Oneway 24/36 worth upgrading to from Powermatic 3520c

[Dan Marion]

I'd like to get opinions on whether it would be worth it for me to upgrade the PM 3520c that I've had since Dec 22 to a Oneway 24/36 3hp.

Overall the powermatic has been good but I find myself pushing it's limits fairly regularly. I had the great fortune of becoming a regular at a big farmers market this season but have struggled to keep up with production demands. I was not prepared for the success and did not have enough bowls rough turned. (I do also make other products, but bowls are the staple) This summer I am looking to prepare fully and plan to rough turn 1-2000 bowls. With the PM I start with max 18in diameter billets I've taken to a hexagon with the chainsaw then I usually get one or two cores out it. I'm frequently having to start slow due to imbalance and stalling when trying to take a bigger cut. I also have to swap the coring set up on and off between each piece. That's not too bad but it does slow down the production.

My plan is to get the 24/36 with the outboard extension. This would let me keep the coring rig set up and allow me to use the tailstock side for initial roughing. Additionally I'd plan to use the shortbed side for finish bowl turning. I don't like having to get everything super clean before sliding the headstock on the PM so I almost never use it in the short bed position. Additionally I'd plan to bolt the OW to the concrete slab to allow me to get larger unbalanced blanks moving faster. The whole point of the upgrade would be to better handle production turning this summer.

The ability to have the advantages of a 3hp fixed headstock lathe while also having the shortbed set up is what makes me lean toward the Oneway over a Vicmarc or Robust. Of course, in theory I could keep the 3520 but I don't have a ton of space and it feels like getting the money out of it would also help with the cost of the potential upgrade.

I would appreciate any thoughts from people who have used both or if there are better options I have not considered. Thanks.

 

[Kevin Jenness]

You should try to get in touch with Mark Stinson, who started this thread on the same subject 5 years ago Oneway vs Vicmarc. He wound up getting a shortbed Oneway with the big outboard setup for production bowl turning. Dale Bonertz has a similar setup on a Vicmarc 300. new girlfriend

Your plan sounds solid. One minor consideration is that you will have to change your threaded accessories over to 33mm with the Oneway.

 

[Dan Marion]

You should try to get in touch with Mark Stinson, who started this thread on the same subject 5 years ago Oneway vs Vicmarc. He wound up getting a shortbed Oneway with the big outboard setup for production bowl turning. Dale Bonertz has a similar setup on a Vicmarc 300. new girlfriend

Your plan sounds solid. One minor consideration is that you will have to change your threaded accessories over to 33mm with the Oneway.

Thanks Kevin, I'll give both of those threads a read.

Great point regarding the 33mm spindle. Fortunately 2 of my 3 primary chucks are the insert kind so I'll just need new inserts. For the other chuck and my faceplate I think an adapter should be suitable.

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

I'd like to get opinions on whether it would be worth it for me to upgrade the PM 3520c that I've had since Dec 22 to a Oneway 24/36 3hp.

Overall the powermatic has been good but I find myself pushing it's limits fairly regularly. I had the great fortune of becoming a regular at a big farmers market this season but have struggled to keep up with production demands. I was not prepared for the success and did not have enough bowls rough turned. (I do also make other products, but bowls are the staple) This summer I am looking to prepare fully and plan to rough turn 1-2000 bowls. With the PM I start with max 18in diameter billets I've taken to a hexagon with the chainsaw then I usually get one or two cores out it. I'm frequently having to start slow due to imbalance and stalling when trying to take a bigger cut. I also have to swap the coring set up on and off between each piece. That's not too bad but it does slow down the production.

My plan is to get the 24/36 with the outboard extension. This would let me keep the coring rig set up and allow me to use the tailstock side for initial roughing. Additionally I'd plan to use the shortbed side for finish bowl turning. I don't like having to get everything super clean before sliding the headstock on the PM so I almost never use it in the short bed position. Additionally I'd plan to bolt the OW to the concrete slab to allow me to get larger unbalanced blanks moving faster. The whole point of the upgrade would be to better handle production turning this summer.

The ability to have the advantages of a 3hp fixed headstock lathe while also having the shortbed set up is what makes me lean toward the Oneway over a Vicmarc or Robust. Of course, in theory I could keep the 3520 but I don't have a ton of space and it feels like getting the money out of it would also help with the cost of the potential upgrade.

I would appreciate any thoughts from people who have used both or if there are better options I have not considered. Thanks.

Ray, I cannot speak to the differences between the two lathes but I can offer you a bargain on a Oneway 2430 with all of the goodies you could ask for. See my add in the For Sale Forum here or contact me at 541-660-3385 or djgood@ieee.org for details.

