Lathe upgrade question?

[Barry Larson]

I'm thinking of a lathe upgrade since I've gotten back into round things and found I still like doing it!
Currently I'm using an elderly General (Canada) 160 lathe with a Reeves VS drive. I put new bearings in the headstock and new drive belts since it had been sitting for about 20 years. It works fine, but as I have found with tooling and work holding time has marched on and progress has been made in lathe technology especially in the areas of work speed control. So I started to contemplate an upgrade.
I'm considering a Oneway 1640 lathe since it has the capacity I think I need for now and the immediate future. I don't contemplate turning items over 16 inches in diameter, but one never knows. The 1640 will allow turning on the outboard side to 24 inches with the addition of an outboard bed extension, so if I want to do bigger I have that option. Does anybody turn with this setup? Do you like it? What are the downsides.
My other option is to go big or go home and just buy a 20XX series lathe. The rational here would be you can turn something small on a big lathe (to a point anyway) but you can't turn something big on a small lathe!
I should add that I am in Canada so Oneway is a lower priced option (in this class of lathe anyway) than some of the others, and they seem to enjoy a good reputation, even if delivery times might be several months. If I decide to upgrade I will likely visit the factory this fall to place an order.
Any and all advice is gratefully accepted. Thank you.
Cheers.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada eh!

 

[Aaron Cheateaux]

I went from an older Delta gap bed lathe, to a Jet 1642, to a Robust AB. If the AB hadn’t fallen in my lap, I would still be happy with the 16” lathe, and turning larger stuff off the end.

 

[Barry Larson]

I went from an older Delta gap bed lathe, to a Jet 1642, to a Robust AB. If the AB hadn’t fallen in my lap, I would still be happy with the 16” lathe, and turning larger stuff off the end.

Thanks Aaron. That's the way I'm leaning. I actually turned some pretty big stuff off the end of a Delta lathe way back in a previous life - well nearly 50 years ago anyway. Of course in those days you used an outboard stand for tool support. I would imagine a bed extension would make a world of difference to the process.
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Gary Hack]

I'm thinking of a lathe upgrade since I've gotten back into round things and found I still like doing it!
Currently I'm using an elderly General (Canada) 160 lathe with a Reeves VS drive. I put new bearings in the headstock and new drive belts since it had been sitting for about 20 years. It works fine, but as I have found with tooling and work holding time has marched on and progress has been made in lathe technology especially in the areas of work speed control. So I started to contemplate an upgrade.
I'm considering a Oneway 1640 lathe since it has the capacity I think I need for now and the immediate future. I don't contemplate turning items over 16 inches in diameter, but one never knows. The 1640 will allow turning on the outboard side to 24 inches with the addition of an outboard bed extension, so if I want to do bigger I have that option. Does anybody turn with this setup? Do you like it? What are the downsides.
My other option is to go big or go home and just buy a 20XX series lathe. The rational here would be you can turn something small on a big lathe (to a point anyway) but you can't turn something big on a small lathe!
I should add that I am in Canada so Oneway is a lower priced option (in this class of lathe anyway) than some of the others, and they seem to enjoy a good reputation, even if delivery times might be several months. If I decide to upgrade I will likely visit the factory this fall to place an order.
Any and all advice is gratefully accepted. Thank you.
Cheers.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada eh!

Given that you are in Calgary you should contact Ken at branches to bowls who is also Calgary based. He's the Vicmarc distributor and whether you go that way or not it would be at least informative. So far I've been very happy dealing with him
The 1640 with outboard would have been a consideration for me, but I don't have the shop space for outboard turning.
Good luck and happy hunting
G

 

[Richard Coers]

Buy the Oneway and it will be a lifetime machine. I have 25 years on mine and it's been a great money maker for me!

