Im Sooo Confussed, Oneway or Stubby lathe

Will be getting a larger lathe soon. I had decided on a Oneway 2436, I don't think there is no question by anybody, of the quality of this lathe. I have not seen the Stubby except for photos, BUT, I have now read up on Stubby lathes, and found some very desirable design features in the Stubby, mainly the lathe being very versatile. My Questions are, aside from design differences, I am very curious on the Quality differences of the 2 lathes. One main concern (one of the most important features I feel in a lathe, is headstock bearings), one feature that makes the Oneway such a smooth running machine is the 4 bearing spindle design, not much info out there of the stubby spindle bearing design except "dual taper bearings" Any Info from those who know about the QUALITY differences between the two lathes would greatly be appreciated ( is the Stubby lacking some ways in the way of quality, compared to the Oneway). I guess I'm really asking you guys, which lathe I should get, any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much in advance & SAFE Turning.

Reply to
Bud
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I can't speak to the Stubby, but if headstock bearings are important to you, check out the VB36.

Tobias Kaye has written a review of it here:

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Derek Andrews, woodturner

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Favors ~ Artisan Crafted Gifts ~ One-of-a-Kind Woodturning

Reply to
Derek Andrews

Reply to
Jim Pugh

The Stubby bearings are the same bearings as in the Oneway, says John Jordan. I have turned on both Oneway and Stubby, and Stubby wins hands down in my opinion.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA

Reply to
Jim Gott

Bud,

Much of the choice as to which lathe you get depends on the types if turning you intend to do. If you think most of your work will be spindle turning, a Oneway would probably be better for you, as the 2436 is essentially a spindle lathe; however, it is large enough to do quite large bowls on. (You just have to crank yourself around and lean over the bed to turn a bowl.) Lots of people do lots of bowls on Oneway's.

You are right, both are quality lathes. Oneway might have a slight edge in the "Fit and finish" area. (I love that white paint!) Stubby is quite versatile. It is essentially a bowl and hollow vessel lathe, although it can be configured to do spindles. A Stubby 750 will swing a 30" diameter bowl or platter. For turning bowls or hollow vessels, the bed swings out of the way, so you can turn from the tailstock end of the lathe and save the strain on your neck and back.

Both lathes are very heavy and exceptionally well-made. I'm sure the bearings are comparable. You could always ask John Jordan. I seriously doubt if quality would be an issue on either. He sells Stubby's but is quite knowledgeable about most every lathe on the market.

I have a Stubby 750 on order. For my style of turning and the amount of space I have available, it just seemed to be the more logical choice. Try to find someone who will let you try out each lathe. You can decide which lathe is best for you a whole lot better than a bunch of us old guys on the internet can. You know what you want to turn. We don't. I'm sure either lathe choice would be excellent.

Barry

Reply to
Barry N. Turner

Bud,

Both lathes are excellent quality. Both lathes do bowls and spindles. Both lathes will last you a lifetime with reasonable care. Choose based on the features you like. I did as complete a comparison as I could and chose the Oneway. I like the controls on the swinging pesestal and the locking setscrews on chucks and faceplates so I can turn in reverse with more confidence. However, your preferences will be specific to you.

Please, though, don't put weight on the 'the Oneway is for spindles and the Stubby is for bowls' argument. They both do both. Look deeper for the things that make it comfortable for you to turn.

David (The Stubby may be back, but the > Will be getting a larger lathe soon. I had decided on a Oneway 2436,

Reply to
David Wade

I think Bud should take a test drive.

As to bearings -- I believe that I am the only person in the US who has replaced the bearings in his Stubby and many of them have a lot of mileage on them.

I didn't notice that the cord of the drill I was using for sanding was in contact with the handwheel at the outboard end of the spindle. The friction frayed the insulation and when that was gone, 110 volts found its way to ground through the bearings. Things got noisy all of a sudden -- I had welded some of the little balls in there.

The bearings are SKF and are available from any stocking bearing distributor. My local bearing house didn't have the front bearing in their St. Louis warehouse so I had to wait a day for them to ship from another warehouse. The replacement of the bearings, getting the spindle out and back in were straightforward.

While the Oneway uses twice as many bearings, unless they are properly matched, one bearing of a pair will do the work and the other one won't. They strongly suggest that you let them do the work at the factory so that a selected, matched set can be fitted.

I have a friend who bought a used large Oneway. The bearings were shot. BTW, he replaced them himself.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Rubenstein

I have never used a Oneway so can't say anything about them. I took a three day class from Christian Burchard (who use's a Oneway in his own shop!) in a High School that had Stubby's. I don't know about the technical design of the bearings but I know it was so smooth and quiet you had to look at it to see if was running or not. I also loved the configuration. It has a solid head that doesn't move but with the short bed you could work right at the foot without leaning over and yet could extend the bed for bigger or longer work. I suppose if you will be doing long spindle work the Oneway would be better. But the lathe is so hefty I can't believe you would ever have a bearing problem.

Earl

Reply to
Earl

Reply to
john smith

What about after sales service? Should the purchaser give any thought to the location of their nearest dealer or the factory; for accessories, upgrades, replacement parts etc.? I own several lathes that are either no longer manufactured or are not supported by a North American dealer network and obtaining parts/service/information for these machines is becoming a PIA. I think I would like to have the source on the same continent if not the same country. Edward

Reply to
edward tabachek

Edward,

It is a wrong statement to recommend that you should get the Oneway if you are going to do spindles. The Stubby with the short bed configuration can do around 30+". If you get the Stubby with the standard bed, you can turn close to 40". The Oneway is good for 36".

