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Upgrading to larger lathe
- Thread starter Husker
- Start date
Cut out a step or two
I've been hangin' around this form for awhile and the "rule of thumb" appears to be--buy the best you can afford for what you want to turn. It also appears that the best lathe for the money spent is the Powermatic 3520a followed by a Vicmarc 300 series.
If all you can afford is a jet then a jet is the lathe for you.
I'm of the opinion that it's not the tools, be they lathes or gouges, that make the difference, it who's usin'um. Havin' a PM 3520a doesn't necessarily mean you'll turn any better but you'll certainly turn bigger pieces with more ease.
I've been hangin' around this form for awhile and the "rule of thumb" appears to be--buy the best you can afford for what you want to turn. It also appears that the best lathe for the money spent is the Powermatic 3520a followed by a Vicmarc 300 series.
If all you can afford is a jet then a jet is the lathe for you.
I'm of the opinion that it's not the tools, be they lathes or gouges, that make the difference, it who's usin'um. Havin' a PM 3520a doesn't necessarily mean you'll turn any better but you'll certainly turn bigger pieces with more ease.
I'm with ya Bud, up to a point. Ya have to pass a certain base quality on your tools to be able to do the work well. Then you grow until you've reached the limit of those tools and upgrade again. A Glaesser (how the heck do you spell that anyway?) gouge won't make you a great turner but it will allow you to take the next step if you've maxxed out with your HF one.
Husker said:
Don,
I upgraded a few months ago and had been considering several including the Jet 1642, a Nova 3000, and a Powermatic 3520A. I started out planning on the PM but started trying to save money while still buying something with more than a 16 inch swing. That eliminated the Jet (which a friend of mine has and is quite happy with). I would end up having to buy the outrigger later for the Nova, but I thought I could probably live with the wait. I talked with some Nova owners and managed to find some user groups on the web. While they all seemed happy with it, some folks had questions that bothered me... like "Does yours overheat?", etc. While some there were some complaints for the PM 2442, there was nothing but praise for the 3520A.
I've been using my PM 3520A now for 4 or 5 months and am glad that's where I ended up. I particularly like the ease with which I can start between centers, chuck up the tenon, and slide the headstock down so I don't have to bend over the bed to hollow a bowl or vessel. I figure that is probably about as easy as pivoting the headstock on the NOVA, and I still have some bed left for the tools rest. It has power to spare at low RPM for anything I currently imagine trying to do. I got pretty good at multiplying by 9 to determine the speed from the frequency readout, but reading it in the mirror was a little tough. All that's actually moot, though, because the control is pretty linear, and when the white line is straight up it's just about right in between 0 and 1200 RPM. Besides, I haven't met anyone yet that determines the initial speed for an irregular and unbalanced chunk of wood mathematically.
Good luck with the decision. I agree that buying the best you can afford is the thing to do.
I also considered the JET 1642 before I got my PM 3520a. I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I've had the PM3520a for about a year and I'm very happy with it, but so far haven't turned anything larger than 15" But I do like its heft. Plus I've added a shelf and 250 lbs in sandbags.
The only thing that bugs me about my lathe is that the frequency readout is on the backside where it's very difficult to read and, it doesn't give the RPM speed, so you have to go through cumbersom RPM conversions which frankly, just isin't worth the hassle to me. The Jet is much better in that regard. However, I've learned to judge the PM's speed fairly well by sight and sound.
The only thing that bugs me about my lathe is that the frequency readout is on the backside where it's very difficult to read and, it doesn't give the RPM speed, so you have to go through cumbersom RPM conversions which frankly, just isin't worth the hassle to me. The Jet is much better in that regard. However, I've learned to judge the PM's speed fairly well by sight and sound.
I have had my Jet 1642-2 for almost a year and have been very pleased with it.
It is a lighter-weight version of the PM3520 with a longer bed (the bed on the 1642 is long enough for me to turn baseball bats; the 3520 is only long enough for shorter bats). I occasionally refer to the 1642 as the "Powermatic Junior". Both have electronic variable speed controls (Jet has the direct speed readout) and both use flat belts to transfer power from the motor pulley to the spindle pulley. The spindle on the 3520 is beefier and has more threads; the machine itself is heavier, but a sandbox can go a long way towards compensating for the 1642's lighter weight.
So my well-reasoned advice, freely given, is take a look at your budget and make that the starting point for your decision (don't forget to include the cost of a new chuck -- I recommend the Vicmarc). Bottom line: have fun with whichever one you get!
It is a lighter-weight version of the PM3520 with a longer bed (the bed on the 1642 is long enough for me to turn baseball bats; the 3520 is only long enough for shorter bats). I occasionally refer to the 1642 as the "Powermatic Junior". Both have electronic variable speed controls (Jet has the direct speed readout) and both use flat belts to transfer power from the motor pulley to the spindle pulley. The spindle on the 3520 is beefier and has more threads; the machine itself is heavier, but a sandbox can go a long way towards compensating for the 1642's lighter weight.
So my well-reasoned advice, freely given, is take a look at your budget and make that the starting point for your decision (don't forget to include the cost of a new chuck -- I recommend the Vicmarc). Bottom line: have fun with whichever one you get!
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I have a 1642 Jet. I upgraded to the 2 HP motor to be on-par, power-wise, with the PMs.
As for doing larger bowls, the sliding headstock allows you to move it to the end of the bed and go as big as you can mange. Still, the bed is not as beefy as the PM, so large and out-of-balance pieces start to shake the lathe earlier than they would on a heavier lathe.
If you never need to move your lathe the PM models are so much heavier than the Jet I think you'd need a forklift. I need to move my lathe around the garage so I put a heavy-duty machinery mover kit (the heavy-dutiest one that Jet sells) on mine. It is not designed for lathes, so I had to weld reinforcements to stabilize the dolly wheels. As it is, I am sure it could not take another X00 pounds+ of a Powermatic.
As for doing larger bowls, the sliding headstock allows you to move it to the end of the bed and go as big as you can mange. Still, the bed is not as beefy as the PM, so large and out-of-balance pieces start to shake the lathe earlier than they would on a heavier lathe.
If you never need to move your lathe the PM models are so much heavier than the Jet I think you'd need a forklift. I need to move my lathe around the garage so I put a heavy-duty machinery mover kit (the heavy-dutiest one that Jet sells) on mine. It is not designed for lathes, so I had to weld reinforcements to stabilize the dolly wheels. As it is, I am sure it could not take another X00 pounds+ of a Powermatic.