 

[Barry Larson]

Given that you are in Calgary you should contact Ken at branches to bowls who is also Calgary based. He's the Vicmarc distributor and whether you go that way or not it would be at least informative. So far I've been very happy dealing with him
The 1640 with outboard would have been a consideration for me, but I don't have the shop space for outboard turning.
Good luck and happy hunting
G

Thanks Gary. I've dealt with Ken. He's a great guy and has already tried to sell me a Vicmark, and the Vicmarc lathes are nice, but by the time they get to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, they are way more money than a Oneway.
Space is a minor consideration, which is why the shorter bed 2XXX series Oneway is still a contender.
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Barry Larson]

Buy the Oneway and it will be a lifetime machine. I have 25 years on mine and it's been a great money maker for me!

Thanks Richard. I toured the Oneway factory when they first started up and was pretty impressed with the build process. I haven't read anything to suggest the quality has decline in the intervening years either.
Do you have a 1640 or one of the 2XXX series?
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Barry, if you can afford it, and have the room for it, get the large Oneway, still the best lathe there is hands down.

 

[Barry Larson]

Barry, if you can afford it, and have the room for it, get the large Oneway, still the best lathe there is hands down.

Thanks Leo. I'm pretty much decided on a Oneway. Just trying to decide if there is a downside to having 16 inches on the inboard side and having to turn bigger stuff on the outboard (with the bed extension). Given the sort of stuff I'm turning now which is in the 2 to 8 inch (diameter) range I might never turn anything over 16 inches anyway - but I do like to keep my options open.
Cheers,
Barry

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks Leo. I'm pretty much decided on a Oneway. Just trying to decide if there is a downside to having 16 inches on the inboard side and having to turn bigger stuff on the outboard (with the bed extension). Given the sort of stuff I'm turning now which is in the 2 to 8 inch (diameter) range I might never turn anything over 16 inches anyway - but I do like to keep my options open.
Cheers,
Barry

Barry I love turning outboard, it was the reason I bought and build the outboard on my lathe, you can stand just straight and hold the tools any way that works best, as there is no bed ways in the way to prevent that from doing.

 

[Russell Nugent]

Thanks Leo. I'm pretty much decided on a Oneway. Just trying to decide if there is a downside to having 16 inches on the inboard side and having to turn bigger stuff on the outboard (with the bed extension). Given the sort of stuff I'm turning now which is in the 2 to 8 inch (diameter) range I might never turn anything over 16 inches anyway - but I do like to keep my options open.
Cheers,
Barry

If I could afford it I'd get the 24xx hands down. I've got a 16 inch lathe(not a one w ay sadly) and while the end result at the max is 15" or under having over 16" swing gives you plenty orlf room for lining up the grain between centers on large blanks without hitting the ways or having to trim your blank again. I've turned on the big oneway and it's an enjoyable experience.

 

[Doug Freeman]

If you have plenty of $ then just get a big Oneway. If you are a bit $ conscience, or space is a consideration, take a look at Nova lathes, either the Galaxy (16”)or Nebula (18”), it appears there are many dealers in Canada.

2 things set these lathes apart from the crowd: 1) pivoting headstock with lathe mounted outrigger, 2) dvr motor torque. The outrigger allows 29” and is very compact, unlike a lowered bed extension. The pivot HS gets the lathe bed out of the way for bowl hollowing, and when sanding and finishing. The dvr motor has significantly more torque vs a vfd drive system.

Worth a look if you are not familiar with them.

 

[Roger Wiegand]

I've never met anyone who regretted having a bigger lathe. Some have downsized out of necessity, but they all miss their bigger lathe.

 

[Barry Larson]

Barry I love turning outboard, it was the reason I bought and build the outboard on my lathe, you can stand just straight and hold the tools any way that works best, as there is no bed ways in the way to prevent that from doing.

View attachment 53799

Thanks Leo. That makes sense. Same reason some folks like the pivoting headstock.
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Ron Solfest]

I’ve gotten used to the sliding headstock on my PM3520 where I leave it ~mid-bed and slide the tailstock on/off a couple times each bowl (on to put tenon on and turn outside, off to turn inside, back on to turn off tenon). Turning out bowls standing at the end without the ways in the way is the only way to go.