Most of the lathes that John Jordan has sold and Bill Rubenstein will sell use the short bed. A number of people do that the longer standard bed. For what it is worth, I've made an adapter that lets me place the auxillary bed of the Stubby in line with the main bed to get me more than 40" of spindle length.

I turned on a Oneway, a Vicmarc and a Stubby before buying. In my opinion, the Stubby offers the most value for the money. Having said that, both the Vicmarc and the Oneway are very well built lathes, but they lack the flexibility of the Stubby's standard configuration. I found, for me, that the Stubby's compact footprint fit my small shop the best, yet could perform as a longbed when needed.

Joe Fleming - San Diego ==============================================

Reply to
Joe Fleming

I've turned on both and to me the Stubby wins hands down...the reasons are for versatility and ability to get up close and personal with your work without having to "ride the ways"...Sure saves wear and tear on the lower back...Good Luck,Rick

Reply to
rick pixley

Oneway has an inexpensive 17" (I think) bed extension - $100-$200. It makes the Oneway a short bed when mounted outboard and gives extra length for turning long spindles as well (or for sliding the tailstock way out of the way).

Derek

Reply to
Derek Hartzell

If you're using a garage for a workshop........better sell one of the vehicles. The Oneway with outboard attachment takes up a lot of room. Very nice machine though.

Barry

Reply to
Barry N. Turner

I'm curious that no one responding to this post has said anything about the "welded vs. cast" question. The Stubby is a cast iron/steel machine, and the OneWay is welded up from tubing and plate. I have never used a OneWay myself, but have heard a number of pro turners say that they don't like to turn for long periods of time on the OneWay because of the harmonic vibration in the weldments. Supposedly cast iron is better at dampening vibration. I bought a Stubby when looking for another lathe to supplement my Vicmarc VL200. The decision between Stubby and OneWay went to Stubby mainly because of the spindle thread size. I wanted all of my chucks and things to fit both machines. If OneWay starts making a 1 1/4 x

8 spindle option (maybe they already do?), I think they will sell more of them. Another thing about the Stubby was/is that it's versatility is really usable. Unlike lots of "convertable" machines I have seen (jointer/planer/tablesaws, etc), the Stubby's bed moves around as easily as a tool rest, and locks in place solidly. While I can't compare it to the OneWay, I can give the Stubby a vote of confidence. You can come over and try out mine if you want....being able to put it through its paces before buying was one of the things that sold me on it.

CD boulder,co

Reply to
cindy drozda

The only Oneway that I have even the least bit of real experience with is the 1224. I have looked at several 1236's in stores, but I have never turned on one. Although the 1224 is a really sturdy, well-made machine, it was not nearly as quiet as I expected it to be. This seemed to be from vibration coming from the steel stand. On this machine, it probably had nothing to do with the "weldments". I can't say about the larger machines. But, for that much money, it should have been quieter. My Jet mini is quieter and maybe smoother. I've never turned on a Oneway, just watched others and played with the controls on a 1224 a bit with no blank mounted. I know, not much of a test. Stubby gets my vote. My Stubby 750 is on order.

Barry

Reply to
Barry N. Turner

Hi Cindy,

I don't like to get in to these debates on which is best. I learned that it doesn't pay. :) But I did want to let you know that my Oneway (2436) has none of the harmonic vibrations you speak of. It is possible that these pro turners didn't have it leveled properly. Or maybe I am just lucky. But mine has been very solid and quiet running for several years.

It is my feeling that any of the high end lathes will be a great machine, ya just need to figure out which one fits your needs the best.

By the way... I am a big fan of your work. It is really beautiful!!

Best wishes, Dave

David Peebles Lyons, Ohio Revolutions Woodturning

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Reply to
Dave Peebles

Bud the One Way is Proprietary - 33mm spindle - so you have to buy only One Way gear to fit the machine, plust the thing is too long if you are not making spindles then why take up the space. Also if you want to get in front ont he work on a One Way you have to climb aboard wit h the Stubby, you just move the bed out of the way - pretty easy

Ray

Reply to
Ray Sandusky

Ray, I respectfully disagree. M33 - 3.5 is the metric standard, not a proprietary decision. I have had no problems getting chucks to fit (I use both Oneway and Vicmarc chucks) and have a selection of faceplates from three different suppliers. The only issue is what Ms. Drozda wrote about, interchanging chucks and faceplates between machines. Nevertheless, for a small fee you can purchase spindle adapters that allow easy cross overs and make it a small issue. Our club lathe is 1

1/4 - 8 and for a demo I will sometimes mount and rough it on that size of faceplate. The adapter runs rock solid. I plan to add a mini-lathe to my collection soon and foresee no problem working with different spindle sizes. However, if you have only one lathe, it is an absolute non-issue.

I find this a non-issue also. The lathe has both outboard capability and reverse. If you wish, and with about five minutes of thought the first time, you can turn most easily on the opposite side. The geometry is all the same and sometimes ergonomically preferable, at least for me.

To respond to another's comment about the availability of factory service. Oneways are made in Ontario, Canada. Bud, how close is that to the time zone you live in compared to Australia?

Again, all the top tier lathes are fine machines and will allow you to do just about anything you want. Find the one that fits you.

David

Reply to
David Wade

Oddly, greater rigidity is touted as one of the advantages of the steel lathe over iron. I guess it's a bit more of the grinding controversy all over again.

Though with stands almost universally cheesier than the lathe, I'm betting it's the stand that makes the difference.

Reply to
George

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