Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Jim Smith
>I hope to up-grade to a new lathe in the near future. I have narrowed the choices to the above and would appreciate any opinions, especially from anyone that has used both of these lathes. Is the Powermatic worth the extra $500 ? Thanks
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Sean Troy
>Yes, It's most worth it. Good luck, Sean
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Bernie
>The 3520 is about the best but 1642 I believe
has a digital read out something the 3520 does not have. I have the 1642 and have had no problems what so ever and plenty of power.
YES!
TDaniel
>
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
William Westbrook
>Jim
I have had my Jet1642-2 for almost a year and have had no regrets. The fit and finish have been good. I think that the BMH Tool Group owns both Powermatic and Jet not to mention several other woodworking companies. You can see just by looking that both lathes have some similar features. For me at the time I bought their was no second thought. The dealer was offering a 10% discount and no sales tax weekend sale on stock on hand. 500.00 dollars saving can buy a real good chuck and then some tools. But on the other hand the 3520a is a lot of machine.
Good luck on your decision.
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Rick R, So Cal
>Jim,
To put your question in perspective:
- If someone came to my shop with a shiny new Jet and $500 cash to trade for my stained and dinged-up PM3520, would I go for it? NO!
- If the PM3520 only had a 16" swing would I spend the extra $500 over the Jet? YES!
- If someone came to my door with a Stubby 1000 to trade for my PM3520 and $500, then I would be interested.
The Jet 1642 is a fine lathe, and probably the best in its class. But the PM is in the next class up. My limited shop space precludes other big lathes like Oneway and PM4224, so the only other choice for me would be the Stubby, and you could buy 2+ PM3520s for one of those. I have been turning on the 3520 for a year now and I still can't believe how good a value this lathe is. Buy one before the price goes up!
Rick
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Dick Hines
>"Darn tooting it is!!!"
Yep
John Cahall
>I love my 3520.
Re: Yep
Guy
>I think you get the gist here. I got a new lathe for Christmas and had my choice (Oneway, Stubby, Vicmarc, Powermatic). For the money the Powermatic is a steal. The Jet is nice but it is still a medium duty lathe. The PM has a much larger swing and more weight/cast iron. Quality is the same. The digital readout is cool but over time you just listen to the lathe anyhow and end up ignoring the numbers. I almost got the PM but ended up with a Vicmarc VL300 for a variety of reasons. With a bigger lathe you can do all kinds of things. Someone on another forum said "you can turn small things on a big lathe but you can't turn big things on a small lathe". If my budget was around $2000 back then the PM would have been a no-brainer. Good luck!!
Re: PM 3520A vs JET 1642-2
Jerry Whitaker
>Jim, if you think the Jet is the only lathe you will ever need, then go for it. But for $500 more, the PM3520 with all the extra weight and the extra 2 in. of swing seems to me to be the better deal. The 3520 will be going up in price due to its popularity so if you think you will someday want a better lathe, then spend the $500 now instead of a $1000 or more down the road. I am real happy with my 3520a and am sure it is the last lathe I will ever buy.