which dream lathe?

[Grey Mountain]

$700? Closer to $7000...

GM

[pinky]

Grey Mountain said:

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$700? Closer to $7000...

GM

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He was referring to an April Fools post I had in SNS.

[Shop Dad]

Yes, you could almost hear the sound of WoodNeter's around the country sitting up in their chairs, suddenly alert.

[czarcastic]

DCM said:

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I'm VERY impressed with the Robust, but the only thing I question is the weight - I think it's in the 600-700 lb range - I would think I could add some weight to it if needed. But if you had no prob. w/100 lb out of balance blank I don't think this would be an issue?
Steven - did you need to add weight?

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I did not add any weight to it.
It's 600+ lbs on it's own, and the way the legs are configured (flared) gives the lathe a very stable footprint and a low center of gravity.
That said, I do now have a shelf underneath (there's a set of brackets along the lower inside similar to your PM) that I keep some logs and fixtures on, which probably adds another 100lbs or so to the base.

[DCM]

Robo - I had not looked at them - they do look nice. I guess your happy with your Beauty? I'm pretty sure I want the sliding head stock as well

Pinky - that is an awesome setup - I might have to put that in the mix 2

Steven - it sounds like the Beauty is plenty robust as is . It would be easier to move.

Shop Dad - The Powermatic is definitely in the running as I'm sure the quality is there + I could get the best price w/free ship. The serious would cost a bunch to ship

I'll let you know & thanks a bunch
David

[Steve K]

Shop Dad said:

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David,
Search CraigsList widely (searchtempest) for a Powermatic 4224. There have been some recently at envious prices. Barring that the AB is outstanding. The VB is awesome - but somewhat non-traditional - check it out. The Serious looks pretty massive too. Maybe an Oliver patternmaker lathe?

Doug

[blockquote]DCM said:

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I have been saving for some time to get my dream lathe. I mainly do bowls & HF's - not mush spindle except tool handles & finials so I don't need a long bed. & the short list is:
Robust American Beauty
Serious Toolworks
Powermatic 4224

do anyone have any of these or advise?

Thanks
David

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[/blockquote]

I bought my PM 4224 off craigslist, paid 3K for it. I would guess I searched daily for over a year before I found it. Now, it's not the "B" which means no sliding headstock for starters. There are many other improvements to the newer model but I like mine just fine. If I were to ever buy new it would be a Robust. FWIW, if you can put your hands on an August, 2013 issue of Woodturning Design there is a great article about Robust lathes, their philosophy, and how they came to be.

[DCM]

Steve - $3k for a 4224 is a smokin deal - congrats

[pinky]

This might be a stupid question but I can't figure out what advantage there is to a sliding headstock? Somebody please enlighten me.

[Arlin Eastman]

I forgot all about a Stubby lathe with a moving bed.

Arlin

[Arlin Eastman]

Pinky

For me it is so I can easier move the head stock to the end and hollow out a bowl, box, hollow turning and that would be if someone had the drop down bed.

That is the main reason I had to go to one. The Delta 46-460 I was using before I gave it away I was using it to make the above. While I was turning and looking down into the hollowing my neck popped out of joint. Since I had a bad neck my Dr. said no more turning unless I found another way. Well I gave up on turning since I figured there was no way I could afford nothing but what I had.

After that sometime one of the guys started a post and others donated $1400 all together and then Tools Plus gave me $400 when I bought from then from the people there and PM was having their 15% off. So I ended up getting my PM3520b with the 18" extension and power cord for a total of $2200 but it would have cost $4500. We put the rest on a CC and paid it off this year. I got the lathe back in March 2014 and I and the others have been enjoying it since.

Arlin