• It's time to cast your vote in the January 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Alan Weinberg for "Elm Burl Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 27, 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.

Harvey t60-s banjo

John Hicks

John Hicks

Joined
Jan 23, 2020
Messages
693
Likes
970
Location
Shingletown CA
I have had two banjos sent to me from Harvey lathes. I am on the third one and it has yet cracked again under the front handle that tightens the banjo down to the bed. It cracks on the cast iron just below the bushing for the handle. You would think maybe they could ad a bit of cast iron above and below this bushing so it doesn't crack there. It caused the banjo to go wonky when tightened down, especially when the front of the banjo is over the bed. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm thinking of getting a oneway banjo to replace it, but the prices now are approaching the cost of a mars rover. JB weld only goes so far.
 
My Grizzly G0800 [Harvey T-60 Clone] has not had any issues whatsoever. I know that cast iron can be welded, using flux core wire, and pre heating the cast part. If you could find a competent welder, that likely can be repaired. A Oneway banjo is a great apparatus….I have one for my G0766.
 
I like the wedges on the Robust lathe for tightening up rather than the set screw that is more common. I know PM went to a wedge system with the C model. They would be worth looking at.

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
I like the wedges on the Robust lathe for tightening up rather than the set screw that is more common. I know PM went to a wedge system with the C model. They would be worth looking at.

robo hippy
Click to expand...
Powermatic actually went back to the wedge they had on the first 3520. Not sure why they went to the screw.

The wedges are really good but the ONEWAY lock is a lot better. ONEWAY owners Never have to worry about the wedges moving to block the hole while a tool post is out.
 
Al, I had one of the very early 3520A models. It had no wedges. I needed 2 lock/set screws to keep the tool rest from vibrating down. Pretty sure the B model was the same. The C changed to the sliding wedges. Have had almost no time on a Oneway. I did like their lever on the tailstock.

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
Al, I had one of the very early 3520A models. It had no wedges. I needed 2 lock/set screws to keep the tool rest from vibrating down. Pretty sure the B model was the same. The C changed to the sliding wedges. Have had almost no time on a Oneway. I did like their lever on the tailstock.

robo hippy
Click to expand...

Rudy Lopez bought a used 3520 It may have preceded the 3520A it had the wedges.
Rudy brought this machine to my shop for a class we were running.

I learned a trick from Lyle Jamieson when he used my Woodfast same screw lock for the tool post.
Tap lock lever with a tool handle. Works for the powermatics.
Whenever I demo on a machine with a screw lock I automatically tap the lock lever for a solid hold.
 
Last edited:
My A had a set screw thing that had a brass insert inside the screw where it seated against the tool rest post. Don't think that helped. The softer metal of the handles on them is a design fail as the softer metal is eaten by the hard set screw metal. My A did have a small fan under the phase converter, and I had to put a screen over the top of the baffle to keep shavings from getting down in there and turning off the fan. I am trying to remember when I first had it, but a banjo, maybe from Robust, had a kerf in the upper part of the banjo and the idea was that it would pinch around the tool rest post for a better grip. I think Laguna does this now, but not positive. I didn't think it worked any better than the standard handles.

robo hippy
 
Roger Chandler said:
My Grizzly G0800 [Harvey T-60 Clone] has not had any issues whatsoever. I know that cast iron can be welded, using flux core wire, and pre heating the cast part. If you could find a competent welder, that likely can be repaired. A Oneway banjo is a great apparatus….I have one for my G0766.
Click to expand...
I have a T-60, and the comparison to the G0800 in particular is that Harvey has a servo drive - totally different electronics than a VFD. Servo drives are typically used in metalworking and more expensive. A very impressive lathe IMO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top