Mark J Posted August 1, 2017 Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 It sounds like the General is a nice unit, but the company has ceased operation. You might find one still in stock with a retailer, but I don't know about waranty support. Also the model might have been picked up by another vendor. For example, woodworker's supply is selling a router table that is a dead ringer for the General router table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted August 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 27 minutes ago, pkinneb said: I thought I read that General International went out of business? Hmm - maybe. We'll find out when they supplier gets back to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted August 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 15 minutes ago, Mark J said: It sounds like the General is a nice unit, but the company has ceased operation. You might find one still in stock with a retailer, but I don't know about waranty support. Also the model might have been picked up by another vendor. For example, woodworker's supply is selling a router table that is a dead ringer for the General router table. ok - we'll have to see what happens. Maybe the supplier will be able to direct me to a similar model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted August 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 Hmm - the King Industrial KWL-1643ABC looks remarkably similar to the General Industrial. Even the 'safety guard' looks very similar too. I wonder if they bought the designs when General when under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 1, 2017 Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 Or the units came out of the same Taiwan factory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 1, 2017 Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 So I guess if that one is in the conversation, the question now becomes, what is your budget? We started off looking at 'economy' lathes, and have now stepped up. There quite a number of excellent lathes at or below the price of the general one. I would hesitate on it just from a warranty stand point if there's nobody behind it any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPritchard Posted August 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2017 16 hours ago, Marmotjr said: So I guess if that one is in the conversation, the question now becomes, what is your budget? We started off looking at 'economy' lathes, and have now stepped up. There quite a number of excellent lathes at or below the price of the general one. I would hesitate on it just from a warranty stand point if there's nobody behind it any more. At the beginning of the year, I said to myself I was going to try and make my hobbies pay for themselves. This has included a number of upgrades which I would love to get, including my lathe (which I got for free!). I recently completed a prototype for an Interesting Wall Sconce, which a friend of mine is now considering commissioning. When he first said he was interested, I thought he meant just a few of them where I might be able to afford maybe an $800 lathe. Turns out he's considering over 40 of them, which puts me into the $2000 - $3000 range. Especially as he would also like wooden bowls for the same venture. This would put me into a completely different class of lathe. My current lathe will do what he needs - for now. But it's not the best piece of kit in the world. I turned a couple of pieces yesterday perhaps 2-3 hours of turning and the headstock was getting quite warm to the touch - which implies to me that the bearings are not the best quality in the world and that there is significant heat building up. I agree that buying General right now is probably not a good idea. I would like for this to be the last lathe I buy, or at least for it to last me 10 - 20 years. Especially if I'm investing $2k-$3k in it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 Woodcraft flyer is here and all Rikon is 15% off Aug 4 to 14. I assume that is a manufacturer's sale and not limited to Woodcraft, but maybe limited to the USA. The flyer also lists a Nova lathe (1624 type 2). Is that brand any good? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 3 minutes ago, Mark J said: Woodcraft flyer is here and all Rikon is 15% off Aug 4 to 14. I assume that is a manufacturer's sale and not limited to Woodcraft, but maybe limited to the USA. The flyer also lists a Nova lathe (1624 type 2). Is that brand any good? Nova's are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 3, 2017 Report Share Posted August 3, 2017 I can't speak for their lathes, but in general the are well regarded. I do love my Nova chuck though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 If the nova lathes have anywhere near the machining of their chucks, they'll do great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 OK, I admit it. This thread got me thinking about a new lathe, so I've been doing some looking around. Here's some more info. Rikon has a new lathe coming Model 70-306 (110V) and 70-305 (220V ). These have some nice features. 1.5 HP; reversible DVR; swiveling head; 16" swing over bed (12" over banjo); 42" between centers. https://www.rikontools.com I was told to expect the MSRP to be about $2K US. Unfortunately they will not be available until late fall. May be worth waiting for, but too late for the 15% off RIkon sale, which by the way is only at Woodcraft, and unfortunately no Woodcraft is not in Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 3 minutes ago, Mark J said: Unfortunately they will not be available until late fall. May be worth waiting for, but too late for the 15% off RIkon sale, which by the way is only at Woodcraft, and unfortunately no Woodcraft is not in Canada. Hmmm.... makes one wonder if spouses could be convinced that 15% savings is worth a road trip. Dunno bout import taxes and what not, but maybe a weekend vacation to Buffalo or Cleveland might be in the works..... Neither of which are really worth a vacation, but hey, it's a lathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 I suppose I should blame @AndrewPritchard. I mean it is his fault for starting this thread. But then the idea got legs. Literally four of them. Cast Iron. 