Based on my process it would be difficult to turn outboard without the use of the tailstock (I have done it a few times on ~30” size pieces on my PM). The Oneway is a great lathe and I considered it at the top of my list 20yrs ago, but the lack of a sliding headstock would cause me to look at PM, or better yet Robust, if I was looking today. Maybe a rotating headstock if a solid one was easily available, but I wasn’t real happy with the rotating headstock on a Jet I had 25 yrs ago (admittedly that was a different class of a lathe).

I’m sure you’ll be happy with a Oneway, and adjust your process to fit it; but if money weren’t an object I’d give a serious look at a Robust

Additionally, regarding size, remember that a 16” allows you to swing that over the ways but it’s a pain to mess with moving the banjo underneath/around anything larger than ~12” or so.

 

[hockenbery]

Thanks Leo. I'm pretty much decided on a Oneway. Just trying to decide if there is a downside to having 16 inches on the inboard side and having to turn bigger stuff on the outboard (with the bed extension). Given the sort of stuff I'm turning now which is in the 2 to 8 inch (diameter) range I might never turn anything over 16 inches anyway - but I do like to keep my options open.
Cheers,
Barry

one of the greatest bowl lathes is the 2416 with the 17” out board table turn between centers on one side hollow on the other
A second banjo is nice but a swinger makes moving the banjo a a up close job

 

[hockenbery]

Based on my process it would be difficult to turn outboard without the use of the tailstock (I have done it a few times on ~30” size pieces on my PM)

It ads a lot to the price but the big outboard table on the ONEWAY has a bed available for the tailstock
Roughing a 30” platter blank is a lot better with that taildtock support

 

[Barry Larson]

Thanks to all who responded. I'm leaning toward a Oneway1640 with the outboard bed extension. This would allow me to turn 24 inches on the outboard side and would also permit use of the tailstock (with riser block) for supporting larger pieces. I think a reasonable compromise, plus I could purchase the bed extension later if I really find myself limited by the 16 inch swing.
Thanks again for all the sage advice.
Barry

 

[robo hippy]

I have had sliding headstock lathes since I got my 3520A lathe, 25 years ago. If I was to go for a Oneway, I would have to have the outboard turning option. I do not like turning bowls on long bed lathes. Well, my back does complain a lot if I turn on one. I don't like holding my arms out away from my body, Stuart Batty style, which is what you have to do on a long bed lathe. For pivoting headstock lathes, that would be the Vicmark 240. I think they have the best pivoting headstock set up.

robo hippy

 

[Paul Pyzyna]

I'm thinking of a lathe upgrade since I've gotten back into round things and found I still like doing it!
Currently I'm using an elderly General (Canada) 160 lathe with a Reeves VS drive. I put new bearings in the headstock and new drive belts since it had been sitting for about 20 years. It works fine, but as I have found with tooling and work holding time has marched on and progress has been made in lathe technology especially in the areas of work speed control. So I started to contemplate an upgrade.
I'm considering a Oneway 1640 lathe since it has the capacity I think I need for now and the immediate future. I don't contemplate turning items over 16 inches in diameter, but one never knows. The 1640 will allow turning on the outboard side to 24 inches with the addition of an outboard bed extension, so if I want to do bigger I have that option. Does anybody turn with this setup? Do you like it? What are the downsides.
My other option is to go big or go home and just buy a 20XX series lathe. The rational here would be you can turn something small on a big lathe (to a point anyway) but you can't turn something big on a small lathe!
I should add that I am in Canada so Oneway is a lower priced option (in this class of lathe anyway) than some of the others, and they seem to enjoy a good reputation, even if delivery times might be several months. If I decide to upgrade I will likely visit the factory this fall to place an order.
Any and all advice is gratefully accepted. Thank you.
Cheers.
Barry W. Larson
Calgary, Alberta, Canada eh!

