Rikon 70-3040

[Matthew Kilareski]

It's soon time for me to upgrade to a larger lathe and I'm interested in the Rikon 70-3040. I'm really excited by the lathe's ability to turn large diameter pieces between centers. Does anyone have one and what are your impressions?
I'm having a hard time finding one in a store that I could check out. It's just a lot of money to spend sight unseen and just order online without actually getting my hands on one. If you are in the PA, MD, DE, NJ area, I would really appreciate being able visit your shop to see the lathe in person. I'll also be drivining to the Boston, MA area in early October, so I could also stop by if you are in the New England area.
Thanks for your help,
-Matt

 

[sjbrandt]

I don’t have one, but on a recent visit to the Harrisburg Woodcraft I noticed that they had one on display.

 

[David Bolson]

I ordered one in January. I finally gave up in March and got a Grizzly G0766. They were waiting for lathes to be shipped from China and I think they’re still waiting. If you’re willing to pay full price (almost $2000 more than what I was paying), then I think there may be some in stock at a few retailers. I don’t think there are very many in the wild.

 

[Tim Tucker]

Anything coming from China is an issue right now. Seems everything is in short supply regardless of the industry. Call Rikon directly - and ask for Joe. He is the national sales manager, and may be able to help you locate one.
T

 

[Allen Mattsen]

If this lathe had a sliding headstock I would likely have gotten one (or still be waiting on one to arrive). There is a lot to like. Due to back issues, I wanted to be able to turn off the end of the lathe if needed. I ended up getting a Laguna 2436. The Rikon 70-3040 was $3200 when I was looking (online) at them back in early summer. If I recall correctly, Woodturners Wonders had the best price at the time though it was similar to Woodcraft in pricing. None of my local retailers had one I could look at: not Woodcraft, Rockler, or Woodcrafters.

I later learned I would have actually been "pre-ordering" and waiting. There were reportedly only a few in the country at the time. Glad I didn't wait. I know of at least one person who had been waiting for over 7 weeks and it still hadn't arrived.