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New lathe decision

I had a 3520B powermatic that was a good machine. A fellow turner was in the market for one and I had an itch for a bigger lathe. The sliding headstock and the pivoting tailstock was what sold me on the Robust. I just couldn't make myself pull the trigger even though I knew the PM could be sold with a phone call. What finally pushed me over the edge was knowing that I had a big Lund boat and motor that cost more used than the new Robust would cost. The Lund wasn't being used nearly as often as my current lathe was. I have never regretted the choice of an Robust AB. It's an awesome machine. The fact that you can roll the tailstock out of the way effortlessly and it always lines back up perfect in an engineering marvel.
 
Flashback! After I got mine, I had an issue with it not turning on. I called Brent, and his comment was some thing like, "I know you are a very experienced turner, but did you make sure the spindle lock is pushed all the way down"? Sure enough, that was the problem.... The AB does have a wired in spindle lock so you can't turn it on if the spindle lock is engaged. Not sure if this is the only lathe that has this feature or not.

robo hippy
 
DON FRANK said:
I had a 3520B powermatic that was a good machine. A fellow turner was in the market for one and I had an itch for a bigger lathe. The sliding headstock and the pivoting tailstock was what sold me on the Robust. I just couldn't make myself pull the trigger even though I knew the PM could be sold with a phone call. What finally pushed me over the edge was knowing that I had a big Lund boat and motor that cost more used than the new Robust would cost. The Lund wasn't being used nearly as often as my current lathe was. I have never regretted the choice of a Robust AB. It's an awesome machine. The fact that you can roll the tailstock out of the way effortlessly and it always lines back up perfect in an engineering marvel.
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I had to google that. The Tilt Away feature looks good.
 
If you want to turn bowls comfortably, get a lathe which allows outboard turning. Once you've turned a bowl outboard, you'll never want to turn one inboard again. Having a headstock spindle with the same thread both ends, and a way to lock chucks onto the spindle nose so that you can safely turn with the lathe running backwards or forwards is also essential. Why do so few lathes have these features? Because their designers don't fully understand woodturning.
Mike Darlow
 
I did look at the VB36, and while you can turn spindles on it, it just is not made for doing that. I have never turned "outboard". My PM and Robust are not set up for that, and pretty much all of my lathes have been in corners so the outboard turning was not an option. The first set ups for that were reverse threaded, but I believe they have fixed that now. Don't really know. I also think that the early versions didn't have an efficient banjo mount. Regardless, it is now a better option than it used to be. The manufacturers do respond to customer feedback. My AB and Vicmark do not have outboard turning options. Not sure if the Vicmark ever did have that option, though it would make sense. Being able to stand up straight to turn is a huge back saver!

robo hippy
 
hockenbery said:
It’s a beast - a union graduate on steroids.
Has some features that require a mindset adjustment
I know a few owners and turned on one once.
A ONEWAY 2416 with a big outboard table is a pretty good competitor.
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As a purely dedicated bowl lathe, a Oneway 2416 (or any xx16 of theirs) would be an excellent choice. Stand at the right end of the lathe all day long. Bolt on the short bed extension option as needed for the occasional spindle job.
 
Bill Alston said:
A friend of mine has a VB36, one of the best bowl turning lathes you can get.

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When I was picking my ‘Last Lathe’ - 14 years ago now, the VB was on my list. It turned out that there was one available relatively close to me and I checked it out. Built like a beast, smooth as silk, it had a lot going for it. I just couldn’t wrap my left-handed brain around the ergonomics and the distinct oddities in its design. I followed a VB user’s group for several years and read of the maintenance issues required by the oil/plain bearing system, Chuck attachments and a few other oddities and decided that it just didn’t work well for me. It is, indeed built for the long haul, though.
Wound up after just over a year of auditioning equipment with my Robust AB and haven’t looked back. I spent months arranging time on Oneway, Vicmark, Powermatic, Serious, and even got a long look, no turning time, at a Titan Magma that an acquaintance had forwarded from Germany after the decision had been made). My Robust AB still performs as new even though I’m rapidly approaching my ‘best by’ date…
 
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