looking for a new lathe

Re: looking for a new lathe

Dick Coers

A used Jet 1642 is the best deal out there. I bought one for $1,000, and have watched 2 others sold for that same price. They are almost bomb proof except for the stop button. Sorry, no experience with Laguna lathes.

Re: looking for a new lathe

John K Jordan

I like the 1642 also but it's over twice the maximum weight Gary specified, 435 lbs I think.

Of course you can take the headstock, tailstock, and banjo off to make the rest lighter but no guess as to the weight.

Re: looking for a new lathe

John Jordan

You can get the Laguna REVO 18-36 FOR $2200. I have turned on several and set one up last Sunday. It has replaced the Jet 1642 as my favorite mid priced lathe-Its considerably nicer than the Jet, which as Dick pointed out is not made anymore, but would be a great buy for $1000 used if you could find one. I used the Laguna several times and assumed it was a $4-5000 lathe, I couldn't believe the price for what you get. I think that 16 inch Laguna is a midget lathe masquerading as a real one. Load it up with all the extensions and risers to make it useful and you could have just bought the 18-36.

I have no relationship with these lathes, I just am impressed. I would rather sell you a Robust.

John

good to hear

GaryG in MD

Thanks for the good reco, John.

That's the kind of thing I had hoped to hear about Laguna.

I've been very impressed with the specs and the real thought that seems to have gone into the design.

I have an absolute weight limit at 200# all up, so I'll have to get the Revo 1216 EVS.

With the accessory 10" bed extension, it becomes a 1226 on one end and a 1610 on the other (but no tailstock in that case).

I like that flexibility. It also comes with a mobility base as an accessory -- exactly what I need.

Sounds like it's going to be my next purchase. I'll report in if/when I do. ...GG

Re: looking for a new lathe

Pete in Holland MI

What do you have to lift the lathe for? If it's just getting it to the work shop, that's why God made friends......and beer. Mass is always your friend in a lathe.

Re: looking for a new lathe

Bill Howatt

People have made clever arrangements to lift an end with some mechanical advantage and then lock casters into place for moving frequently. Done on much bigger lathes too.

Bill

logistics

GaryG in MD

Pete, I do not have a workshop inside my house and do my turning outside on the back patio. (Actually the house does have one, but it's my wine cellar.) I move my lathe in and out of my walkout lower level to turn and have to get it over the sliding-glass-door track. I have my 1236 on a home-made base with castors. I can lift each side at a time -- about 100#. So that's my limit. Yes, I know I can make ramps, etc... Then I'd have to find a place to store them. I live in a 'five pound bag' house, so that's not desirable. The Laguna 1216 will do the job because it comes with an accessory mobility base built in. ...GG

agreed

GaryG in MD

Bill, See my reply to Pete. A castor base is what I have on my old 1236, but I still have to lift it over the door track. ...GG

A wonderful lathe lifter  *LINK*

Dick Coers

Still haven't made one, but love this design!


http://www.ttit.id.au/gadgets/gadgets.htm#Lifter2

interesting design

GaryG in MD

I can see how that would be very helpful on a relatively flat surface.

Even with the big wheels, I don't think it would go gracefully over my sliding glass door track and out onto the concrete patio that is at a slightly lower level (to keep the water out of the house!). The Laguna 1216 I have decided to buy since I started this thread comes with an accessory mobility base built in. The Woodcraft sale started two hours ago. ...GG

Add Pneumatic tires

john lucas

I have a lathe roller I built. It works fine on relatively smooth surfaces and will even roll over small gravel. The problem with more uneven surfaces is the solid wheels. If I redo them I'll use inflatable wheels just like on my two wheel dolly. Still you would have to get a running start to move a lathe of any weight over a door stop.

