Why GO BIG?

It won't bog down on smaller pieces.

What is the appeal of a Ferrari or SUV?

It does the smaller pieces well, I'm sure. Then there's the capability for large should you get the desire.

Some people have excess cash with which to indulge themselves. I envy them. Guy I bought my lathe from was getting a Oneway. Probably has turned as many pieces in the last two years as I in the last two months. But he's done them in style!

Charlie:

Try a 750 for a day and you'd find out. The freedom from vibration, the fact that everything slides smoothly and locks down properly, the quiet... It makes even tiny things like lace bobbins (something I like to turn) faster and more fun to do. And, when it comes to big things -- the blanks which are too big for me are few and far between.

On the other hand, I'm biased...

Bill

charlieb wrote:

The precision, power, and sheer mass of the high end lathes makes turning smaller objects much more enjoyable, too. You probably won't appreciate it until you try one, but it really does make a difference, even for 5 inch weed pots. You can go to the post office on your moped, but wouldn't you enjoy the trip more in a Mercedes? -mp

Yeah, but I enjoy the trip to the bank more on the moped!

...Kevin

I don't understand why

Let me second Mike Paulson's comments. Any turning is more enjoyable when the machine is rock solid. I recently switched from an old Nova

Kip Powers Rogers, AR

While I'm aware of your bias, would you predict a Oneway or Vicmarc to be equally free of vibration and as smooth to operate the various parts? If not, why? I'm not trying to put you on the spot--I'm just curious as to your opinions.

Max

"charlieb" wrote: (clip) what is the appeal of this class of lathe? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The answer comes in two parts--others have answered the question as you have phrased it. Smooth, powerful and big enough to do almost any job.

But why not ask, "What is the appeal of the Stubby lathe?" No other lathe that I know of has an auxiliary bed that can be mounted in various places. No other lathe has a bed that can be moved axially AND rotationally. These two features make the lathe uniquely flexible, both in capability and comfort. Further, the sliding bed makes the lathe particularly good as a bowl lathe, while providing decent capacity for spindle work, without taking up a lot of shop space. In addition, the bed arrangement results in a tailstock that is easy to remove and replace without back strain. We Stubby owners never talk about building a trundle stand just to accomodate the tailstock.

When my friend ordered a One-way, he had to specify the spindle height. Stubby is adjustable.

Stubby has a build-in vacuum port. That is EXTREMELY convenient compared to all the plumbing and rotating seals other lathes need.

But I do not recommend trying to make a life-size mannequin on the Stubby to hold a wig.

I agree that a Stubby is comparable to a Mercedes or a Beamer so if owning the best is your cup of tea it's a good way to go, but a Jet mini is not a moped. It's at least a Chevvie or a Dodge, maybe a Cambry. Some of the sheet metal lathes, HF and old AMTs might be scooters, but my little Jet and mid sized N3k work for me and don't owe me anything.

I'm the limiting factor, not my lathes. I could be getting hard of hearing, but so far I haven't needed ear muffs. My affordable lathes do shake once every day, but only when the long freight trains crossing the nearby bridge make everything shudder. My mail is delivered so I don't need a Ferrari to go get it. It would probably be dented in the parking lot anyway. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

It is difficult for me to comment here because of my position in these things.

I've never turned on a Vicmarc but think that it is a dandy lathe and is quite a bit less expensive than the Stubby 750. But, now we have the F600 which, while it doesn't have the features which are exclusive to the 750 and the 1000, is a jim dandy traditional short bed machine and just happens to be priced competitively with the Vicmarc 300 shortbed.

I have, however, turned on a number of Oneways including the one John Jordan owned. They are a nice lathe. But, when it came time to plunk down big bucks, I bought my Stubby -- in '99 -- no regrets.

Bill

Maxpr>>

I have 4 lathes now, none of them in the same ball park as the stubby. I like the small lathe for pens, the mid size for spindles, the bowl lathe for most bowls and the big Craftsman for everything else. One of these days when I am rich and famous (hah! to either;-)) I may get a Stubby or One Way but mostly I just enjoy what I do now. If I had to take one lathe it would be the Craftsman. I like the size and weight.

I can appreciate your position, Bill, and I thank you for your opinion. I'm in the market for a better lathe than my Jet 1442, but the cost difference between a Vicmarc 300 and a Stubby 750 or 1000, a Oneway (larger), or a VB is substantial enough to warrant some investigation as to the differences and similarities between them. I must admit I'm unaware of the Stubby F600. I'll take a look at that.

Max

I guess I'm recalling my jewelry making days. I knew far to many amateur jewelry makers who owned every jewelry making tool, machine and ALL the accessories. Most were under the impression that they could buy knowledge, skills and abilities - if they spent enough on the equiptment

And I've known several guys who owned a car that could go 0-60 in 3.6 seconds and with a top end of well over 160 mph - with disc brakes the size of pizza pans - the LARGE sized pizza pans. Two actually got their car up to 110 mph - scared themselves - into trading their dream car in for something a bit more useful - and a hell of a lot less expensive to insure.

The Stubby is a unique machine, designed from the ground up to a) be rock solid and b) provide plenty of capacity and flexability. It has many unique features.

My concern would be, god forbid, replacement parts. If you have to put up a grand for the deposit just to get on the list for a unit, then wait 3 or 4 months to get it- after putting up almost another five grand - and then some for shipping cost - I wonder about how long it would take to get a replacement part. Having NO working lathe for a couple of months would "disturb" me.

charlie b

SNIP

Although carpentry/remodeling is and has been my life for over 30 years, it is not an uncommon experience for me at all to go to a homeowner's house with a shop to see more tools, and certainly more high end tools than I own.