Aloha Barry, I bought my One way 2436 about 2004 and love it. I extended the inboard bed with an 18 inch extention for long architectural spindle work and added another 18 inch extension outboard. I use the 24 inch capacity occasionally. I chose the 3 hp motor and am glad I did. The added 18 inch bed allows me to slide the tail stock to the very end so i never remove it from the lathe. I like the option to not be restricted by a smaller but i was not encouraged to buy the set up to turn out board to allow me to turn 40 something inches out board that One Way offers. There are two changes I would make to improve the lathe. I dont like the boom set up for the controls. I would prefer a magnet on the control box so I could locate it at will. Secondly , and I dont know how to resolve this , I find the flared out base under the head stock to be where I want to stand at times. I dont know how to get around this ,pun intended, with out compromising stability. The tab of metal beyond the triangular base used to bolt the lathe to the floor has square sharp corners. This could be rounded.
One change I made was to replace the set screw that holds the indexing pin in position with a small knob. This allows one handed adjustment with out the use of tools. I also filled the tube with bags of sand.
I use my lathe almost daily and I have the room for this size. Good luck with your decision and enjoy the new horizons your new lathe will offer. Did I say I love my lathe?
Be well,
Paul

 

[Barry Larson]

I have had sliding headstock lathes since I got my 3520A lathe, 25 years ago. If I was to go for a Oneway, I would have to have the outboard turning option. I do not like turning bowls on long bed lathes. Well, my back does complain a lot if I turn on one. I don't like holding my arms out away from my body, Stuart Batty style, which is what you have to do on a long bed lathe. For pivoting headstock lathes, that would be the Vicmark 240. I think they have the best pivoting headstock set up.

robo hippy

Thanks Robo. I've pretty much decided to order the lathe with the outboard extension. Heck I might even order an extra tailstock so I can have the equivalent of two lathes back to back and not have to switch a tailstock back and forth...
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Barry Larson]

Aloha Barry, I bought my One way 2436 about 2004 and love it. I extended the inboard bed with an 18 inch extention for long architectural spindle work and added another 18 inch extension outboard. I use the 24 inch capacity occasionally. I chose the 3 hp motor and am glad I did. The added 18 inch bed allows me to slide the tail stock to the very end so i never remove it from the lathe. I like the option to not be restricted by a smaller but i was not encouraged to buy the set up to turn out board to allow me to turn 40 something inches out board that One Way offers. There are two changes I would make to improve the lathe. I dont like the boom set up for the controls. I would prefer a magnet on the control box so I could locate it at will. Secondly , and I dont know how to resolve this , I find the flared out base under the head stock to be where I want to stand at times. I dont know how to get around this ,pun intended, with out compromising stability. The tab of metal beyond the triangular base used to bolt the lathe to the floor has square sharp corners. This could be rounded.
One change I made was to replace the set screw that holds the indexing pin in position with a small knob. This allows one handed adjustment with out the use of tools. I also filled the tube with bags of sand.
I use my lathe almost daily and I have the room for this size. Good luck with your decision and enjoy the new horizons your new lathe will offer. Did I say I love my lathe?
Be well,
Paul

Thanks Paul. Good things to take note of. Sounds like you like your Oneway lathe:<)!
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Paul Pyzyna]

Thanks Robo. I've pretty much decided to order the lathe with the outboard extension. Heck I might even order an extra tailstock so I can have the equivalent of two lathes back to back and not have to switch a tailstock back and forth...
Cheers.
Barry

When i turn a bowl, I turn the outside inboard with the tali stock and then switch to the out board to turn the interior with out the tail stock. There is not much room on an 18 inch outboard extension for the tail stock.
Batty does not recommend a rotating head due to the compromised connection to the bed to allow the rotation.

 

[Barry Larson]

When i turn a bowl, I turn the outside inboard with the tali stock and then switch to the out board to turn the interior with out the tail stock. There is not much room on an 18 inch outboard extension for the tail stock.
Batty does not recommend a rotating head due to the compromised connection to the bed to allow the rotation.

