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Mustard Monster Arrival

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That was fast! I ordered on 4/30 from Amazon/CPO, and it arrived today at noon, drop-shipped from Powermatic. Liftgate and delivered to garage in perfect weather. No damage, no skid or box crushing.

All components, parts, bits, and hardware present and accounted for. A quick check shows everything that moves is operational and smooth.

Now it sits for a couple of days awaiting setup while I finish the garage reorg. It's in total chaos right now to accomodate this machine.
 
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Joined
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Cleveland, Tennessee
Bill, a shop is supposed to look chaotic. Mustard color? Grey Poupon? Good score. We have one for our chapter. Solid as a Sherman tank!
 
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I ordered mine on 5/4 through Woodcraft, so I'm just a few days behind you. I hope mine comes as quickly as yours did. I ordered a Jet dust collector last month and had it within a week, so I'm hoping for that again. Don't know if the current insanity will delay it though.

Bill, a shop is supposed to look chaotic.

Good. I've got that covered.
 
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I ordered my PM2014 early Wednesday morning 4/29 ... it arrived in Green Bay Friday 5/1! Makes a great companion for my PM3520C.IMG_20200501_152117642.jpg
 
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Looks like quite a few people took advantage of the PM 15% promo. 'Course they extended it for another month right after I ordered mine (always procrastinating looking for a better deal).

Well, I couldn't wait another few days, so I hit the garage today. I definitely don't have everything sorted out yet, but the lathe is built and in place (not wired yet) and I managed to get my wife's car back into the garage, too. Getting better, but a full size lathe was a real stretch for the space I have!

Assembly went smoothly. There's really only two things that are REALLY heavy - the headstock (about 150 lbs) and the bed & legs assembly (about 450 lbs total). Those took help.

Gerald, that's not a shop, it's an Operating Room! Beautiful space.
 
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Larimore, ND
I've recently received the 3520C and love it. You'll enjoy it, built solid and easy to use. I had no help putting mine together so I employed a small tractor with loader to lift all my parts. Went together surprisingly easy. My wife recently retired so I've banned her car from the garage, so far.... LOL Come winter, my workshop will shrink and I will be relegated to one side of the 2 car garage again.
 

Dave Landers

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My wife recently retired so I've banned her car from the garage, so far.... LOL Come winter, my workshop will shrink and I will be relegated to one side of the 2 car garage again
So you might do some "landscaping" and arrange for the snow to drift in front of the garage door :)
When we moved into our place 4 years ago and my wife said "keep that half clear so I can park there in the winter." But it turned out the snow drifts right in front of the garage door, as well as a couple other places along that long driveway to the back of the house. So I won back that half of my shop.... (still pending if I have to build another garage or carport).
 
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Just got the shipping notice for my 3520C, so I'm expecting it early to mid next week. I already wired in another 240v circuit where I'm going to place it initially. The whole workshop plan is still in flux, but I'm laying claim to half of our 3 car garage (my wife says it's ok). There's just the matter of clearing out 32 years of accumulated clutter, so I think there's a dumpster in the near future. Then sealing the cinder block walls, painting the floor, repairing the roof, rewiring, lights, ventilation, HVAC, etc. Given the current rate of progress, it should be ready sometime around 2030.
 
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It's definitely a process. Tell you one thing I would do again in a heartbeat, and that's the mini-split I had put into the garage. Very, very efficient, and keeps things comfy.

Well, first turning today. In the spirit of making it as difficult as humanly possible, I dusted off my very dull tools (all Henry Taylor from Craft Supplies, to my surprise ... no memory of that), took a thin piece of highly-figured, walnut burl scrap, and started turning a finial. Broke that in about 5 minutes, then set about sharpening! Set up one of the broken pieces and started again. A few catches later, got out a stone for honing. Everything went well for about 15 minutes until things started getting really thin, then SNAP! I'm definitely rusty, but coving and beading went surprisingly well. Just as I remembered, I prefer skews ... I'm not sure why so many others don't like them.
 
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what is Snow?
Oh I remember, it’s the stuff that falls out of the sky when we visit Colorado in June.... :)

Here it is, 5/7/20, and it was just snowing in SE Michigan. Just a few flurries, but still.... That's why I never put the snow shovel away until June.
 
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Just got the shipping notice for my 3520C, so I'm expecting it early to mid next week. I already wired in another 240v circuit where I'm going to place it initially. The whole workshop plan is still in flux, but I'm laying claim to half of our 3 car garage (my wife says it's ok). There's just the matter of clearing out 32 years of accumulated clutter, so I think there's a dumpster in the near future. Then sealing the cinder block walls, painting the floor, repairing the roof, rewiring, lights, ventilation, HVAC, etc. Given the current rate of progress, it should be ready sometime around 2030.

