>First a small Gloat. I sold my company last Friday and my co-workers are giving me a nice budget for a new lathe. They thought they were getting rid of me :>) My wife gave me a Jet mini VS for Christmas and I got hooked on turning.I am 64 years old and have a lot of steel in my back. I have my Jet Mini mounted on my work bench and it seems like I am always leaning over a lot and my back hurts after while. Since I am interested in bowls I was thinking of the VB-36 bowl lathe. It appear that would be easier on the back since I would be standing directly in front. Is there another option?? I really appreciate all the help I have received from everybody in the past. THANK YOU. Wayne
>Consider the Oneway 2436. It allows you to all of the inboard stuff you want with a tailstock. I also do larger work and start inboard with the tailstock for roughout. This allows you to turn a spigout to then mount outboard in a chuck. To me this is the safest and still allows the easy outboard turning like the VB36.
>Any lathe with a swiveling head stock or headstock that travels to the right end of the bed will work for you. And you can still use the tail stock when needed.
What ever lathe you get raise it up untill you don't have to bend your back. Just raising the lathe up helped my back alot.
>Before you spring for a VB36, take a look at Stubbys. In my opinion, with a Stubby, you have more flexibility. The Stubby performs quite well turning spiindles or bowls and vessels, while the VB36, I believe is primarily a bowl lathe. As with the VB36, you can work from the end of the lathe and save your back, or work from the side as with a conventional lathe.
>The two lathes that I was looking at were the 20" Powematic (Model 3620a) and the Vega 24" Bowl lathe (Model 2400T). The Powermatic will do long spindles, it is very heavy, and the headstock slides so you can make it behave as a short bed bowl lathe. The Vega will turn larger bowls but it is a dedicated bowl lathe. Long spindles are not for this lathe. I have a Nova 3000 and the Vega 2400 which is a good combination for me.
>I meant to add that you should look at Mark Kauder's recent review of the Vega 2400 in the archives of WC Articles and Reviews section (look to your left).
>A simple rotating/swiveling device can be constructed so that the tailstock can be slid onto the device and then swung out of the way. No lifting ever required. Great for the Powermatic and Stubby lathes.
>look a the stubby lathes. they are coming in next month or so, awesome machines. i just ordered a stubby 1000 and it should be here in 4 weeks or so. the 750 is equally good and very versatile and both have a faily small footprint.
my reason was that i love making bowls and want to have easy access to hollow from the front of the lathe. the bed can be adjusted many ways and it comes with 2 banjos and an auxillary bed that can be attached in many places.
>I have the Powermatic lathe, but recently had the chance to use a Stubby at Arrowmont School. I like the Stubby better than my PM, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd get the Stubby. Everyone is right, the PM's tail stock is, Heavy! Another thing to think about is the height of the lathe, especially if you have a bad back. If you're tall then the standard Stubby may be too short for you without some modification. I'm 5'8" and the Stubby fits me perfectly, while Arrowmont's Vicmark and Oneway lathes were too high for my working comfort.
>It's easy to build a rolling table to sit at the end of the powermatic so you don't have to lift the tailstock. I've seen several versions.
John Jordan sells the stubby with a stand that can be adjusted for height. If I remember correctly that is the lathe and stand that Arrowmont has. It is an extremely smooth operating machine and extremely versatile.
I would also choose the Stubby over the Powermatic but it is twice the price, consequently I have the powermatic.
The Oneway with the outboard bowl attachment is also an excellent way to go but will run you more than the Stubby.
Terry may have to step in here but I think you can buy an attachement for the VB36 that will let you use a tailstock. It's been a while since I looked at that lathe that close so don't quote me on that.
By the way a good way to keep your back from hurting is to put a 4x4 near the lathe and takes turns putting one foot up on it. Worked wonders for me a year or so ago when I had back problems.
>Before spending the big bucks you need to turn on all the lathes that you are considering; each has advantages and disadvantages. If you primarily turn bowls and medium depth hollow forms the VB without a tailstock is, in my opinion, the best lathe there is. I stand straight up when turning and use my legs to drive the gouge...not my arms and back. It is far more comfortable than turning over a bed and there is a plus that most people do not know about: when you stand behind the gouge curves are much easier to "nail". When I turn over a bed I have a very hard time getting good, flowing curves. The best combo for all types of turning is 2 lathes. The VB can be fitted with a small tailstock or the big one but then you have to work around it somewhat. I have a VB that I do most of my work on but when I need a tailstock I move to the big VL300. I have turned on some of the other lathes mentioned but my pick is still the VB. Before spending the bucks go turn on them all...you owe it to yourself.
>Hi Wayne -- go to one of the Charlotte or Hickory meetings (Hickory meeting is this Saturday, the 14th, at 1pm), and talk to some of the members, let them know what you're looking for, and see if you can visit to take their lathe out for a test drive.
I have the 16" Jet with sliding headstock (like the Powermatic suggested by others), but I don't have an "outboard" toolrest to take advantage of it -- you're still more than welcome to come out to try it -- call me at work one day, and we'll see what we can arrange.
If you're bending over your work, it sounds like your lathe is too low. If you're like most people, stand up straight and adjust the height of your lathe so that the spindle is level with your elbow. Try that, and make adjustments from there to suit yourself.
>Thank you very much for all the excellent opinions. I think I will take your advise and try some out before buying. At my age, I can not afford to buy twice. Thank you , Wayne
I also use the jet 16" with the sliding headstock, but I found something that makes the turning on the inside of a deep bowl a little easier on my back. When turning the inside, I have a tendency to lean over the lathe to watch where the tool is cutting on inside. This lathe, like others, will run in either direction.
When turning the inside, I've started to run the lathe in reverse, clockwise instead of counter clockwise. I can see into the far side of a bowl much easier than into the near side and with no stretching or bending.
It does take a few minutes to get used to cutting in that direction but it's no different than turning outboard with a non-reversable lathe. You also have to lock the chuck/faceplate on the spindle with set screws or risk it coming loose.
You might try this before you buy, but I think most of the better lathes today are variable speed and reversable.
Another thing that REALLY helps is one of those stretchy kidney/back support things with velcro closures. (don't recall the true name) I keep one near the lathe in case I start to feel a back strain. Great for chainsawing and wrestling logs around as well! (56 here)
>I agree with Terry's recommendation but would add that before you get too far down the path of looking at other lathes, you need to do some work to find out if there is a suitable height for your present lathe that will allow you to turn with the least discomfort. If you can't find such an arrangement, then perhaps having another lathe isn't the answer.
Suggest you get some short lengths of 2x6's and perhaps a couple of pieces each of 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4" plywood. Start raising your lathe until you find a height that lets you work most of the time without back pain. You might also discover that regardless, you can only turn for an hour at a time. Once you know these facts, then you can look for bigger iron.
I think that you should raise your lathes height to where it is more comfortable. I am 5'4" tall? and my lathes are both set at 48" spindle height, What I did was to use a stick(broom handle) stuck under my armpit (horizontal) and measured that distance. No more bending over, except on really deep pieces. When raising a machine to this height, it will be necessary to increase the spread of the legs fore and aft to increase stability. My Delta midi has its legs 17" apart and is quite stable.
