How big is your lathe?

Re: How big is your lathe?

I have a Poolewood, with a 20 inch swing and about a 40 inch bed. Big enough for me, since I turn mostly bowls. I really like the swiveling head, so I can angle the faceplate toward me for hollowing out bowls. Saves having to lean over in an awkward position.

Before the fire last year, I had a Brodhead-Garrett J-Line lathe with a Reeves drive and a BMW gearshift. Good lathe but nothing like a Poolewood.

Ellis

Re: How big is your lathe?

I have a Nova 3000, 16" swing over the bed, 21" between centers without any bed extensions. When the head is swiveled I guess 24" wouldn't be unreasonable but I would only try it with a precut balanced blank. We made my stand which weighs about 1,000 pounds with the lathe.

Re: How big is your lathe?

Does size matter?

I run an old 12" swing by 30-something Rockwell, and occasionally an old Craftsman of about the same size.

Someday....

Re: How big is your lathe?

At the risk of sounding risque, I don't think size is as important as how often you use it. I have a Poolewood just like Ellis, and I have several friends who have Oneway 2436 machines. Some of them point out the size difference on a regular basis. However, very few of those friends are hoisting 24" blanks onto their lathe to turn them into giant bowls on a regular basis. Most of the time it only takes one to cure people of the desire. For most people it just isn't a lot of fun processing a 150 lb or bigger piece of wood and wrassling it onto the lathe to turn it.

I would like to get the outboard attachment for my machine, because I am regularly turning blanks that are pushing the limit of my machine, but I can't justify the $$$ for what might be only a couple of bowls. I realize that selling just one would pay for it, but I have to find a buyer first. I already have some wood that would yield a couple of 30"+ bowls, and there is alwys more where that came from. This stuff grows on trees around here. ;-)

Bill

Maybe we could team up...

...to buy the outboard attachment. I've avoided it too, because of the money. But I have a 30"+ wide piece of 3" mahogany that more-or-less survived the fire. I had been saving it for a pie-crust table top, and the outboard attachment would be just the ticket.

Of course, I'll probably want to build a box in the base of the lathe and fill it with sand before swinging something that size.

Ellis

Re: or maybe...

we could build a couple Ellis. Not long after I got my Poolewood, a man in Ireland wrote me and asked how I liked it. He investigated further, and ended up buying the whole thing. He emailed me some pictures showing the details of how it is put together. We'd have to do some welding, and there are parts we'd still have to buy, but it is doable.

Bill