Most spend their time with their tools polishing, tuning, rust proofing, adjusting, setting up, and purchasing attachments to get the tools exactly where they want them. Then they make shelves, cutting boards, and the same style of cabinets I made at 18 years old.

SNIP

Although I have never heard of the big boy lathes failing, I am sure like all machines they do. I have heard rumors of good service from Woodcraft on the Oneway products but don't know about any of the others. Hopefully, like in the days when investing in a tool meant you could expect a return of service and reliability commensurate with your cash outlay, the big boy lathes last well.

Interesting question, though.

Robert

" snipped-for-privacy@aol.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@30g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I may be one of those guys, Robert. There's a lot of tools and toys in the garage shop, and I can do a lot with them. But I don't have the concentrated time to get to some of the projects, and get them done, and so bringing in a craftsperson with the skills, experience and some tools makes a lot of sense. I have other things to do. Like earn a living at what I do. Or play with the projects I want to play with.

Like charlie says, you can write a check for tools. You have to earn your stripes as a craftsman. For some of us, writing the check was the first part.

Six or eight years ago, I was building a shed in the back corner of the lot. for the stuff I was kicking out of the garage, so I could put more tools into it. As September closed, I was way behind on the project, work was really busy, and one of my sons had my truck up in Idaho, along with his Jeep. I needed to fly up there, and bring it home, but I needed to finish the job on the shed - get it dried in. One of his friends needed some work, so I put him to work, while I went off. He finished the job though to the caulking and paint, and took an old table saw I hadn't used in the two years I'd had it, as well as the very reasonable fee we'd worked on. We were both quite pleased.

The young fellow has a garage full of tools now, a wife and very young son, and a finish carpentry and cabinet business, of which he, and we, are quite proud. He was by today for a few minutes, and we had really nice conversation.

Some of us are quite pleased to see others do well with tools like the ones we own, but often have little time to use.

But there's no Stubby in my foreseeable future, either. A Powermatic, maybe.

Patriarch

About your quest for a better lathe -- when I go shopping for a new car I drive it. I would do the same for a lathe. Stubby owners are usually happy to allow you into their shops and I suspect owners of other lathes would do the same. Drive several and buy the one you like best.

Bill

Maxpr> >> While I'm aware of your bias, would you predict a Oneway or Vicmarc to > be

Assuming this post is a response to my inquiry about Stubby lathes, is that a touch of envy I detect in your post, Charlie? Your presumption that an upper-end lathe would constitute little more than a trophy in my shop appears suspiciously close to arrogance. Although a relative newcomer, my learning curve is steep and I continue to improve. Becoming a competent turner is a goal which I will achieve with time. That some individuals have the financial ability to buy pretty much whatever they desire is irrelevant.

If not envy, are you implying that an expensive lathe is a poor investment for a turner ultimately desirous of supplementing his retirement income with his work? Or even for an aggressive amateur who simply enjoys making objets d'art and/or gifts for friends? Or for one who appreciates fine machinery and understands the annoyances and idiosyncrasies avoided by having top quality machinery?

You comments w/r/t the Stubby are helpful. I am in the process of gathering information about the better quality lathes available, and you obviously know more about the Stubby than I. I regret that you found it necessary to take a cheap shot at me first.

Max

I'll address the replacement parts issue...

I stock most parts in the US. Many of the parts are off-the-shelf -- nuts, bolts, stuff like that. Castings? -- not much to go wrong here.

Compatible bearings are available from a number of major manufacturers and I stock them. I also stock a loaner kit of stuff which will make your job of replacing bearings easier.

The little handles which lock the tool rest? They are available from the major industrial suppliers and I also stock them.

Belts -- these are flat belts and a little difficult to come by -- I stock them.

Electronics -- all assembled here, mainly from Cutler Hammer (Eaton) parts. I stock everything and most items are also available from the major electronics suppliers. Further, there are plenty of parts which you can substitute for the ones I supply. The Start, Stop, and Direction switches are all 22.5 mm and that is a standard size.

VFD -- Cutler Hammer (Eaton). I stock them.

The speed pot -- if you drop the remote control enough times, you can get a replacement for the pot from me or from your local Radio Shack.

Also remember that there are a lot of parts which, if they fail, you can work around the problem. You have a spare banjo so you have a spare tool rest lock. If you have blown up the spindle lock, you have wrenches, etc...

The stand? A weldment made here. Not much to go wrong.

So, what's the problem? I have spares of just about everything. BTW, the F600, the S750, and the S1000 all use a common headstock which helps when it comes to stocking parts.

Bill

charlieb wrote:

My comments to Charlie apply to you in spades, Robert. Your paragraphs above would seem patently arrogant.

I've always been puzzled why there are always a few in various trades who harbor such resentment toward those who pursue the same activities on an amateur or hobby-related basis. Certainly no amateur carpenter or cabinetmaker routinely calls your skills into question, do they? So why do you appear to be threatened? If its not threats you feel, your comments above would simply constitute mean-spiritedness and arrogance, or at least a high degree of jealousy toward those with the means to buy fine equipment. Not a great recommendation for one who purports to earn his living by selling his skills to the buying public.

You are in a rare position to be helpful to those with lesser skills and far less experience. Why you've instead chosen to demonstrate disdain is beyond my comprehension.

Max