The new, to me, Robust Lathe is an intriguing animal. It looks to be in
the same family as Oneway, but with species differences. The belly is
stainless steel and the vertebral column is diamond shaped. The tail can
be swished out of the way and the weight bearing joints are said to be
robust. Seems to be a step forward.

I've requested a catalog and there is a website altho WebTv can't access
some of it. (A common problem with my "computer" and my excuse for often
not
knowing much of what is going on. 'G')
I hope someone here will report on the Robust Lathe and other machines
that are new or newly imported to the North American market.

Anyway, many lathes that seem to be quality machines come and go, at
least they are rarely mentioned after their brief debut. A few remain
and have a small dedicated but silent cadre of owners. On rare occasions
a respected turner posts a glowing report about one of these orphan
lathes and a few other owners chime in.

Why is it that when two machines seem to be of same price and quality
and appear to function equally well, one becomes a popular standard and
the other, like old woodturners, just fades away?


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

I think it depends on who uses it. I see that all the time in my line
of work. Some seem to think that if a famous woodworker uses a tool
that a similar amount of competence will be transferred to them by
purchasing a tool.

That said, I also think that if a quality tool is not promoted through
channels properly it doesn't have a chance. With the prices of all the
tools in woodworking these days no one wants to be the first to jump.
We all feel a little safer in the water if we can see some swimmers
that were out there first.

Another aspect is this: I have a friend of mine that is a hobby
woodworker, and he only buys a tool if I have it. He has the same
routers, drills, saws, table saws, drill press, etc. That way he feels
like if anything goes wrong with it he can call me for a fix. Or if
there is something he cannot figure out his own he knows I know the
tools well enough to give him phone help.

Warranties/product durability are key for me. I couldn't give a crap
about color or name. My shop and truck box looks like the inside of a
Tim Burton movie. Lots of different colors. If I see a tool that is
similarly priced, but I know no matter what the written policy is, they
don't back their tools, I don't buy that product, even if it works
better for the task.

Just my opinions of course.

Robert

Arch wrote:
The new, to me, Robust Lathe is an intriguing animal. It looks to be in
the same family as Oneway, but with species differences. The belly is
stainless steel and the vertebral column is diamond shaped. The tail can
be swished out of the way and the weight bearing joints are said to be
robust. Seems to be a step forward.

I've requested a catalog and there is a website

It's new to me too Arch. Can you give us the URL please? So far my
searches have only turned up metal lathes by that name.

--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/

Hi Derek,

The URL was in an ad in the current "American Woodturner" vol. 20 no.
2. The lathe is interesting, but I'll keep using my Nova 3000, it's as
good a lathe as I am a turner. Hope they don't read this and not send me
a catalog.




Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

"Arch" wrote in message
...
Hi Derek,

The URL was in an ad in the current "American Woodturner" vol. 20 no.
2. The lathe is interesting, but I'll keep using my Nova 3000, it's as
good a lathe as I am a turner. Hope they don't read this and not send me
a catalog.




Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter

=====I note that the prices are pretty robust, also!

Leif

Arch wrote:
The new, to me, Robust Lathe is an intriguing animal. It looks to be in
the same family as Oneway, but with species differences. The belly is
stainless steel and the vertebral column is diamond shaped. The tail can
be swished out of the way and the weight bearing joints are said to be
robust. Seems to be a step forward.

An interesting beast. http://www.turnrobust.com/

The sliding headstock is not a bad idea. I started off on a Delta 46-700
and slid the headstock to the end of the bed for bowl turning, which
worked out ok. Certainly the fewer degrees of freedom the headstock is
allowed, the better the alignment will be, all other tolerance factors
being equal.

This of course requires that the tailstock be removed, and they have an
$800 solution for this! For me, $800 would buy an awful lot of tailstock
wrassling, or maybe I would build a simple wooden trolley that would
mate up with the ways, allowing the tailstock to be slid off and rolled
away.

But is the sliding head really necessary? They justify it by the
arrangement of bearings, typically two being used on the spindle end,
one on the other end. Why not fix the headstock and put two bearings at
each end and create a true outboard lathe?


Why is it that when two machines seem to be of same price and quality
and appear to function equally well, one becomes a popular standard and
the other, like old woodturners, just fades away?

Marketing, competition and financing must be two big issues. Designing a
great lathe is one thing, building a great business is another. Offering
a seven year warranty is fine too, if the company lasts that long

At the end of the day much will depend on how good the machine really
is, and in these days of internet technology, customer commenting could
probably make or break a machine like this.


--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/

But is the sliding head really necessary? They justify it by the
arrangement of bearings, typically two being used on the spindle end,
one on the other end. Why not fix the headstock and put two bearings at
each end and create a true outboard lathe?

There are design considerations that come into play. A common lathe
headstock will have a bearing set with high radial and axial thrust
qualities nearest the spindle at the inboard end. The bearing at the
outboard end is not so heavy duty and its job is to keep the shaft inline
and support the belt loads, it carries none of the turning load. While the
shaft is firmly attached to the inboard bearing inner races, the shaft is
allowed to float in the outboard bearing. This prevents heat form applying a
damaging force to the bearings as the shaft lengthens.

Making both ends able to support turning is no easy task. It requires a lot
more engineering and a more complicated assemply, which also means a more
complicated belt changing, and increased cost.

