Try before you buy

[Kevin Jenness]

I've used this phrase before, and I did turn on a Oneway 2436 before I bought my present used one, so I didn't get any real surprises. A minor niggle- it's easy to engage the indexing pin accidentally when turning the spindle using an outboard handwheel. Scarcely a dealbreaker, just something I had to get used to. Other than that, the lathe pretty much disappears, meaning I don't have to work to make it work. On my old General 260 you had to work to engage the indexing pin and the spindle lock was spring-loaded, so I used a spring clamp to keep it engaged while loosening chucks or faceplates .Minor stuff, but it matters when you are using a machine every day. More importantly, the banjo and headstock tended to slip under pressure.

My friend has been trading up from a Laguna midi lathe. He first scored an auction bargain on a Nichols lathe, and last week brought home an early Powermatic 4224. Both quite capable lathes, but with quirks that one only discovers with use.

The Nichols banjo has the locking lever on the opposite end from the toolpost, a real annoyance for me in that I have to reach far over the ways to adjust the banjo angle or location. I have noticed in Lyle Jamieson's old videos he put a Oneway banjo on his Nichols lathe, now I know why.

The Powermatic has quite small doors in the headstock for changing the drive belt position, and the upper one is secured by a knob that has to be unscrewed for access. The banjo has 3 locations for a small diameter screw to secure the toolrest and came with 2 gyratory handles- My friend said he needed both to keep the toolrest in position (maybe he is too agressive in cutting, but no way do I want to deal with 2 screws when adjusting the toolrest). The spindle lock/indexing pin is spring-loaded and is secured with a threaded locking collar.

All of these fixed headstock lathes are substantial and will spin heavy loads all day long. I'm sure each one would work for anyone who wants that type of machine, but if you are looking at dropping substantial coin on a new lathe you owe it to yourself to get some time on the machines you are considering.

 

[Jon Rista]

Great advice. For myself, I really wish I had spent some time using Laguna lathes before I bought one. If I had, I don't think it would have taken me long to figure out I really didn't like certain characteristics of them, and would have looked elsewhere.

It took an "extra" year, but in the end I ended up with a Powermatic. Overall I've liked it, much more than any other lathe I've used. I DO think that the banjo width and the tailstock design, tend to lead to having to extend the quill more than should really be necessary, which is less than ideal, but overall it hasn't been an actual problem. I think the Powermatic will serve me well, at least for the way I work, for a good long time. With a couple of upgrades I could do outboard turning if I ever needed to turn anything larger than 24"...which isn't particularly likely, but I'm glad I have the option. Happy camper now, after trying three other lathes.

The lathe I've always wanted, since I got started, was a Robust. I've never had the opportunity to use one. They seem like truly amazing machines, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about one. But, given their price, I would definitely make sure I spent some time using one before making such a decision!

 

[Bill Blasic]

That is a good recommendation that goes well with my advice to turners looking for a lathe. Buy your last lathe first!

 

[JeffSmith]

I went through this process of trying out my top candidates over 12 years ago, before buying my ‘last’ lathe. Took a little over a year, but was an invaluable experience. In addition to finding out how the lathe works with your personal ergonomics, you will find yourself learning about how concerned the manufacturers/distributors are about making the customer experience a pleasant one. I talked with customer service to try to locate nearby owners that may be willing to let me have a little time on their lathes. Most were helpful, some just didn’t want to participate and others were concerned about potential privacy issues. In the end, contacting clubs in my area turned out to be the most reliable way to locate candidates.

After a little more than a year I had located and spent some time on Robust, Oneway, VB 36, Powermatic, an older Nichols, a Serious lathe and even got to ogle a Titan (didn’t get to turn on it though…) and a few others that ran the gamut from home-built and acceptable to less than stellar.. I brought my own blanks, chucks and tools, then cleaned up afterwards and even took the shavings with me on a couple of trips.

In the end, I got a feel for what I needed/wanted in a lathe, found that some features may actually be bugs depending on how you turn and made a few new friends in the process. I did actually find my ‘last lathe’. It’s been chugging away ever since.