• July 2025 Turning Challenge: Turn a Multi-axis Weed Pot! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Michael Foster for "Costa II" being selected as Turning of the Week for July 28th, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

VB36

Robert Feingold

Robert Feingold

Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
119
Likes
64
Location
Brooklyn, NY
Hi,
I’m considering selling my powermatic 3520 and buying a used VB36 but I’m afraid of giving up some turning options such as coring, doing smaller turnings, using a drill chuck in the tail stock and whatever else I’m not anticipating. I would appreciate other turners thoughts.
Thanks
Rob
 
The only thing the VB offers is the ability to turn very large pieces. Is that a priority for you. You can turn 20" on the Powermatic. Do you have a market for larger pieces.
 
It’s a hobby. I don’t sell turnings. I’m also tight on space and was thinking about converting the powermatic to a short bed but it’s expensive and would like the option of turning larger bowls. But my main question is will I be able to do the same things on the VB? I don’t see a way to attach my coring jig or attaching a chuck to the tail stock.
 
If it has an optional tailstock - check to see if it has a #3 Morse taper- I think this was what was in the one I turned on.
Lots of drill bits and drill chuck options with #3 tapers
#3 tapers hold a whole lot better for drilling than #2 tapers
 
Going over 20" means you'll need a good arborist to work with for material, you'll need a hydraulic table or overhead hoist to load the blank. The bed of the VB36 is just 2 offset tubes.
 
Have you measured the footprint of the VB. If I remember correctly it's pretty deep from the rear anchor points to the front. Not sure you would be saving much room.
 
Turing large bowls.........The bowl blank is big.........and weighs a lot.......is hard to move around.
Can't you move your headstock to the end and turn a large bowl off the end?
In the last couple of years, I have roughed out some 23" Claro Walnut bowls. The blank on one weighed in at 256#s. I used every Egyptian trick to get that on the lathe. Took me 3 hours to get it up and turning. Problem when you finish the bowl......what do you do with it? Too much work. I have started to limit myself to 18" bowls. Still heavy, but I can get them on the lathe in less than 3 hours. I am getting too old for that.
 
I'm a hobby turner as well. Give away much more than I sell. The two lathes I considered were the Powermatic and the Vicmarc. To me the Powermatic offered more flexibility than the Vicmarc, even though my main interest was and still is bowls, so that was the way I went.

Every since I bought the bed extension for my 3520B I've wanted to turn a big bowl. I figure I can turn about a 28" bowl with the extension and still use my banjo. I've also figured out I can use the engine hoist I bought to put the motor in my Jeep to mount a big blank.

The biggest problem I'm having with this idea is the same issue Hugh came up with. What do you do with a bowl that big...

If you were to buy the short bed for the 3520 and ever needed to turn columns or long spindles, you could bolt the two beds together, I presume. I bought the extension to turn some long replacement stairway spindles for a friend. Didn't make any money out of the deal but paid for the extension and got to practice with a skew.
 
Last edited:
I modified my 3520A to take a lowered bed extension. I dont intend to turn large bowls. I do intend to turn some off center work that will require using the 30" wooden faceplate I just made.
 
If one wants to be technical, the swing down to the extension's bed in the lower position is about 38" but one would need to buy or fabricate a free standing tool rest system. The upper extension bolt holes in the end of the lathe are located just right to bolt a tool rest system to.

There again, what does one put in a 38" bowl and who all will carry it around the house? I may figure it out but have not in 16 years.
 
Marvin Jones said:
There again, what does one put in a 38" bowl and who all will carry it around the house? I may figure it out but have not in 16 years
Click to expand...

Most big swing turnings are not bowls.

There is a market for 3 and 4 foot circular turned molding for arched doorways.

Sculptural turnings and Off center turning use big swings.
 
Probably my biggest endeavor will be a lazy susan platter for the kitchen table. Just knowing the lathe had the potential to turn big was just an added attraction to all the other features it had back when I bought it. I had no clue back then that bowls would be my main interest, I had only turned a year or two on a Harbor Freight lathe and was hooked.
 
I remember looking at them a long time ago. Main impression was that they are the best ones for huge turnings, though could be used for more standard sized bowls. Most who turn really huge pieces make their own lathes.

robo hippy
 
I have owned a VB 36 for fourteen years. I am a production turner and turn bowls up to 30" in diameter. It is a high quality, precision made machine. In order to core bowls ( I use the Oneway System) I bought a bed extension from Oneway, and had a welding shop make me a 5/8" plate with holes to line up with both the bed extension and the holes in the VB where the tailstock would bolt on. It works perfectly. The cost for everything was probably around $1000. I get in addition to the outer bowl, three others, the largest being 18". I sell an 18" bowl for $250-300. This paid for it self almost immediately. Whether this make sense for you in another question.
 
Well, sounds like most turners are against the VB for for me. Lots of good responses and food for thought.
I like the VB for versatility, super high quality/stability and compact footprint. I also like how the tail stock location allows me to stand in front of the headstock instead of the side.
I won’t be turning very large pieces often but want the ability to do so.
Thanks for so many detailed responses.
Rob
 
I still need to see the footprint measurement to see how it is smaller. It's been a while since I've seen my friends but I remember it having a large footprint. Probably to counter the mass of the machine and weight of large bowls.
 
