reason to order the bed extension. Even with that, the bed length is marginal for my work. The swing of the Powermatic is actually a turnoff for me. I look at that thing and think, this is for a guy that wants to turn small bowls, not spindles. Thanks again for the advice.
 
Fred Harville said:
I appreciate the advice. I probably should have looked at the Jet after I canceled the Oneway order. I was just so miffed about waiting so long on the Oneway. The PM2014 I bought wasn’t exactly fitting my bill either. Thus the reason to order the bed extension. Even with that, the bed length is marginal for my work. The swing of the Powermatic is actually a turnoff for me. I look at that thing and think, this is for a guy that wants to turn small bowls, not spindles. Thanks again for the advice.
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I have a 2014. It’s too short for some smallish things like pepper mills, and when I do small bowls, I find that I’m constantly having to remove the tailstock. Not a huge issue, but not fun either.

I’m thinking about selling it and getting a Laguna 1524. I have a big lathe but it’s really a dedicated bowl lathe.
 
A Conover lathe might be everything you need. They are plain, simple, durable (no fancy eletronics) and highly versatile. My main Conover will handle over 9' between centers, jack shaft for speed selection, and a clutch system to ease into running speed with those large bed posts or porch columns. It can also be set up to make spiral reeds or flutes on large bulbous table pedestals. You might be able to buy one for less than a new bed extension. If you want to plow a field, a John Deere is better than a Lamborghini. Having made and repaired furniture for over 55 years using many makes of lathe , Conover is still my favorite.
 
A quality used lathe can be quickly sourced, purchased, picked up, and delivered to your home. When the supply chain is messed up the secondary
market is more reliable and less stressful than dealing with long lead times and broken promises.
 
Terry Brown said:
A Conover lathe might be everything you need. They are plain, simple, durable (no fancy eletronics) and highly versatile. My main Conover will handle over 9' between centers, jack shaft for speed selection, and a clutch system to ease into running speed with those large bed posts or porch columns. It can also be set up to make spiral reeds or flutes on large bulbous table pedestals. You might be able to buy one for less than a new bed extension. If you want to plow a field, a John Deere is better than a Lamborghini. Having made and repaired furniture for over 55 years using many makes of lathe , Conover is still my favorite.
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Interesting… didn’t know such beast existed. I may keep my radar on for one of those. Timken tapered roller bearings are king of the hill. I currently don’t need 9 feet but the option is there to make it to suit my needs. Simple cast iron construction never dies. We’ve used to have quite a few old cast iron industrial machines that were built as far back as the thirties. You couldn’t kill them. They just became OSHA illegal.
thanks for the tip.
 
Mike Johnson said:
A quality used lathe can be quickly sourced, purchased, picked up, and delivered to your home. When the supply chain is messed up the secondary
market is more reliable and less stressful than dealing with long lead times and broken promises.
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You are absolutely correct. During my wait, a guy several states north of me had a 1224 on eBay for local pickup only. The price was right. Just didn’t want to drive that far.
thank you for the input
 
Fred Harville said:
Interesting… didn’t know such beast existed. I may keep my radar on for one of those. Timken tapered roller bearings are king of the hill. I currently don’t need 9 feet but the option is there to make it to suit my needs. Simple cast iron construction never dies. We’ve used to have quite a few old cast iron industrial machines that were built as far back as the thirties. You couldn’t kill them. They just became OSHA illegal.
thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...
The Conover lathes were a kit, headstock, tailstock, banjo and optional legs and motor, with the user supplying wooden bed rails. With a vfd added it would make a solid, versatile 16" swing lathe.
conover lathe
 
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Kevin Jenness said:
The Conover lathes were a kit, headstock, tailstock, banjo and optional legs and motor, with the user supplying wooden bed rails. With a vfd added it would make a solid, versatile 16" swing lathe.
conover lathe
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Didn't realize they were still in business.

If they aren't, searching for one may prove to be a long tough slog - so not really a good option in my view.
 
Today I contacted Oneway directly. I told her about my saga with my order in December, She said they have had issues with lead times for a couple of the components and obviously can’t ship a lathe incomplete. I asked her if they had one shipping this week. She said they did. I asked if she could tell me the order date. She looked it up and said February. I basically said fair enough and I started the order process with her. I didn’t have to pay a deposit, nor did I have to prepay. Given that I didn’t have to tie up all the money up front again, I felt comfortable with the order, so...ive got a 1224 and bed extension ordered again.

I will keep my Powermatic PM2014 for the foreseeable future, at least until I get the 1224.

With all this being said...I just want to state again. Highland Woodworking is a great company. They have been great to deal with in the past and I suspect they will always be a great company to deal with. They treated me very fairly with the order I placed / cancelled with them. I don’t fault them with issues with my November 2022 order. I guess it was / is, supply chain issues affecting us still.

Thank you all for your helpful replies.
 
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