Posted: 7/31/2024 1:00:54 PM EDT
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I'm tempted to upgrade my wood lathe. I'm a very amateur turner, I have most basic tools in different makes (sorby/dway/carter/set of Carbide insert tools). My current lathe is a Delta 1221 midi or whatever that model is. Nothing wrong with it, but power is lacking for large things and I'd like to try my hand at the occasional larger bowl or platter. There is a local craigslist listing with a Nova Galaxi at $1500. It is about 8 years old. It doesn't by any means look abused (anyone who buys a $3k wood lathe for a hobby probably took care of it fairly well). I have some reluctance with the Nova due to bad reports of teknatool service, and it's out of warranty anyway. The parts are, if not proprietary, very hard to source. I do like the pivoting headstock on the Nova. I don't have any plans for outboard turning, but I'd rather plan for any possible need if I'm going that hard. On the other hand, I'm considering just going all in. A Harvey T60 and a Powermatic 3520c are, after shipping, essentially the same price (about $4500). I don't have to buy "now" and buying used as a general rule doesn't hurt my feelings. The Harvey is a servo drive and the powermatic is a more conventional belt drive. Both have provisions for outboard turning by do not have pivoting heads. They are so far as I can tell outside of One Way or the like the best lathes around. So I guess I'm soliciting opinions on full featured lathes in the $3k-5k range. I am purely a hobbyist where turning is concerned and at the same time, my thoughts on buying this is highly tempered by "how many bowls does one man truly need". |
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I've had a Grizzly G0694 for over 10 years and never had a problem with it. G0694 |
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Consider one of the Laguna 18-24 or -36 Heavy, runs smooth I used one a couple times, and the guy who taught one of the chairmaking classes I took changed over from the first one you mentioned to to Laguna. He had a piece in the headstock that broke on the tekna and it was only a couple years old and no spare available. He was very pleased with the Laguna I need to clear some space in my workshop and I will be getting a Laguna 18-36. If there is a Woodcraft around they might have one to check out. The powermatic is huge but they don’t seem to have as many local dealers. |
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Originally Posted By JQ66: Consider one of the Laguna 18-24 or -36 Heavy, runs smooth I used one a couple times, and the guy who taught one of the chairmaking classes I took changed over from the first one you mentioned to to Laguna. He had a piece in the headstock that broke on the tekna and it was only a couple years old and no spare available. He was very pleased with the Laguna I need to clear some space in my workshop and ai will be getting a Laguna 18-36. If there is a Woodcraft around they might have one to check out. The power magic is huge but they don't seem to have as many local dealers. |
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If OP wants to do large bowls/vases mostly, there are some heavy duty lathes out there built just for that, and a lot more obscure as far as name brand And they probably have to get shipped direct by freight if to a freight terminal for you to pick up I’d suggest getting a recent copy of American Woodturner magazine (it’s out out by the American assoc of woodturners I have a copy older copies but I know they have the serious bowl turning lathes Unless your going to be turned spindles for chairs or stairs, maybe the shorter bed of a dedicated bowl lathe might be what you are really needing |
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I picked up my new Laguna 18-36 today, it was profit share/annual bonus time, and Ive been wanting to upgrade for a long time. Went to the Harrisburg Woodcraft store. That is a really nice store, much better than the one in Washington PA, maybe even better than the HQ store in Parkersburg WV Anyways, that thing is big, comes in a heavy big-ass box, i have to get my old Delta 46-700 lathe out, and sell it. Looks like maybe I could get $300 for it, hope so anyways. I did not get the risers or wheels, as I will need to set it on some 2x10 boards to help distribute the weight on my workshop floor it is a nice hard wood floor over a garage, almost like a bank barn. Once I find a good spot for it, I doubt it will move anyways. I also go the extension that allows you to turn some really large diameter bowls or platters. It will not be very easy/simple getting it into the workshop |
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Teknatool which makes the Nova Galaxi just filed for bankruptcy a week or so ago. I have a broken Nova Galaxi sitting in my garage. Was about 4-5 years old when it quit working. Tried swapping some electrical components but that didn't help it. I ended up buying a Powermatic 3520C. I think $1500 is too much for an 8 year old Nova Galaxi. I bought mine 8 years ago new and it was $1700 |
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Keep an eye out for an old powermatic pm90 from school auctions. They come with a Reeves drive, minimum around 300rpm and usually come with a 3ph motor that you can then run on a vfd for even lower speed control if you want it. I got one last year with a single phase motor for 150 bucks |
Never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. - Adm James Stockdale
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This new Laguna 18-36 lathe is not a one man job to set up. This thing is heavy - 500# almost! Good thing it’s not one of the even bigger powermatic lathes. and the worst part of it is the foam packaging. It’s so tight fighting it’s like it was molded around the lathe like Great Stuff Expanding foam. The top end was all assembled in the box. And fitted around the packing foam. I had to break it down into smaller parts like the tail stock and banjo, and next try to get the motor/head off the bed (it was loaded in the wrong way into the back of my Chevy Colorado to do that. And I definitely do not want to drop it. Most of the packing foam had to be busted up to get all the parts loose, even the legs. Guessing those are 50-75# apiece. Not too bad. But the motor has to be 150# at least just guessing. Might need to wear my metatarsal boots when I put it back together. Getting the motor back on the bed is going to be fun. I will mount it to a couple 2x10 boards about 3’ long to help distribute the weight on my work shop floor (it is above the garage) So it is slowly getting set up after work. |