Musing about tomorrow's lathes. (I'm becoming cognitively deprived)

Arch · 2003-10-20T15:30:51+00:00

My armchair is so comfortable for these old bones that a currentdiscussion re best lathes got me to musing instead of turning. Myposition, as usual, is squarely on all sides. I remember thinking, andnot long ago, that it just couldn't get any better than a Myford, Delta,Oliver, Harrison, and other successors to Dunlap, Beaver & Coronet.The "ne plus ultra's" that we knew would be all the lathe we couldpossibly ever want soon became stepping stones to 'better' lathes. (anawful lot of us still stand on those stones, but humor me for sake ofargument). You know what inevitably happened, and an even 'greatestgeneration' is sure to follow Oneway, Stubby and their cousins. We thinkthat pride of ownership, price, weight, specs, elegance, convenience,durability and all things that make us lust for that final machine hasreached a zenith. I don't see useful objects or even art forms gettingmuch larger than the people who use and enjoy them, but don't bet on it. What will the lathes for the 2010 season be like, assuming that we arestill using them for wood art, architecture and _fun? Maybe newmaterials, integral threading & ornamentation, lasers, air bags, vacuum,compressed air, copying, dust control, automatic speed changing,spindles that hold everything without pins, chucks or spurs willobsolete today's very best. The BMW of lathes, whew! The ultimate all ornone (dehumanized?) turning machine.I have made fun of the absolutely best lathe. Now it's time to make funof me.What do you guys want or expect to see in woodturning lathes for 2010?Arch Fortiter,

Oct 20, 2003 20 Replies

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Mike Paulson 22 years ago

Maybe you could program it to stop if it hears the word "Ouch!"

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Musing about tomorrow's lathes. (I'm becoming cognitively deprived)

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