Lathe Inquiry

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turnin4fun

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Joined
Nov 18, 2011
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40
Location
Madera, CA
I have looked at a few lathes now and then I looked at the Powermatic 3520B Lathe, I was thinking of getting the JET 1642 EVS Lathe. Which one do you think would be the best purchase since this will probably be the last one I ever buy.

I plan on turning anything from pens to bowls and whatever else comes up.

Thanks

:confused: :confused:
 
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I bought a 3520b 5 or 6 years ago. It is the last lathe that I will ever need to buy. I've used it to turn everything from miniatures that weigh a couple of grams to architectural columns that weighed hundreds of pounds. Plenty of power for coring, hollowing and anything else that you throw at it.

There is a big difference in price between the Jet 1642 and the Powermatic 3520b. The 1642 is a very capable lathe, but (if money were no object) I would take the 3520 over the 1642 in a heartbeat.

Hopefully they are still made as well as they were when I bought mine. I haven't heard anybody complaining about having bought one, so good chance that they are.

Ed
 
-- - what all the other guys said. My original American 3520 is the life-blood of my turning career. It will surely last another 20 years, by with time I won't give a hoot who owns it!! Philip
 
I have the Jet 1642-2. I seriously considered the Powermatic, but used the savings to buy chucks and accessories. I've had it for 9 years, used it extensively, and love it. Although it is lighter, it is still very capable and the 16" swing is completely adequate for my needs. One needs to consider what types of turnings will be done and how much hp and swing will really be required. If money were no object, I'd have a Robust, but that is only a dream:smile:
 
I love my 1642. Speed control is excellent. It is solid and accurate. But a 3520? You would be happy with the Cadillac, but if you can get a Rolls.....
 
I've had the Jet 1642EVS-2 (the 2 HP 220V version) for almost 6 years now and really love it. I've also had an opportunity to use the Powermatic 3520B for many weeks when taking woodturning courses at John C. Campbell.

The only reason I'd get the Powermatic over the Jet would be if you needed the extra 4" of swing over the bed (can turn 16" diameter bowls on the Powermatic and only 12" on the Jet). The Powermatic is definitely beefier than the Jet and is a more pleasant machine to use on large heavy logs. Other than that, I don't find any significant differences in using these two machines, which are made by the same company. They both offer similar features and are equally great machines when it comes to medium and small turning projects.

Ouch! I just looked up pricing. The Jet is now selling for double what I paid for it. It looks like the Powermatic is about 50% more than the Jet. If you're going to be turning a lot of large logs, I'd go for the Powermatic. If not, I'd save the extra money and get the Jet.
 
I have looked at the Robust tools lathes and I would go for one of those of I had the money.

Levi Woodard
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forum Runner
 
Sounds like I can not go wrong with either one, however I think that I am going to get the Powermatic.

Thanks for the info!!

:biggrin: :biggrin:
 
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