3520B vs 4224

[Marc Himes]

I am going to upgrade to a new lathe and I only want to do this once. I would like to get the lathe that will last me for the next 15 years. Eventually I would also like to get a vacum chuck and a hollowing system. I was looking at the PM3520B and the PM4224. The difference betweeen the two could buy the other tools, but I really want to be happy with my lathe. Other than 200 lbs, indexing and 24" vs 20" swing, is there much difference between the two lathes? Will the headstock of the 3520 move to the other end to allow turning pieces lager than 20"? Any input will be appreciated.

 

[Dario]

Best feature of the 3520 is the sliding headstock to turn up floor radius (if you have a free standing toolrest).

It all depends on what you do but for me 3520 is more than capable handling any piece I can envision or dream of turning.

Best reference I found for it is here. http://www.woodturner.org/vbforum/showthread.php?t=1839

Good luck w/ your choice!

 

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I had been looking at the 4224 and the Oneway as well and had pretty much decided 4224. I was then pointed towards the Robust. I have ordered the 25 X 28 American Beauty. My thinking was that I can add the tools and accessories but the lathe is something I wanted to secure first and be happy with it. My suggestion is get what you really want that is in your range or you'll probably be going down this road again.

 

[C Edward Moore]

Good Choice!!

Mr Hartley, you have chosen well. I have the Robust 25 x 28 and am extremely pleased with that choice. Now that I have gotten used to the features of the Robust I am really pleased. The TiltAway is a feature that I use daily and I can't imagine picking up another tailstock.

Good luck with a great lathe.

 

[John Nicholas]

3520 V 4224

3520 has a sliding headstock. Big brother does not.

You can add a bed extension to turn longer spindles 35+18 V 42 plus the bed extension.

Nick Cook demos for PM. He has 2 3520s and has hooked them up so that he can turn a spindle 70 inches with 4 hp. Why did he choose 2 3520s instead of 2 4224s?

My 3520 does what I want. I can always add a bed extension or a free standing tool rest.

John

 

[Brodie Brickey]

3520b

I got a 3520A two years ago when I upgraded from a 14" swing Delta. I've been very happy with the lathe. The sliding headstock is useful. At 35, I'm not too worried about the weight of tailstocks and such. I got the lathe because the bang for my buck was so great compared to a 16" VS lathe, only a little more.

Despite being guilty of a bit of the Tim Taylor "more power" attitude, I have found that I generally don't turn larger than 16" bowls. Part of this may be because I'm in southern California and I don't have regular access to large hardwoods, but have you ever actually held a 16" bowl? That's for holding salad for an army or popcorn for a platoon of children I don't have! If I turned a 24" bowl, I'd put a piece of glass over it and call it a coffee table!

Unless you planned to regularly turn greater than 20" diameter pieces, I think you'd be very happy with a 3520B. If I found myself turning a lot of really large pieces, I wouldn't upgrade necessarily, but I would get a bed extension and probably connect it in some way to the main bed with a spacer so that I could bring up a tailstock for really large pieces and still turn beyond the 20" swing. Below is a post about some mods Rollie Bowns made to his PM. I don't know that I'd go this route exactly, but at the same time, the issue has not come up yet.

http://www.woodturner.org/vbforum/showthread.php?t=3174

Would I love to have an even larger lathe than I do now? Maybe a Stubby or Robust? Sure, but I'd also like to live on a couple acres and not have to worry about money, spending most of my days working on developing my woodturning and woodworking skills. But neither are all that likely to happen.

I wish you the best of luck in your choices. If you are going to be at the Portland AAW symposium, they will almost certainly have a number of the larger lathes to try out and possibly sale pricing for the demo lathes (those Uhaul trailers aren't that expensive one way). When I attended Pasadena in 2003, I think Stubby and Robust were both there as well as Oneway and others. If you can wait that long.

One Addendum: The 3520B model is the refining upgrade to the 3520A. I've seen them, and they look great with some nice changes that make things just...nicer. The 4224 hasn't received a comparable upgrade as far as I know, so you're automatically dealing with older technology and an older thought process about how a lathe is used. Despite this being woodturning, the turning process & field has changed quite a bit over the last 10 years and the newer lathes reflect that adjustment.

 

[john lucas]

The 3520B has the option of adding a short bed extension and mounting it lower on the legs. This gives it more swing than the 4224. It isn't as heavy as the big brother but I added 300lbs of rock to my 3520A and really like it.
I think I would like another lathe but I don't know why. This one does all that I ask of it with a few minor things. The 3520B corrected most of the little things I don't like about my A model.
If I was going to spend a lot more money I would have to look at The Robust, stubby, and Oneway.

 

[waltben]

Bigger vs. BIGGER

Instead of getting into the brand name arguments (read 'religious wars'), I'd like to tag onto Brodie's comments on over 16" bowls. Although I can turn up to 30" (with my un-named lathe), I've never gone beyond 25". That 25" piece has been sitting in a hand-made furniture gallery for two years. I've turned many between 16 and 22", and they sell, but slower than those from 8 to 14". What I've found the extra swing is really good for is irregular pieces - natural edges, burls, etc., but that's about it. Get the highest quality you can with your budget if you want to keep the lathe for 15 years, focusing on your needs and requirements most of all.

 

[WODAD]

4224 For Me

Marc, for me it was the 4224 and that was my second lathe purchase. Heavier, greater capacity and mine came with the 65" bed extension, now I have people wanting porch posts! Why do I want to buy a new lathe and then add weight to it when for a little more I can buy one heavy enough to handle the load? Had enough of that with my first one. As for turning, I've made some huge bowls (over 20"), will they sell? Don't really care, I could so I did! And they are really awesome!

Got mine from Osolnik Machinery and am very happy with the service received.


Frank D

 

[Aaron G+11]

About six months or so I was faced with a like problem. After much debate I decided on the 4224. The reason. It had the weight, power, size I wanted. The sliding head stock of the 3520 is a neat feature. One that I would like to see how it holds up over time. I have seen pieces become unstable due to loose head stocks. The 3520b has some nice bells and whistles. The 4224 is a stripped down, no nonsense machine.

Out board assemblies can be gotten for both.

I have turned on both. Both are excellent machines. I would recommend that you find some folks that have the machines and play. In ten years the difference in cost will not matter.

Final thought: Is it worse to rarely use the capacity that you have or to constantly over tax it.

Aaron

 

[john lucas]

Aaron the sliding headstock on the 3520 holds up very well. They've had a bunch of them at the Crafts center. The very first ones had a cast locking mechanism that could break, and one did. After that they changed to solid steel and they all work great. I have forgotten to lock it down once but that was me being stupid, not thier fault.
I like being able to stand at the end of the lathe to hollow and you can't do that with the 2442.

 

[Jred]

A sliding headstock can be very nice ergonomically. I don't know that the price increase is worth the gain in my eyes. As you said better to have money to outfit the lathe as you would like.

 

[Marc Himes]

I really would like to thank all of you who replied. It is nice to hear from other turners who have expierience of each of the lathes. I am going to visit a member of our new-being formed AAW chapter tomorrow to try out a 3520A. I think I will be happy with either machine once I make a dicision.
The Packard catalogue has a special on them this month in case anyone is interested. Thanks again. I'll post my decision.
Turning a coffee table---hmmm.

 

[Jred]

www.toolnut.com usually gets people the best price on this machine it seems.
Great people to do business with in my experience. Call the number on the website and they will set you up.

 

[john lucas]

I used the Tool nut and so did quite a few of my friends. I can highlly recommend them.

 

[Marc Himes]

Thanks John and Jred. I'll give them a call.