Musing why we are mum about Maxi's (long & strained)

Perhaps because the essentials of a lathe are present in the less expensive models, lacking only the skill and vision of the turner.

It's the fun and the form. Both available in lathes you can get through a door and even up stairs.

Arch, it took me a lot of years to get the big lathe that I had wanted all along, I started out (in 1936) with a small sears lathe, about the size of todays mini-lathes. Over the years I went through a series of a larger Sears lathe and several Delta lathes. Each one a bit larger and heavier than the one before. I did some spindle turning but turned mostly bowls. A lot of turners don't realize it, but the standard lathe is designed for spindle turning, not bowl turning. Until you've experienced turning bowls while facing the piece you don't how much better and easier it is. When I got into hollow forms a bit over 20 years ago, I needed a lathe where I could stand facing the piece while using a Stewart tool. Because I'm left-handed I also wanted a lathe that had a left-hand thread and turned clockwise. I got the General 260 and turned outboard on it. Made to order. There were some drawbacks however. The outboard bed was only 11 inches long. and it had a 1-horse motor. Not enough for the big stuff I wanted to turn. Then I met John Nichols. After a lot of discussion I ordered a custom left-handed Nichols lathe. 26-inch swing (38 with the bed pulled back). 3 horse motor, 800 lb., and a capacity for at least 800 lb. of sand. Ten or eleven years later it's still doing what I want it to do. I don't turn the big stuff anymore but it handles small and even tiny things as well as it does the big ones.

It'll be interesting to see what the next generation of lathes brings. We won't need big heavy lathes because there'll be a balancing system built-in. There'll be better ways to fasten a piece to the lathe than we have now. Hopefully, we won't be using a system that does away with hand-held tools. That'll take away some of the fun and skills needed.

Wally Arch wrote:

Well, my Faye&Scott (Swinng of about 20", outboard swing 80+ without digging a hole in the floor) set me back a whopping $250, plus a few bucks to build a custom sawhorse to help get it in the truck (high enough to get one set of legs off the bed, slide it in, and get the other set of legs off, sturdy enough to hold it up), and 10 bucks or so in quarters to have some student types in need of laundry money give me a hand with it in and out of the truck. Came with lots of accessories, too. I do have to oil the bearings, which is not really a big deal; it's older than you are, Arch, and should be fine long after I'm gone, barring ownership by idiots.

One inovation that I saw on the Serious lathe is the removable spindle on the headstock. The whole spindle assembly unbolts, and can be removed, and then you can remove the bearings. While the bearings probably would stand up to all of the abuse that I could heap on them, if you ever have to replace a belt, this would make it easy. I wish they made a bowl lathe...... robo hippy

I don't know; I think it would be a whole lot of fun watching the robot hog off the wood exactly to spec while the workpiece sits stationary. You can hold the microphone in your hand. You know, the one you use to issue commands to the robot. The best part will be when it sharpens the tools. :)

- Owen -

Hi Reed

The Oneway has a cartridge type spindle/bearing setup, very easy to slip out the whole assembly, when for instance a belt change.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Arch,

Guilty as charged. I bought my Stubby about six years ago and have posted very little here about it. Shortly after my purchase, three other Stubby owners invited me into an email group. This eventually grew to about 15 people when we decided to set up a Yahoo group. We are way over 100 now.

Funny thing is, most of the discussion there is from new people seeking advice on buying a bigger lathe.

I think the reason that a lot of the big lathe discussion has disappeared has less to do with big lathes and more to do with people being tired of answering the same questions over and over. If you go back in the archives five or six years ago, you will see that I participated on this forum and others quite extensively. Over the years, it got to the point where I had provided answers to many of the questions many times over. I simply quit with the attitude that it was others' turn to answer those questions or, as the body of knowledge grew on the net, a participant could simply look up the information for themselves.

I am guessing that many long-time web users have gradually tuned out the heavy participation. I know that the r.c.w. crowd now is almost completely different than the crowd from six years ago.

I still occasionally jump in on a few topics where I can maybe offer unique advice. Before I do, however, I usually read through advice or discussion already given. I don't usually jump in to just say "me too" or "I agree".

All of this, of course, applies to the large lathe discussions too.

Stubby 750 owner. Heavy user of the Vicmarc VL 300. Light user of the Oneway 2436. Wouldn't change my decision after all these years.

Joe Fleming - San Diego

there you go right there, IMHO, Arch...

Just as you'll find more people to talk fords and chevys then you will rolls royce... I would think that a higher percentage of turners own low price lathes.. especially in this "crafts" group..

Sure, I'd like Oneway's big gun lathe and all the goodies... and a separate room for turning... but life doesn't work that way... (at least MINE doesn't)

Mac

I'm curious what is a maxi, midi, or mini lathe.

I learned to turn by trial and error making ash balusters and newels on an old 8' bed lathe - I think maybe an Oliver, I'm not sure; that was a while back. I remember thinking that was a big lathe first time I approached it, but really took to it and quickly came to love working on that lathe. Also, those Vega bowl lathes seem like big lathes. And of course all those big cnc production lathes.

My lathe now is a grizzly 1495 which I think of as a small lathe, but maybe it's a midi lathe?

And of course all those little bench-top wood and mini engine lathes that are available would be mini lathes.

Just curious where what lathes fall in the size catagories.

and use the microphone to tell the robot what a dumb shit it is when it gets a catch.. *g*

Mac

You cleared up a myth for me Joe... I was thinking that since most turners in the NG are guys, it was just really hard to admit that you have a stubby... *g*

Mac

Pssttt... the word is spelled 'mumm.' ;) Dan

Thanks to all of you for picking up on the thread with your differing insights.

Hambone, lathe size is in the eye of its owner or wannabee, but for purposes of this thread big starts with Stubby. :)

Dan, I defer to you since my outdated Webster doesn't list mumm. I was thinking about something even quieter than a mumble which it did reference as "keeping mum". I wasn't thinking of champagnes or deodorants or flowers. I meant big, but not as big as the mum of all lathes. I couldn't find find pssttt in my unabridged, but it is an old edition. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Ahhh... - I was thinking big was something like The Columnmaster:

16' between centers, 10HP motor, 6,800 to 24,000 rpm variable speed. >8^)

I enjoyed looking at the specs for the Stubby & other lathes the guys mentioned.

well, how's this for an off beat way to size lathes:

if you can lift it - mini lathe if you and a friend can lift it - midi if you can push it around with a dolly - maxi if you can't lift it with a pallet jack - big lathe if you install the lathe first, then erect the building - really big lathe

Bill

to contact me, do not reply to this message, instead correct this address and use it

will iam_ b_ No ble at msn daught com

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If you stand on it to operate it - humongous lathe

By the way, these are all wood lathes, pattern makers lathes, to be exact. I've seen one of these monsters in a foundry. Dan

Thanks for the fantastic site Dan, worth the whole thread. I could spend an entire day there. I stand mute (& mumm 'G') before these humongous wood lathes.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

That was where I got the idea to mount my 'bed' on the floor of my oval lathe. I've heard them called pedestal lathes, too. All three parts, headstock, tailstock, and toolrest are mounted on the top of pedestals.

Of course you've all seen this semi-portable big lathe:

- Owen -