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I ended up making my own extension cord out of a 3 wire 10 gauge extension cord, clipped the ends, screwed a dryer plug onto one end and the other replaced the rat-tail that came with the lathe. Thankfully I had a 30amp, (you only need 20 for the lathe), 3 prong dryer hookup nearby. live center/drive center, just back-up the tail stock and it self ejects. Maybe the beefy motor has something to do with it.maybe it's just the 700 lbs of cast iron, either way, I don't believe I'll ever outgrow this thing. Then it was on to technical support to ask about the proper way to hook this beast up to 220. But as I've learned the hard way, the cheapest is rarely the best, and you'll most likely end up cursing like a sailor every time you use that 'bargain' piece of gear. Turning 4-500 lbs of cast iron upright by oneself is ill-advised. I actually look at this purchase as saving money.instead of starting with a midi lathe, quickly outgrowing that and then working up to mid-range, and then maybe trading up a few years after that, I skipped those steps and saved that $, (yes this is what I tell my wife as well.she remains steadfastly unconvinced).
The wire guard is very easy to use, (which means it actually will get used, great safety feature). All it took was a phone call to customer service and they had these to my door in 3 days; awesome. First off, let me say that if you're waiting for this lathe to be dropped off, invite a buddy or two over for beer, (after they've had a few, then break it to them that you 'may' need a hand lifting up some parts of this beast). It went together much easier than I thought it would, (especially considering that my electrician skills are less than stellar).Back to the actual lathe review. The tailstock is just cool; the storage bin underneath is a nifty space saver, and let's face it, the chrome hand wheel is just plain cool.
I'd had a few parts broken on arrival, (the banjo and the 3" face plate). It was obvious that a turner actually had a hand in putting this together. This thing is 1. Actually the only stage I needed some serious help with was after both legs were screwed into the bed.
If this happens to be you, my hat is off to you, sir.From what little I've turned so far, this lathe is just smooth. Belt changing, (probably not something you'll do often anyway), is simple, straightforward, and takes 30 seconds to 1 minute. I firmly believe that if you do the research and then buy the best that you can afford, you'll only cry once, (OK maybe several times as the Visa statement gets mailed.). I also like the auto release collet on the tailstock as well; whatever you have loaded i.e. Not something you'll have to do everyday, as I don't know too many folks going from pen turning to 4' 80 lb burl turning in the course of a day.
the heaviest.by far; and 3. The 3520 is my first lathe. Remember, you can turn small stuff on a big lathe, but not big stuff on a small lathe. This leads to why I purchased this fella in the first place. I used stacks of wood and some 2x stock as a lever, but I wouldn't recommend this approach.After that, re-installing the headstock, banjo, and tailstock was easy.Next let me talk about customer service.
On the headstock side, the brass tipped knock-out rod is well executed, works as advertised. the quietest power tool, it's quieter than a little hand sander, (until actually chunking away, that is) All of the features that were added to this lathe work as advertised. They were helpful, knowledgeable and patient and walked me through the process. the most expensive piece of kit in my garage; 2.
It is a simple fix but one that should have been ironed out in production. It has the power to turn big 70 lb. When I do this the set screw in the tail stock leaves a burr in the slot of the shaft making it very difficult to turn the hand crank. The only problem is when boring into a big blank with a 2" forstener bit.
I had the Jet 1642 for 3 years and turned hundreds of bowls on it. The fix is to remove the shaft take a flat file and creat a flat at the slot creating a gap so the burr wont bind in the tail stock. WHM says I am the 1st to complain about it. I decided I needed more capacity and HP.
When I turn big bowls in hardwoods I like to bore into it so I can turn from the inside out to save the bark at the rim. I love this Lathe and turn bowls every day, I am glad I bought it. I love the the 3520B lathe. out of balance blanks as long as you bolt it to the floor like I do for all my lathes.
This lathe is more capable than any other, in most respects it seems, if your goal is to turn bowls.Set-up was easy, even by one man. I installed a 3/8" X 4 1/2" screw eye in the plate above garage door, and with a cable hoist, pulled it upright. It's REALLY nice to be able to throttle down to, well, ~130 rpm in the high range, 50 rpm in low. I should add that this lathe's stance is 4" wider than that of my Jet, at 24", which combined with being also a few inches shorter, seems to make it VERY stable, even without being bolted down, my previous standard practice. I do believe the filler was mostly cosmetic, and I'm satisfied.Do look out, however, for the face plate they have screwed onto the spindle as delivered.
