The president of the Alabama Woodturners Assn (of which I was a member and still miss going) put three lathes up for sale - he found a deal on a big O neway. One of the lathes was a Woodfast M910, made in Australia. I did n ot realize the age of this particular lathe,it was originally purchased in
1998. but am glad I did not.The Rikon 70-500 is an import version and this Austrian version shows the l athe in action. Oddly enough its the same - almost - as the one I bought, for a lot less.
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I got all 580lbs of it home and moved into the shop and THOUGHT I had it le veled. Turned my first bowl blank and had to go slow because of it vibrati ng on me if I got the speed up (the rough was about 35lbs) and wondered if I had made such a good deal. Then, with a smaller piece on it, I turned the speed up and saw where the p roblem was, the right front leveler need another 3/4 turn. Ran the piece o n through the speed range and found that the left rear needed a1/4" turn. The thing is now as steady as a rock.
I simply did not know the difference between a good solid Jet 1442 with a R eeves drive and a professional lathe.