"Bill Rubenstein" wrote in message

Greg has pretty much nailed it. On a shortbed you can stand at the end of
the lathe and keep
the tools near your body where you have more control. On a longbed you
need to extend your
arms, it is tiring, you lose control, etc.

Which is probably why I choose to rotate my headstock 45 degrees outboard.
But your point is well taken. I've often thought I'd replace my Jet 1442
with a more advanced lathe, but perhaps I'll just keep it (it wasn't that
expensive at $767) for the occasional long project, eg--baseball bat, etc.

The reason I posed this question is that I'm considering upgrading. The
shortbed Vicmarc and Woodfast lathes are appealing, but as you've said the
Woodfast is no longer available. Any idea why the company went out of
business?

Max