Re: Add Pneumatic tires

mikeee12345

I used to attend a monthly meeting and yearly national event that required moving several pieces of large equipment needed for the events. I used large diameter pneumatic wheels that I fabricated solid axel brackets that attached to the end of each piece of equipment which would allow inserting the axel and wheels and then tipping the equipment up onto the large diameter wheels to roll it around like a 2-wheel cart. A lathe has a high center of gravity which makes it difficult to move without the risk of tipping over. If you calculated the center of gravity of the headstock end of the lathe while it was tipped at an angle you could design (2) sets of wheels on the heavy end of the lathe to balance on and roll around on. One small set of wheels at the base of the legs and a larger set of wheels mounted higher up that would contact the floor when you tip the lathe up at an angle. Large diameter pneumatic wheels work well for uneven surfaces.

A simple approach is drilling a set of holes in each of the lathe legs to accept a solid axel to run through and jack the lathe up by several inches and install the wheels and lower the lathe down onto the wheels and roll it around to the new location. Jack the lathe back up and remove the wheels and lower it back down and you are back in business. If you don't want to drill any holes in the lathe legs you can fabricate a bracket to attach to the legs with a hole to accept the solid axel to run through.

Re: logistics

Pete in Holland MI

Hey Gary -

Now we all know the reason for the weight limitations. Thanx for that. Yup, driving over the the sliding door track will only lead to premature replacement of the door once the track gets damaged. 5# house.......I get that. As we get older, our lifting capacity diminishes, and risk of damage to the lifter increases. Even with the new lathe, might consider some sort of bridge (or even a series of filler blocks) to still enable you to roll the lathe thru the door with minimal lifting.

Good luck on your quest !

Pete

Re: logistics

mikeee12345

If you lay a piece of sheet metal tin over the door threshold you can create a bridge for the wheels to roll across an uneven surface like a sliding door track. You could even use a rubber mat, piece of carpeting, piece of cardboard laid over the threshold to disperse the weight across a larger surface area to minimize damage to the threshold sliding door track, and it would also be easier on your back.

I hear you, Mike

GaryG in MD

Yes, those are good ideas, and I suspect something like that will come into play in future years. At 75, I'm still able to lift 100#, if done carefully and correctly, and this lathe trick is a very good reason for me to stay in shape as long as possible. Indeed, my hand weights (and my Nordic Trak) are calling to me as I write this. Thanks for your helpful thoughts. ...GG

agreed

GaryG in MD

Yes, don't want to damage the tracks! A short ramp of some sort is in my future, but hopefully not for a year or more.

It would definitely be a lot easier in some respects to have a proper workshop inside the house (or even in a garage, which I unfortunately don't have, Maryland being quite a temperate climate), but then I'd have to have a noisy dust collector, etc. At least with turning outside, all I have to do is wear a dust mask when the wind isn't blowing, and sweep up the curls into my recycling bags. The PITA in addition to moving the lathe, is the logistics of taking a folding table outside for the grinder and boxes of accessories, etc. But I'm used to it. It's trickier right now because if I get a warm "turning day", I also have to move all the i/o plants that are currently inside, in front of the sliding-glass door for light, outside. That's somewhat of a deterrent unless the weather is going to be good for a couple days in a row. It is what it is, and I look forward to warmer weather coming soon -- and DST to give me an extra hour each evening! ...GG

Re: agreed

Barry Irby

How about making a lathe cart with large diameter wheel made of Baltic birch plywood. Cut a notch in the wheels to accommodate the door track. Include a lever to allow you to lift the lathe off the wheels to spin them into the correct orientation. Then it would roll along and bump bump bump like your favorite shopping cart.

LOL Barry

GaryG in MD

I'll let you patent that one! ...GG

Re: LOL Barry

Dick Hines

I moved my pm3520 by my self. I built a dolly that wouldgo between the legs. We loaded it on the trailer at the store. Once I got it home I used a block and tackle to let the path roll off the trailer. Once into position I tool a 2x4 and put it between the legs. Then put a piece of 6x6 under the 2x4

Then all I had to was step down on the 2x4 and set the path on the riser blocks. Easy/ peasy.