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Opinions on this Vega Bowl Lathe

P

Phil Jarmosevich

Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
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Location
Santa Fe, NM
Hello All,
Am wondering if there is anyone with experience using the bench top Vega bowl lathe, the 2413 B model that can be seen at:http://www.vegawoodworking.com/
Have done many searches and just cant find much info on it, but the price is certainly attractive and I like the small footprint.
Does the 1 hp Baldor motor seem adequate ? The 24" swing is fine for me as I mainly turn bowls in the 12-16 " range and like the idea of a dedicated "bowl" lathe. I'm currently using a borrowed Jet 1642 EVS 1.5 hp lathe that I must return in a couple of weeks. I like the Jet a lot and am considering that model as well.
Thanks for your input.
 
Phil
I doubt you find find of anything as this is a new product from Vega. I did see the machine at the IWF show last week in Atlanta. Looks like a small version of the Vega big bowl lathe. Wish I could tell you more.

Frank
 
they had this model at the Indyfest last fall and everyone who tried it out liked it. I only turned on it for a couple of minutes but it seemed fine. I don't remember the size blank I was turning but somewhere around 16 to 18". I had plenty of power.
 
A couple of things to think about is that for that amount of money you have to change the belt to change speeds and the slow speed is only 200.
 
Phil,
I have the Vega 2600 bowl lathe. This is the first time I have seen the 2413 model. I just haven't been looking. I just want to say that if the 2413 is built anything like the 2600 you won't have any problems. The 1hp motor should give you more power than you need for turning. As far as changing belts for speed change it's a matter of preference. Myself, now that i have the variable speed, i would never go back to changing belts.

GA Darling
 
Phil, I got to spend some time on the prototype last October at a symposium in North Carolina. I was a little leery of the 1 HP motor. Randy, the #2 guy at Vega, encouraged me to push it as hard as I wanted. Anyone who has seen me turn will testify that I can push it. 😀 I was able to remove huge shavings without bogging the lathe down. Changing speeds was just a little rough, but keep in mind it was the prototype, and they were working on that. By rough I mean that it took a little bit of fooling around to get things set up the way I wanted them. I have no doubt that if I used the lathe on a regular basis, I would quickly become adept at changing the speeds, even with the way it was set up on the prototype.

In the interest of full disclosure, I own a Vega 2600 and have worked for them in the past. But I won't tell you something that isn't true, just because I don't need the hassle of people coming back to me to say I misled them.
 
Thanks for all the replies and comments, especially those reminding me about the manual belt change. I have a Jet mini that I use occasionally, and if I'm remembering correctly, I cuss a little every time I have to stop and move the belt. Need VS.
 
Note to others that you don't need continuously variable speed ever. You need one speed at a time. In my house the inherent reliability of a mechanical system is well worth twenty seconds to change the belt from 360 to 680 once on a rough that takes twenty minutes. Of course, since the lathe is turned off to do that, I take the time to check the chuck and the tailstock, examine the surface for faults that might cause a redesign et cetera. If I just reached through a spinning blank to adjust a knob or hit a button I suppose I might still find out if my piece had loosened up a bit. Just not in a way I would prefer.😉

If you want it, get it. note how vital it is as you cut from rim to button on a large piece at continuously varying speed.
 
Wow, that's not very expensive at all for a bowl lathe! And I didn't realise the big Vega was that reasonable either. Maybe I should rethink my expansion plans!
 
Marc
I looked very seriously at the big Vega. I ended up not getting it for a number of reason, one of which was a local turner that has it (and the Nova) and said he wouldn't buy the Vega again.
While there are many happy owners (including Bill G, who you note didn't sell his Vega when he bought the Robust), not everyone is as happy

TTFN
Ralph
 
Marc Ruby said:
Wow, that's not very expensive at all for a bowl lathe! And I didn't realise the big Vega was that reasonable either. Maybe I should rethink my expansion plans!
Click to expand...

IIRC, Vega is made in the USA. Thus it will not be as sensitive to the exchange rate as overseas machines. Perhaps they will get more competitive in the lathe business. Right now, it seems like the duplicator is their cash cow (at IWF, it was front and center. The small bowl lathe was tucked over in the corner).
 
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