I feel your pain. I had plans to set up a small shop in the basement, but 20 years of accumulation (my wife's) and realizing it would never get cleaned out , forced me into the garage. I have been relegated to a spot in the corner of our 3 car garage around 13' long and 8' deep - just enough room for a lathe/band saw and belt disc sander. I can't complain about the garage space as my non-daily driver cars/mower stuff are taking up the remaining space!!

Yep - flurries in Novi today too - crazy.
 
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Rob, that's about what I have, with a tablesaw, dust collector, 2x72 grinder, a kiln, drill press, tool chest, Festool stack, miter saw/stand, and more occupying the space. Into that, I just dropped in a full-sized lathe. Oddly enough, after reorganizing things, I have more working space. I have ample room at the lathe, have unfettered access to my tablesaw for smaller items (bigger projects will still require temporarily evicting a car), and free access to my grinder for the first time ever. The tool chest and Festool stuff roll out of the way as needed.

One big space improvement came from ditching all the blow-molded plastic tool cases. An entire 6' x 2' rack shelf of pneumatic tools, for example, now lives in a single drawer. I sold a powered trailer dolly I no longer needed, and an older gas-powered pressure washer. I still have a generator to get rid of ... I'm tired of rebuilding it and have a replacement already.

Reduce and consolidate ... it never ends.
 
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I'm making sure that, for now at least, anything that's more than an easy lift is on a mobile base, wheeled cart or some kind of caster set. My wife thought that it would be a good idea to get wheels for the 3520C, and who am I to argue with such sound reasoning?
 
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Ric,

Make sure you measure the height of the lathe before you add the wheels to determine how much the wheels will raise the lathe bed in relation to a comfortable working height.
If you need to move a heavy lathe just mount a large out of round billet on the spindle and turn the lathe on and you can easily move the lathe in any direction. :)
 
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Ric,

Make sure you measure the height of the lathe before you add the wheels to determine how much the wheels will raise the lathe bed in relation to a comfortable working height.
If you need to move a heavy lathe just mount a large out of round billet on the spindle and turn the lathe on and you can easily move the lathe in any direction. :)

Thanks for the tip, but the mobile setup I bought still uses the stock leveling feet when the casters aren't in use, so it shouldn't be an issue.
 
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Ric,

Sounds like you bought a good mobile system, some turners try to bolt a 3" or 4" castor on the bottom of each leg which raises the working height.
Not an issue if you are 6"-8" and played basketball growing up, for the average person the additional height would cause issues.
 
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Another Mustard Monster has landed! Mine arrived early today, with no advance notice from the trucking company. I was still in PJ's when the driver called and said he was here. He was cool about it though and waited patiently while I got the trailer in the pole barn hooked up and out to the road. We got it from the lift gate into my trailer using a piece of pipe to make it easier to move. I got it from there into the garage on the trailer, then used a chain hoist to unload and unpack it and set it up by myself. Not bad for an old fart with a bad back. I took my time and did any heavy lifting with the hoist. It's all set up, leveled and running smooth & quiet now. I'm amazed how quiet it is compared my midi lathe. I guess all that cast iron really does absorb a lot of vibration and noise. Now I just need to fab up a couple of light mounts and some dust collection for sanding. It cracks me up that the 3520 headstock weighs more than twice what my entire midi lathe weighs.

Now, who do I ask about the secret handshake?
 
Joined
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Bay Settlement, WI
Another Mustard Monster has landed! Mine arrived early today, with no advance notice from the trucking company. I was still in PJ's when the driver called and said he was here. He was cool about it though and waited patiently while I got the trailer in the pole barn hooked up and out to the road. We got it from the lift gate into my trailer using a piece of pipe to make it easier to move. I got it from there into the garage on the trailer, then used a chain hoist to unload and unpack it and set it up by myself. Not bad for an old fart with a bad back. I took my time and did any heavy lifting with the hoist. It's all set up, leveled and running smooth & quiet now. I'm amazed how quiet it is compared my midi lathe. I guess all that cast iron really does absorb a lot of vibration and noise. Now I just need to fab up a couple of light mounts and some dust collection for sanding. It cracks me up that the 3520 headstock weighs more than twice what my entire midi lathe weighs.

Now, who do I ask about the secret handshake?
No secret handskake required ... welcome to the Mustard Monster Club!
 
Joined
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Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Another Mustard Monster has landed! Mine arrived early today, with no advance notice from the trucking company. I was still in PJ's when the driver called and said he was here. He was cool about it though and waited patiently while I got the trailer in the pole barn hooked up and out to the road. We got it from the lift gate into my trailer using a piece of pipe to make it easier to move. I got it from there into the garage on the trailer, then used a chain hoist to unload and unpack it and set it up by myself. Not bad for an old fart with a bad back. I took my time and did any heavy lifting with the hoist. It's all set up, leveled and running smooth & quiet now. I'm amazed how quiet it is compared my midi lathe. I guess all that cast iron really does absorb a lot of vibration and noise. Now I just need to fab up a couple of light mounts and some dust collection for sanding. It cracks me up that the 3520 headstock weighs more than twice what my entire midi lathe weighs.

