Jet or DVR - the conclusion

[Bill Grumbine]

Howdy everyone

A little while ago I solicited opinions on the Jet 1642 and the Nova DVR lathes, for the purpose of adding one to the shop to accomodate the student load. The winner is.....

The Vega 2600 bowl lathe!

A late darkhorse entry, this lathe exceeded my parameters and my expectations (and almost my wallet!) but in the end, it won out for big and powerful and compact all rolled into one. I just got done spending money, and now I have to get out the shop shoehorn again to get it in the shop.

Thanks again to all who posted in the previous thread, and I will post a pic or two when the new machine arrives.

Bill

 

[TurnedAround]

Price, my friend, price! What ya pay and where did ya get it? 🙂

 

[C Edward Moore]

Interesting choice

Bill,

I think that you made an interesting and innovative choice, much better than a Jet or DVR that was being suggested. I hope that you get a ton of satisfaction from it. 🙂

 

[Jeff Jilg]

That sounds like a good choice Bill - to provide another manufacturer's lathe in your group of lathes. I think the diverse set of lathes will be fun to play with. It might be interesting over time to compare which features from each lathe get used the most.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Symbology

Um, Mr. Moderator, sir? Not to deflect from Bill's well deserved gloat (excellant choice), but I just noticed there's been a transformation from the Owl to the Cat. Is Puss-In-Boots next? 😀

 

[Steve Worcester]

Um, Mr. Moderator, sir? Not to deflect from Bill's well deserved gloat (excellant choice), but I just noticed there's been a transformation from the Owl to the Cat. Is Puss-In-Boots next? 😀

Not that I am Jeff, but I have noticed too that when you change your avatar, it changes it on all messages, past and present.

 

[Jeff Jilg]

OT: changed avatar

Steve is correct that when you change your avatar it changes on all your messages past and present.

I don't want to take away from Bill's gloat either. It is very exciting to purchase a new lathe. And a bowl lathe will be especially fun. Now Bill's biggest problem will be deciding which toy he will be using that day !!

Thank you for noticing the change Mark, I appreciate your keen observation.

When I returned from the AAW board meeting on late Monday nite (July 25) following the symposium, Little Buddy was on the porch to greet me as usual. Little Buddy was our 9 year old, 17 pound cat. He never missed a breakfast or dinner in his life. And he loved to sleep inside during the hot days. Unfortunately that was the last night we saw him.

We live in the suburbs with some nearby greenbelts 1 mile away. After discussions with the neighbors we believe that a predator (coyote, dog, or horned owl) took him. There was a "big cat fight" at 2am that night as reported by our next door neighbor at her house. There is no trace of him. The closest coyote sighting in the past 5 years was 1 mile away. We have not given up hope, but the chances are slim at this point. I created a custom avatar of Little Buddy to honor his memory. He was a prince among cats and a companion beyond compare. We still can't believe he is gone. 🙁

 

[Mark Mandell]

Buddy

Sorry Jeff,

They so become such an integral part of our lives, it's all too easy to take them for granted. Here's hoping your guy rejoins you soon.

Mark

 

[Jeff Jilg]

Thank you Mark.

 

[Bill Grumbine]

Price, my friend, price! What ya pay and where did ya get it? 🙂

I bought direct from Vega on this one, and the price - well, what I can say about the price is that it is in a little bit of flux right now. Because of steel prices going up and Vega not having a price increase in a very long time, it is going up but I am not sure to what or when. I will know more about that in the next few days I hope.

Bill

 

[Bill Grumbine]

Thanks guys for the comments. I spent quite a bit of time researching this one, and comparing it to other machines. The best part is, I do not have to worry about any one job falling through like I did with the Mini Max lathe. For the size it is, it promises to be a real asset to the shop, and as Jeff says, it will give people an opportunity to try, or at least look over a very unique machine.

In a couple of places where I had mentioned this addition to the shop, it was suggested to me that I put in a lower end lathe, and while I thought about it briefly, I think that the essence of class time with a paid instructor is being able to work on a machine that is not going to pose its own obstacles to the turning process. Quite a few people come to me who own lathes made by Harbor Freight, Ridgid, Sears, and entry level machines of other makes. When they get the opportunity to turn on a bigger heavier lathe, they can quickly see what is happening because of their technique and what is the result of the lathe they are using.

There are quite a few people who are content with a less expensive machine, and do very nice work on them, but for the folks who come wanting to spin big chunks of wood, these machines are the ticket. I got word today that it is on the truck, and it might be here as early as Friday! Pictures will come once I get it in the shop.

Bill