Thanks Paul. I believe the extension for the 1640 lathe is 24 inches long so a bit longer than the 2XXX extension. I would add the swing out arm to get the tailstock out of the way as well.
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Paul Pyzyna]

Also i am quite fond of the Robusto tool rests. I use a 9 and a 16 inch.

 

[Barry Larson]

Also i am quite fond of the Robusto tool rests. I use a 9 and a 16 inch.

Yes. Many speak very highly of these. I'll be looking into those when the time comes.
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Richard Coers]

Thanks Richard. I toured the Oneway factory when they first started up and was pretty impressed with the build process. I haven't read anything to suggest the quality has decline in the intervening years either.
Do you have a 1640 or one of the 2XXX series?
Cheers.
Barry

2436 and more.

 

[Dean Center]

You might contact a few 'local' clubs and see if anyone is selling a lathe that would suit you. A Oneway from 10 years ago is pretty much the same as a Oneway made next week, and they hold up well over time.

 

[Barry Larson]

You might contact a few 'local' clubs and see if anyone is selling a lathe that would suit you. A Oneway from 10 years ago is pretty much the same as a Oneway made next week, and they hold up well over time.

Thanks Dean. Funny you should mention used. I actually found a very lightly used 1640 pretty much like I would order one - including the outboard extension, 24 inch banjo and tailstock riser - only problem is the asking price was a bit more than a new one would cost from Oneway! Funny how a wait (4 to 6 months) to get a new one effects the pricing on used ones. I will however keep my eyes peeled for used - pretty hard to wear one of these lathes out...
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Alan Weinberg]

got an ad for a Rikon. Looks nice. How does that fit in with these others quality wise?

 

[Kevin Jenness]

I dont like the boom set up for the controls. I would prefer a magnet on the control box so I could locate it at will.

You could remove the control box from the boom and put magnets on it. You would want to enclose the wiring in a flexible sheath.

 

[Dean Center]

Thanks Dean. Funny you should mention used. I actually found a very lightly used 1640 pretty much like I would order one - including the outboard extension, 24 inch banjo and tailstock riser - only problem is the asking price was a bit more than a new one would cost from Oneway! Funny how a wait (4 to 6 months) to get a new one effects the pricing on used ones. I will however keep my eyes peeled for used - pretty hard to wear one of these lathes out...
Cheers.
Barry

You could always offer what you feel you can afford. The worst that could happen is they say no.

 

[Barry Larson]

You could always offer what you feel you can afford. The worst that could happen is they say no.

I thought of that.....
Cheers.
Barry

 

[Richard Coers]

No different than in the late 90s. Sometimes the wait was a year. They are a major fabricator to construction equipment and the lathes were just a side hack as those kids say today!

 

[John Grace]

You could always offer what you feel you can afford. The worst that could happen is they say no.

Alll of my major shop tools to include table saw, bandsaw, lathe, and Mini-Max are all used machines. When making an offer...you simply need to be fair to the both of you...what's a machine cost new, cost of moving the machine, condition, etc. If it's the machine you want factor all of the above into the equation and then simply ask the person if they're open to the idea of lowering the price relative to current market pricing. Keep in mind they may also be including chucks or other items that change the over-all equation. If they say they are...then document the cost of new, make an appropriate offer relative to the machine's age and condition, and if necessary...some of the rationale behind your offer (distance/shipping costs). Good luck...

 

[robo hippy]

I did get one of the Robust S bowl rests, and it looks more 'professional' than mine, but believe it is the best one out there for both inside and outsides of bowls. When I designed it, I thought it was only good for inside of bowls, but I and a number of other people also just swing it around for turning the outside of the bowl. Far better than a straight rest for inside the bowls.

robo hippy

 

[Thomas Kila]

I've had my Jet 1642 for 16 years and got used to the sliding headstock. Earlier this year, when I decided to go bigger, Robust's sliding headstock was the selling point for me. I am very happy with my American Beauty and have absolutely no regrets.