 

[robo hippy]

Difficult choice. Another option would be for a big bandsaw, one that cuts 16 inches high or more. You may have to have a 30 to 50 amp circuit installed. I found that incredibly handy for cutting slabs since the sides are almost perfectly parallel. Next step is to take the slabs to a smaller bandsaw to cut circles, I just use a compass/divider to scribe the circles. This is a HUGE time savings when compared to chain sawn blanks! Glenn Lucas did get a bandsaw mill which he likes, and that did solve the parallel sides issue, but I never liked slabs since they always included too many knots. I also use a forstner bit to drill a recess for mounting the bowl blanks, 2 5/8 inch fits my mid sized Vicmark chuck. You never need to use a face plate again. For an 18 inch bowl, I would probably use tailstock support, but that is an extra production step, unless you have the Robust tilt away option, which is the best out there. I do turn green to final thickness. The Vicmark does go slow enough to let you power sand at 10 to 15 rpm speeds. I had my Beauty reprogrammed for that low speed as well. The PM 3520C does go down to 15rpm. The Vicmark and Oneway lathes have 3 speed ranges, which to me is an advantage. I keep them in mid range which has enough torque for coring and enough speed for smaller bowls.

robo hippy

 

[Dan Marion]

Ray, I cannot speak to the differences between the two lathes but I can offer you a bargain on a Oneway 2430 with all of the goodies you could ask for. See my add in the For Sale Forum here or contact me at 541-660-3385 or djgood@ieee.org for details.

Thanks Dennis but I'm really looking for a 3hp unit.

 

[Dan Marion]

Difficult choice. Another option would be for a big bandsaw, one that cuts 16 inches high or more. You may have to have a 30 to 50 amp circuit installed. I found that incredibly handy for cutting slabs since the sides are almost perfectly parallel. Next step is to take the slabs to a smaller bandsaw to cut circles, I just use a compass/divider to scribe the circles. This is a HUGE time savings when compared to chain sawn blanks! Glenn Lucas did get a bandsaw mill which he likes, and that did solve the parallel sides issue, but I never liked slabs since they always included too many knots. I also use a forstner bit to drill a recess for mounting the bowl blanks, 2 5/8 inch fits my mid sized Vicmark chuck. You never need to use a face plate again. For an 18 inch bowl, I would probably use tailstock support, but that is an extra production step, unless you have the Robust tilt away option, which is the best out there. I do turn green to final thickness. The Vicmark does go slow enough to let you power sand at 10 to 15 rpm speeds. I had my Beauty reprogrammed for that low speed as well. The PM 3520C does go down to 15rpm. The Vicmark and Oneway lathes have 3 speed ranges, which to me is an advantage. I keep them in mid range which has enough torque for coring and enough speed for smaller bowls.

robo hippy

Thanks. I have considered upgrading my bandsaw in addition/separate to the lathe upgrade. That would help with the out of balance issue but I still think I'm somewhat limited by having a 2hp lathe for what I'm doing. I was regularly stalling eucalyptus blanks yesterday with a 5/8 bowl gouge. Of course I stall coring fairly frequently too. Also the inboard/outbard option seems like it would be ideal for my process. I had not realized the vicmarc offered such and option prior Kevin pointing it out in this thread.

 

[Brian Gustin]

I'd like to get opinions on whether it would be worth it for me to upgrade the PM 3520c that I've had since Dec 22 to a Oneway 24/36 3hp.

Overall the powermatic has been good but I find myself pushing it's limits fairly regularly. I had the great fortune of becoming a regular at a big farmers market this season but have struggled to keep up with production demands. I was not prepared for the success and did not have enough bowls rough turned. (I do also make other products, but bowls are the staple) This summer I am looking to prepare fully and plan to rough turn 1-2000 bowls. With the PM I start with max 18in diameter billets I've taken to a hexagon with the chainsaw then I usually get one or two cores out it. I'm frequently having to start slow due to imbalance and stalling when trying to take a bigger cut. I also have to swap the coring set up on and off between each piece. That's not too bad but it does slow down the production.

My plan is to get the 24/36 with the outboard extension. This would let me keep the coring rig set up and allow me to use the tailstock side for initial roughing. Additionally I'd plan to use the shortbed side for finish bowl turning. I don't like having to get everything super clean before sliding the headstock on the PM so I almost never use it in the short bed position. Additionally I'd plan to bolt the OW to the concrete slab to allow me to get larger unbalanced blanks moving faster. The whole point of the upgrade would be to better handle production turning this summer.

The ability to have the advantages of a 3hp fixed headstock lathe while also having the shortbed set up is what makes me lean toward the Oneway over a Vicmarc or Robust. Of course, in theory I could keep the 3520 but I don't have a ton of space and it feels like getting the money out of it would also help with the cost of the potential upgrade.

I would appreciate any thoughts from people who have used both or if there are better options I have not considered. Thanks.

If I had the money to buy one, I'd take the ONEWAY over the Powermatic any day of the week... In other words, I'd vote to do the upgrade.