Finally, in the Robust headstock, even if the outboard bearing was
increased, you wouldn't be able to turn very large bowls since the motor
would interfere. And, you'd need some sort of outboard tool post
arrangement. I have found that all outboard tool post to be lacking in
rigidity. Plus, you'd loose your handwheel, and finally, you'd need a new
set of faceplates with LH threads.

Dan

All they have on their web site is a line drawing of a lathe. Wonder if
they will accept a line drawing of a mastercard for payment. By the way
Arch. That URL you gave below is not an URL.......It's a hybrid.....half
URL/half EMAIL......

--

Regards,
M.J. (Mike) Orr
www.island.net/~morr


"Arch" wrote in message
...
Hi Derek,

The URL was in an ad in the current "American Woodturner" vol. 20 no.
2. The lathe is interesting, but I'll keep using my Nova 3000, it's as
good a lathe as I am a turner. Hope they don't read this and not send me
a catalog.




Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

"Dan Bollinger" wrote in message
news:2fjme.18947$g66.4816@attbi_s71...
Finally, in the Robust headstock, even if the outboard bearing was
increased, you wouldn't be able to turn very large bowls since the motor
would interfere. And, you'd need some sort of outboard tool post
arrangement. I have found that all outboard tool post to be lacking in
rigidity. Plus, you'd loose your handwheel, and finally, you'd need a new
set of faceplates with LH threads.


The motor would interfere _if_ you, for reasons of your own, prefer to turn
away from the headstock. No problem whatsoever if you turn the outside of a
piece toward the headstock, then reverse to inside.

Maybe that's what they mean by Always turn in your natural position, not
in back of the lathe or in reverse - no matter how big the work piece -
Robust lathes have sliding headstocks with extra secure dual lock-downs.

Derek Andrews wrote:


This of course requires that the tailstock be removed, and they have an
$800 solution for this! For me, $800 would buy an awful lot of tailstock
wrassling, or maybe I would build a simple wooden trolley that would
mate up with the ways, allowing the tailstock to be slid off and rolled
away.


Seems to me that the upper weight of the wood you could turn on this would
be a lot more than the weight of the tailstock. If you can get the blank on
the lathe, you can probably remove the tailstock.

Speaking of wrassling, how do you adjust the legs if you don't like the
initial setup?

If you don't like the initial set up I guess from looking at the pictures
put a car floor jack under one end jack it up and make the adjustments,
lower it and do the other end. I have a jet 1236 and that is how I adjust
the blocks under the legs.

Bruce
"Lobby Dosser" wrote in message
news:N1ome.11375$Ri3.4219@trnddc09...
Derek Andrews wrote:


This of course requires that the tailstock be removed, and they have an
$800 solution for this! For me, $800 would buy an awful lot of tailstock
wrassling, or maybe I would build a simple wooden trolley that would
mate up with the ways, allowing the tailstock to be slid off and rolled
away.


Seems to me that the upper weight of the wood you could turn on this would
be a lot more than the weight of the tailstock. If you can get the blank
on
the lathe, you can probably remove the tailstock.

Speaking of wrassling, how do you adjust the legs if you don't like the
initial setup?

works just fine for me. Have to set up a
purchase to find out what the costs are. Reminds me of the outfit down in
Oregon that closed a year or two ago. Can't think of their name, but prices
were out of my league as much as this one.

Leif
"M.J." wrote in message
...
All they have on their web site is a line drawing of a lathe. Wonder if
they will accept a line drawing of a mastercard for payment. By the way
Arch. That URL you gave below is not an URL.......It's a hybrid.....half
URL/half EMAIL......

--

Regards,
M.J. (Mike) Orr
www.island.net/~morr


"Arch" wrote in message
...
Hi Derek,

The URL was in an ad in the current "American Woodturner" vol. 20 no.
2. The lathe is interesting, but I'll keep using my Nova 3000, it's as
good a lathe as I am a turner. Hope they don't read this and not send me
a catalog.




Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Why not buy two Powermatic 3520A's for same price?

--
Art Ransom
Lancaster , Texas

www.turningaround.org
"

The company in Oregon was Serious Lathe.

Bill

Leif Thorvaldson wrote:
works just fine for me. Have to set up a
purchase to find out what the costs are. Reminds me of the outfit down in
Oregon that closed a year or two ago. Can't think of their name, but prices
were out of my league as much as this one.

Leif
"M.J." wrote in message
...

All they have on their web site is a line drawing of a lathe. Wonder if
they will accept a line drawing of a mastercard for payment. By the way
Arch. That URL you gave below is not an URL.......It's a hybrid.....half
URL/half EMAIL......

--

Regards,
M.J. (Mike) Orr
www.island.net/~morr


"Arch" wrote in message
...

Hi Derek,

The URL was in an ad in the current "American Woodturner" vol. 20 no.
2. The lathe is interesting, but I'll keep using my Nova 3000, it's as
good a lathe as I am a turner. Hope they don't read this and not send me
a catalog.




Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

On Sun, 29 May 2005 12:54:12 GMT, Derek Andrews
wrote:

An interesting beast. http://www.turnrobust.com/

Snip

At the end of the day much will depend on how good the machine really
is, and in these days of internet technology, customer commenting could
probably make or break a machine like this.

Anyone actually seen one of these in person? I always get a little
jittery when a toolmaker shows a drawing of their product, rather than
an actual product.