Powermatic ad on page 41 of the 2021 Virtual Symposium Guide

[Curt Fuller]

I think this has come up before but because I'm an active member of WOW and not an AAW member I thought I would bring this to the attention of someone here that has some "pull". On page 41 of the 2021 Symposium guide is a Powermatic ad. I seem to recall that this or a similar ad stirred folks up once or twice before. It includes of photo of a nice shiny new PM3520C with a big log between centers. Probably too big of a log to be safe in some opinions. It's obviously a staged photo for advertising purposes, at least obvious to me. But to some I guess the photo with the accompanying "pushing the limit" verbiage could be construed as promoting an unsafe situation. Somehow someone somewhere should do something about this recurring ad.

https://www.woodturner.org/common/Uploaded%20files/2021VirtualSymposium/2021PlanningGuide-PublicB.pdf

 

[guy laizure]

It is just an ad.

 

[John King]

In your opinion, what's the "unsafe situation"? What action(s) should be taken to remedy the "unsafe situation"? What do you recommend doing about the ad? - John

 

[Curt Fuller]

In your opinion, what's the "unsafe situation"? What action(s) should be taken to remedy the "unsafe situation"? What do you recommend doing about the ad? - John

Well, my opinion really isn't why I posted this. At least not my opinion on how safe it looks. But it has always bugged me when a tool maker or some other entity of the woodturning world gets "thrown under the bus" without a chance to defend themselves. I think Powermatic is a good company even though I've never owned or even turned on a PM lathe. I also think the AAW is a great organization interested in making woodturning a safe hobby. Not up to me to defend either. But I just thought both should think about how an ad like this in the premier national (and even international) publication can affect a lot of woodturners, many negatively. A picture is worth a thousand words. Much ado about nothing? Probably. I probably should have stayed out of it.

 

[Gary Beasley]

If the log is mounted securely and starting speed is slow enough to prevent vibration I see no problem turning a log like that. Might make an interesting pedestal. Level of experience is what matters here.

 

[Dave Landers]

Level of experience is what matters here

I think the ad is trying to say that the lathe has enough experience

 

[Curt Fuller]

I probably described it wrong in my original post. I should have said "too long of a log" instead of "too big of a log". That tailstock overhanging the the end of the ways is the issue being discussed.

 

[Brian Gustin]

I probably described it wrong in my original post. I should have said "too long of a log" instead of "too short of a log". That tailstock overhanging the the end of the ways is the issue being discussed.

I still don't see the problem - if the tailstock holds securely hanging like that, I'd presume by design, I don't see where it is a problem..

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

You would have better luck directly contacting the vendor instead of posting to the customers. But the ad did it's job, people are talking about it and the lathe.

 

[robo hippy]

Hmm, thought I posted on this, but don't see my response. I would never show an add like this if that was my lathe. The tailstock needs, at the very minimum, the full contact of the pressure plate on the bottom to be in contact with the lathe bed. They are generally located in the middle of the tailstock. That picture, to me, indicates that the pressure plate is barely in contact with the lathe bed. It might work if you had a router set up on a sled and were using a speed of 50 rpm or less. No way would I use that type of mount if I was roughing with hand tools.

Engineer's conundrum, "You can never invent some thing that is idiot proof because as soon as you do, some one invents a better idiot." Some idiot will see the add and try to do the same thing. No, just plain, big NO!

robo hippy

 

[odie]

If the log is mounted securely and starting speed is slow enough to prevent vibration I see no problem turning a log like that. Might make an interesting pedestal. Level of experience is what matters here.

Kind of what I thought. At a slow enough rpm, it ought to be safe enough. What bothers me a little is the tailstock only being supported by a couple inches of the bedways. The rest hanging off the cliff edge......that ought to be a red flag.

edit: Oops, I didn't read the whole thread before I posted this. I see this tailstock issue is being discussed here......carry on, gentlemen!

-----odie-----

 

[sjbrandt]

I’ve yet to see any responses from 3520C owners, so I went down to my shop and snapped a few pictures to show how the tailstock is engineered. First of all, this is a pretty massive tailstock—over 50 pounds if I recall correctly. The pressure plate is located at the far front, so even when the back end is hanging off the end of the ways, the plate is still in full contact with the ways—the pictures show this.

I think there are a lot of variables that factor into the safe/unsafe question and in this situation we simply don’t know them all. How is it attached at the headstock? How fast will it be turned? What tools will be used? What end result is the turner even trying to achieve?

I haven’t turned any piece of wood quite like the one in the ad before, but having spent about a year with my 3520C so far, the strength of my tailstock, even hanging over the edge a bit, wouldn’t be my first worry with a piece like this.

 

[robo hippy]

Maybe I am overly cautious about this, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should....

robo hippy

 

[Tim Tucker]

Just saw the ad...I can't imagine that IF anyone at Powermatic is a woodturner....they would have been o.k. with that. What an odd, and possibly embarrassing for Powermatic ad.

 

[GRJensen]

From the latest revision of the symposium handbook ...

 

[Tim Tucker]

It appears that they are sensitive to the appearance of that first ad. Good for Powermatic.

 

[David DeSimone]

Here's a link to a PM video ad with a couple of short clips with the lathe turned on with the log mounted:

Powermatic 220-Volt 2HP 1PH Lathe with Risers 1353001 - The Home Depot

The Powermatic 3520C is the fourth evolution of the time honored lathe with many new and improved features. The 3520C has retained all the features of the prior models such as the sliding headstock, electronic

www.homedepot.com

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Interesting to note the fella turning in the video is not wearing a face shield or respiratory protection.

 

[David DeSimone]

agree on the face shield but you'd want to be wearing a suit of armor to protect yourself if that log comes flying off the lathe . . . .

 

[robo hippy]

Not sure, but isn't that Ernie Conover doing the turning?

If I was to turn a log like the one in the video, I would have done a lot of chainsaw work on it first before mounting it on the lathe.

robo hippy

 

[Tom Gall]

Not sure, but isn't that Ernie Conover doing the turning?

Not Ernie ..... Nick Cook. (If we're talking about the same video)