# Best Full Size Lathe For The Money?



## BigJoe16

I spent last night looking online at big lathes. I looked at the jet, powermatic, nova, one way and robust lathes. It seemed for a 16" or larger swing you have to spend close to 5000. Other than the jet 16x42, all the other lathes were really pricey. Not to say the jets cheap. 

How much better are those lathes than the Jet? Is it worth paying double for the Robust sweet 16?


----------



## sawdustfactory

I have a jet 1642 and have absolutely no complaints. I've turned on Powermatic and Oneway and while they have more power, I haven't run into anything my lathe can't handle.


----------



## robert421960

sawdustfactory said:


> I have a jet 1642 and have absolutely no complaints. I've turned on Powermatic and Oneway and while they have more power, I haven't run into anything my lathe can't handle.


That's the lathe I want


----------



## sawdustfactory

You won't regret that lathe, guaranteed


----------



## BigJoe16

sawdustfactory said:


> You won't regret that lathe, guaranteed


I believe you. That lathe is way more than I will probably ever need or want. It seems like the best bang for your buck. I was just wanting to know why the other lathes are so much more. I understand they way more and have different size motors but I wouldn't think that's a few thousand dollars worth.


----------



## bond3737

In the end it comes down to several factors.... How much are you going to use it? What are you going to use it for? bowl turning... spindle turning etc... do you need to consider the weight of your pieces? are you going to be turning 300 pound hunks of wood etc etc...
If all you are looking for is a 16 inch swing novas 1624 has that with a 1.5 hp motor for 1000
If you are looking for a 16 inch with a beefier frame and large spindle capacity and variable speed you get to the jet at 2500 
For a larger swing but shorter bed your looking at the nova dvr 20 24 lathe the frame looks less beefy (know the nova weighs 320 lbs not sure about the jet) but it does have a 2.3 hp motor as opposed to the 1.5 of the Jet which will help in turning bigger bowls. The nova dvr 2024 comes in at 3000 
Then you get into the powermatics- 3520 has variable speed 2 hp motor but is WAY beefier and solid than the nova 2024 at a whopping 630 lbs and a bed extension that is 11 inches longer. That extra heft will cost on extra grand at 4000
The american beauty sweet 16 in a COOL machine that has a ton of nifty features like the bed removal allowing for 52 inches center to center and a total swing with bed removal at 32 inches. The motor is 2hp however which makes me question it's ability to perform with the size of the wood in comparison to the weight of the machine. Similar systems such as the stubby 750 come with a 2hp as well and seem to handle big weight relatively well. There are plenty of ancillary features that can come with this lathe but youve gotta pay for them. With a longbed your looking at 5500. The thing I like about the american beauty sweet 16 is the removable bed and it's ability to handle 32 inch bowls! I would most likely take that over the bigger robust lathe to be honest. With the bigger version youve gotta buy the outboard extension to handle blanks bigger than 25 inches. If they made a sweet 16 with removable bed, same design but greater heft with a 3 hp motor I would buy it in a heartbeat. There are a bunch of unmentioned lathes in this category btw- leguna, vicmarc smaller oneway etc etc- just goin through a few
from there you get into the powermateic 4224 and the oneway 2436 and the american beauty. The powermatic comes standard with 42 inches between centers which is more than both the oneway or the american beauty. They all come with 3 hp motors. The oneway tube design is something they tout as being better than standard cast iron but the explanation of why in their catalog is terrible (gives no proof) so who knows. The powermatic weighs the most at 950lbs, the oneway weighs 850(with the ability to throw sandbags in that tube) and 630 on the AB, 650 with the tiltaway. My only scruple with the powermatic is that they throw on all the frills without asking. If I want a 450 dollar light system on my lathe with a vac chuck standard then Ill ask for it:yes: With the AB my biggest complaint is their website is TERRIBLE and the fact that they seem pricey for what you get( not that all of these arent pricey) but out of the three the robust seems priciest for the return. With oneway you have a company that sells pretty much everything just like vicmarc which is nice but that tube system makes me weary for some reason. prices are similar ranging from 6500 on the standard oneway to 7500 ish for the comparable AB an powermatic

SO... In the end it comes down to what you want, what you need, and what youve got to spend. No idea if any of this fact rambling helps at all I hope it does but there's a decent rundown of a few observations. One of these days Ill get down to making a spreadsheet or something. Those who know more will post Im sure. Bottom line is- a swing above 24 inches is great if your making a bathtub for a newborn horse or something but not really necessary unless there is a market for it or your turning tables. And a between center space bigger than 36 inches is just silly unless your turning columns or something. Hope this helped... sorry for the length... happy turnin, 
bond


----------



## pvechart

Need to mension the Robust lathes are made right here in Wisconsin USA...while the Powermatic's are made in China. Some people may want to buy American products if they can afford the price.


----------



## BigJoe16

pvechart said:


> Need to mension the Robust lathes are made right here in Wisconsin USA...while the Powermatic's are made in China. Some people may want to buy American products if they can afford the price.


That's another thing. It seems there isn't a good lathe made in America for a reasonable amount of money. I would really want an American made lathe but the price kind of scares me.


----------



## Itchytoe

sawdustfactory said:


> You won't regret that lathe, guaranteed


It it worth the price? I've seen other 16" lathes for as little as $1,000. At 2.5 times that, the Jet is expensive, but I do love my smaller 1014. Do the bigger ones run as smoothly as the little ones, or do they feel more industrial?


----------



## sawdustfactory

Ive no regrets with my 1642. Very heavy, over 420#. Turned a few big out if round pieces and and the thing stayed put. I'd certainly buy it again.


----------



## john lucas

Yes the big quality lathes do run smoother. I turned my micro goblets on my Powermatic 3520 because it runs smoother than my smaller Delta lathe. The Delta is excellent with absolutely 0 runout of the spindle but they mass of the lathe is simply smaller.
I have owned Nova lathes and they are excellent. Probably the best buy for the money. However they do not run as smooth as the Jet 16 our club has. It weights a lot more than the Nova and I think that is the difference as long as the bearings and alignment are equal.
that being said the Nova 16/24 is about all the lathe most people need. However having turned on the other high end machines they are sweet and will spoil you. Haven't turned on a Robust yet but I know several people who own one and can say with confidence that they are equal to the other high end lathes at the very least.


----------