'Cause yesterday evening my wife and I went out and bought a new lathe. We bought the Nova 1624 Type II that Woodcraft has on sale ($850 US). They had sold the one unit they had in stock earlier in the day so we had to special order it. It should be in next week. I am not sure what this would be in Lunies, but it has a lot of features for the regular price (1000 bucks), and especally so when on sale. It is belt drive with 8 pulleys, but there is a DVR upgrade available for $630. We're going to see if we can't live happily enough changing pulleys for a while. I'm excited and looking forward to setting it up. Although a certain part of my brain is a little curious about how the rest of me plans to get this thing from the store and into my basement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wdwerker Posted August 11, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 Beer and friends always works ! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chet Posted August 11, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 6 minutes ago, wdwerker said: Beer and friends always works ! But remember there is a proper sequence to this, Work first then beer! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post AndrewPritchard Posted August 12, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 12, 2017 2 hours ago, Mark J said: I suppose I should blame @AndrewPritchard. I mean it is his fault for starting this thread. But then the idea got legs. . *Takes a bow*. I like to think I'm an enabler for all kinds of dubious activities 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 12, 2017 Report Share Posted August 12, 2017 Congrats on the new lathe! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jplupercio@CSUSA Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 Powermatic 3520B's are on sale now. Only $3,200, good price for a great lathe. https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/216/2894/Powermatic-3520B-Lathe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 19, 2017 Report Share Posted August 19, 2017 Today is pick up day. Headed to Woodcraft later this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatCharlieDude Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 10 hours ago, Mark J said: Today is pick up day. Headed to Woodcraft later this morning. And? How did it turn out? Did you get it set up? Is it purdy? Got pictures? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mark J Posted August 20, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 21 hours ago, thatCharlieDude said: And? How did it turn out? Did you get it set up? Is it purdy? Got pictures? How did it go? Heavy, very heavy. I unboxed in the car and took the pieces to the shop. The legs, motor and small parts are separate. The bed, headstock, tailstock and banjo are all assembled. According to the instructions this ensemble is 160 lbs. The manual kept talking about "the other man" as in lift this with the other man. I looked all through that box and couldn't find that other man. Musta fallen out in shipment. I did rassle up a helper and we got it out of the car, rolled on a handcart to the basement door then slid it carefully down the stairs and onto a dolly. There was one hitch so far, when I unboxed the lathe in the back of my SUV the first thing I saw was that the motor housing was rusting. It looked like something had spilled on it before shipping. It was late Sat. I called Woodcraft and they imediately said bring it back and they would swap it out, which they did without any fuss and I now have a shiny new motor. Everything else looks to be in good shape. But it's going to be a while before I have this put together. The first step is putting together the legs. Then they have to be fitted to the bed, which means the bed ensemble has to be off the ground. Gravity has something to say about this--the instructions not so much. One picture shows the legs going together and the next shows the lathe on top of a sturdy table with the legs being installed. I thought the whole thing looked kinda magical so I went back to the box looking for a wand or some fairy dust, but no joy. I have a plan. Here is the lathe basking in its low gravitation state lying on a dolly. Here is the instrument of its elevation. Then I can set it down on a Workmate. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 Nice lathe! Doesn't the head unit come off? I have the Nova DVR XP and the head unit lifts right off. Still really heavy but makes moving easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 I supose it can be removed some how, but it comes assembled and I didn't want to try to work with in the back of mt SUV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted August 20, 2017 Report Share Posted August 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Mark J said: According to the instructions this ensemble is 160 lbs. The manual kept talking about "the other man" as in lift this with the other man. I looked all through that box and couldn't find that other man. Musta fallen out in shipment. hehehehehehe. Remind me again how big this is? On the floor, it looks like a mini/midi lathe. And the DVR addition, is it an attachment to the pulley system, or does it replace the pulleys? If it doesn't replace the pulleys, then I'd imagine you'd be stuck in a set of speed ranges. Of course, that could be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.