Now, who do I ask about the secret handshake?
What has been your experience with some kind of wheels for moving a heavy lathe? Powermatic Customer Service recommends against any kind of wheels. Says they make the lathe unstable. I can buy that, but I still need to move my 3520B once in awhile. Who has any ideas?
 
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hockenbery

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What has been your experience with some kind of wheels for moving a heavy lathe? Powermatic Customer Service recommends against any kind of wheels. Says they make the lathe unstable. I can buy that, but I still need to move my 3520B once in awhile. Who has any ideas?
Casters work pretty well if you are on flat hard surfaces. If you have move over soft surfaces 2 sheets of plywood provide a movable
Road. For light turning you can work on the castors.

Loading on a trailer going up a ramp is difficult with small wheels. 4-5” make it easier.

Best wheel system I have used is the ONEWAY rubber tires. Quick on and off with no tools. They handle most soft surfaces.
The Robust system is quick on off with no tools. But not very good on softer surfaces

A lot of clubs have gotten into bolting wheeled a trailer jack on one end and wheels on hinges that will fold under the legs.
Makes moving up trailer ramps easy. A lever system makes lifting the end with the hinges quick and easy.
 

hockenbery

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For
What has been your experience with some kind of wheels for moving a heavy lathe? Powermatic Customer Service recommends against any kind of wheels. Says they make the lathe unstable. I can buy that, but I still need to move my 3520B once in awhile. Who has any ideas?
for just moving around the shop a hydraulic table works great.
I use this a lot when setting up for classes.
The hydraulic table also worked great as an auxiliary bandsaw table.
Makes a mice stand for a small sandblast cabinet.
 
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I second Hockenbery's suggestion for a Hydraulic lift table. I have one from Harbor Freight that I purchased about one year ago and I use it all the time to move my 3520c lathe or for removing the tail stock from the lathe. Also handy for a lot of other things that need to be moved around the shop.
 
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When I bought my lathe I splurged and bought a set of the Lift Lock and Roll caster assemblies. They're pricey (and I'm not sure they're still being made), but they work well. Considering how little I've moved my lathe though, if I had it to do over, I'd go with the nice casters from these folks:


It looks like there are some Chinese copies on the market now, so buyer beware.
The suggestions for a hydraulic table are smart too. More versatile if you have other stuff that needs to be moved around.
 
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Thanks to you, "repliers". I have researched all the options mentioned. Note that all the caster options had some negative reviews. That is probably due to inadequate quality control at point(s) along the supply chain.

The hydraulic table will not work, because this lathe already has a very hefty leg stand. If I had just the lathe bed, the hydraulic table might be an option. Plus, that option is quite expensive.

I will be trying retractable casters. I can install them on the sides of the existing legs (I hope). I will try Ronlap brand, 880 lb capacity for 4 casters. Hopefully, they will provide enough capacity. I also will be tying the two casters at each end together with some kind of metal bar. That way one end can be lifted and casters engaged without the lathe stand's being racked by raising only one corner at a time. The Oneway option mentioned by Hockenberry has only three casters. I don't think it will work for the Powermatic legs without significant additional work. Plus, it costs literally ten times what a set of retractable casters costs.

I will not get to this until later in August. Stay tuned...
 

hockenbery

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The hydraulic table will not work, because this lathe already has a very hefty leg stand. If I had just the lathe bed, the hydraulic table might be an option. Plus, that option is quite expensive.

Just to clarify - my hydraulic table from Northern Tool has moved at least 4 different powermatics with the standard leg set.
I think the table was rated for 750 lbs.
If you have added a 100 pounds more to your powermatic then it would be questionable.
Although I have used it to move my ONEWAY 2436 that weighs over 900 with add ons.
 
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Hockenberry makes a good point. Hydraulic tables come in different capacities depending on the manufacturer. My Harbor Freight hydraulic table is rated at 1000lbs. So plenty of capacity to spare lifting my 3520c without accessories.
 
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Hockenberry and Bochenek are correct! I did not mean that the weight was a problem. What I meant was that I have filled the volume under the lathe bed between the end legs with cabinets, so there is no room for the hydraulic lift. But I was remiss in not making that clear. My apologies.
 
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Member on another forum I read built a wheeled cabinet for under a similar lathe. Left & right ends each have an automotive scissor jack installed. When he needs to move the lathe he centers the cabinet and jacks up the lathe. Slick looking. I’m not familiar with rules for linking to outside forums—and it’s on a forum that requires a membership to view photos, so it may take a search to find.
Earl
 
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Thanks to Earl. If the retractable casters do not work, I will consider his suggestion. But it would require dismantling my existing cabinets.
Hope it helps. Reach out to me if you want some additional info. As I replied to you earlier, I realized that might be helpful for my Sweet 16–and I have a set of 5” casters that are currently in my way!!
 
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