When I was contemplating the used one that came up for sale in our local area I was very impressed with the overall build quality and capabilities of the VB. From a short test run I was allowed to take, it was solid and smooth in operation, but I didn't get to use it much. Had it still been available I certainly would have bought it. Its been a long time since then, but I seem to recall that the bayonet mount on the shaft was a potential problem area for me - I've got a substantial investment in chucks (Oneway and Vicmark) that I hadn't figured out how to adapt...
 
I picked it up yesterday and will need to clean it up a bit. It hasn’t been used in a few years but is in excellent condition. It’s built like a tank and is very well made. Tolerances remind me of engine pistons. The footprint is 21 x 20” but adding the tool rest and tailstock bars adds to the overall size. I can keep it tight for of my faceplate work. It will take up less space than my 3520.
 

Attachments

  • 3415A67A-78CC-4195-B587-EEE72596D8A1.png
    3415A67A-78CC-4195-B587-EEE72596D8A1.png
    829.2 KB · Views: 64
  • E116B41F-3BB3-4DC9-A527-7BA1E26081F1.png
    E116B41F-3BB3-4DC9-A527-7BA1E26081F1.png
    996.2 KB · Views: 64
I believe the bearings are more substantial on the VB36 than the 3520. That will mean a larger piece can be easily managed
 
Oh, trying to remember, but aren't the bearings on the VB36 'babbitt' bearings, which are tapered brass and in an oil bath, so they can pretty much handle anything you throw at them with almost no wear and tear?

robo hippy
 
Not Babbets, but oil bath bearings capable of supporting huge loads. You also need to maintain the oil bath and the oilers. Anyone buying one of these machines should get in contact with the US rep for their products - for the correct oil/parts and maintenance routines. They are all specific to the VB as I recall. Nice machines.
 
Robert, I recently picked up a VB at an auction and couldn't pass it up. I already own a Robust AB so it wasn't like I was looking for a new lathe. I moved some things around in the lathe room so I had room for both. I am in the middle of a remodeling project so I haven't been able to spend much time on it. It is certainly a quality machine and I look forward to using it this fall and winter. Since the VB has a 40mm tool post I had a friend bore a piece of round stock with a 1" hole and turn it on a metal lathe to fit the VB banjo. That way I can use any of the Robust tool rests I have on the VB. I also made an adaptor to be able to use my oneway coring system on the VB. It is untested but should work just fine. PM me if you want to see some pics of that. You can also get an adaptor so that any of your chucks fit onto the VB as well.
I have the equipment to handle large pieces of wood and an I beam and trolley above the VB to get them lifted in place. I have plenty of timber available so that is not a problem. I'll be posting some pics when I get back to turning.
 
Don, Brent may be able to make you 40mm posts. I think he carries 30 mm posts for the Vicmark lathes. Depends on if you want a bunch more tool rests....

robo hippy
 
Bill Boehme said:
So, John, does this mean that you will soon be doing Planet Sequoyah?
Click to expand...
If I came across another log that would lend itself to another large globe, I hope I could find the wisdom to run the other direction. I got the log at age-70 and aged considerably when I finished it at 75. The turning took about 2-years, the finishing several months more, the first stand about a year (and was tossed) and the final stand about another year. The base was a glue-up of 18mm baltic birch that I turned to 32" dia - what a pain.
So if a pretty girl winks, best to back off and bark.
 
John Tisdale said:
If I came across another log that would lend itself to another large globe, I hope I could find the wisdom to run the other direction. I got the log at age-70 and aged considerably when I finished it at 75.
Click to expand...

I will be 76 in a few weeks and I can identify with what you say. Seems like only a few days ago when I was a young spry 70 and bought a nice 75-ish pound chunk of mesquite from the Mesquite Man at SWAT. It's still sitting in the garage. I believe that it has gained a lot of weight over the last five years because I can barely budge it now, much less heave it onto the lathe. It probably has something to do with the Special Theory of Relativity ... as I get older, time accelerates, mass increases, and energy goes to zero.
 
Bill Boehme said:
I will be 76 in a few weeks and I can identify with what you say. Seems like only a few days ago when I was a young spry 70 and bought a nice 75-ish pound chunk of mesquite from the Mesquite Man at SWAT. It's still sitting in the garage. I believe that it has gained a lot of weight over the last five years because I can barely budge it now, much less heave it onto the lathe. It probably has something to do with the Special Theory of Relativity ... as I get older, time accelerates, mass increases, and energy goes to zero.
Click to expand...
:D ..... I know of what you speak, youngster!!!
 
robo hippy said:
Don, Brent may be able to make you 40mm posts. I think he carries 30 mm posts for the Vicmark lathes. Depends on if you want a bunch more tool rests....

robo hippy
Click to expand...
Thanks Reed, I already had them made by a buddy. If I would have thought about Brent I would have checked with him.
 
I think it would probably be easier, if you have a machinest friend, to get them to turn a post or three down to 40mm rather than buy the stock and try to turn that.... Buying a 20 foot bar would be expensive, and it all seems to come from the east coast area.... Having the hardened drill rod on the top is a huge difference, to me, about the same as variable speed compared to changing the pulleys.... I did experiment with it and found out that welding apparently does not change the tempering of the drill rod once it is hardened.

robo hippy
 
Michael Anderson said:
@Robert Feingold just read through the postings on this thread. How are you likening the VB?
Click to expand...
Thanks for asking and thanks for all of the comments. I haven’t been able to do much turning but it’s all clean up. I’m impressed with the quality and precision of the machining. I’ll post when I have something to show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top