I was a bit concerned about its somewhat limited 20" swing. Some of us know (or think we know) these machines pretty well, and tend to jump ahead a bit.I haven't actually tried using the 18" bed extension assembly to turn a blank up to 32" in diameter (don't have that kind of wood at the moment)., but can see no reason it will not work perfectly.This is an outstanding bowl-turner's lathe, for the money or even cost-independent. A mistake. I moved the heavy parts around with a 2-wheeled truck. When I pulled the tape off, a few quarter-size bits of paint came off with it.
I didn't realize this at the time, since I've never used face plates with set screws before, but this one has them. I may bolt it down yet, when I get a really big, unbalanced piece of wood, but so far it has been solid as a rock.WMH does have a few quality problems, though not enough to spoil a deal. BTW, before you buy, check out Osolnik Machinery in Berea KY., which helped design this machine. I bolted the legs, which are liftable, to the upside-down bed, and laid it on its side. I was then able to install the head and tail-stocks, and the banjo.
I have to admit I did this before reading the manual, but still, they did not need to install it (with set-screws tight)., and should warn us a bit more upfront, like with a sticker on the faceplate itself. Although my lathe was delivered without any significant damage, the black tape stripes were scraped off in a couple of spots. When I tried to remove the little 3" face plate supplied, I discovered the hard way that this one not only has set screws, but that they are delivered tight. However, in response to my email, WMH DID send me a spray can of Powermatic gold paint, which mostly solves the problem. For one thing, is it VERY heavy, at 681 lbs., plus another another 60 lbs.
heavier than my Jet, which weighs in at about 420 lbs. The headstock is heavy enough (maybe 100 lbs). There are none more versatile, and you will probably never need a bigger one. male, so you may want to hoist that, too, or get help. Joe Osolnik (son, I think, of the famous bowl turner) is very helpful, and you might get an even better deal. But not to worry. I received my Powermatic 3520b lathe about a month ago, and have just gotten it running a few days ago.
And, thinking I'd prefer it without the stripes, which look a little fussy against the gold bed paint, I decided to pull them off. At less than 130 rpm (50 in the low range), it just stops. That is about 261 lbs. I braced the legs against 25" 2X4s, themselves braced against the garage door (itself wedged to fix it in place) so they would not slip when I hoisted it up-right. This lathe is a replacement for another WMH product I own, a Jet 1442VS, so I will use that lathe as a basis for comparison with this one.This lathe is a GREAT design for a bowl turner.
And with the thick 1 1/4" spindle, running in the low range, with the tailstock in place, and with the lathe bolted down, even those could probably be turned easily enough. Besides that, it is also VERY versatile. My skills are getting into the advanced category (I think), so I wondered if maybe I should go for one with 24" of swing or more. It seems quite slow, at 130/50 rpm, being just a bit over 2, or under 1 rpm/second. So I scored the spindle shaft. with the 18" bed extension assembly installed, bringing the total weight to up to 741 lbs, and making it heavier than similar size Vicmarc (actually a 24" lathe) or Oneway (20 or 24") lathes. The damage is not serious, but STILL.
I think I can turn just about anything except maybe the very biggest, MOST out-of-balance blanks that fit on this lathe. Now, I don't think that they should use filler to mask flaws in the casting, and if they do, it shouldn't come off with the tape. If you want to turn bowls, and would rather not spend the $5-8K which other lathes of similar size cost, this could be the one for you. Bummer. But even the 130/50 rpm minimum speeds it really works at are slow enough. If weight is a factor in wood lathe performance, and it certainly IS, this lathe has got it better than any other I know of near this size (except for the big 24" PM, which weighs in at 900 lbs.). It took just a couple of hours to get it together, without any real risk to my precious, aging body.The continuously variable speed is INVALUABLE - the 450 rpm minimum with my Jet was just too fast (and so too dangerous) in many cases for less well balanced bowl blanks.
MOST wood turners, I'd wager, have never used face plates with set screws, and would not expect them. That is, the PM is over 60% heavier than my Jet, and 70% with the bed extension installed. And not only that, but some of what looked like white filler, under the paint, and about 1/16" or more thick, came off with it. Though the specs I read (several - but not all) say that it runs 0-1200 and 0-3200 rpms, that is not exactly true. With the 18" bed and banjo extensions (about $400 additional) installed, and the headstock moved to the end of the bed, the PM 3520b swings 32". that it was near my limit, as a 56 yo 180 lb.
It is very smooth, quiet and well-made. Once in the basement it was necessary to use a winch hung from a large stepladder to lift the main frame up to attach the legs. I bought the winch from Sears for $20. I received my new 3520b Powermatic lathe about 6 weeks ago and have used it several hours at this point. The help of another person during this process was essential. I literally rolled the headstock end over end to get it down the stairs. Also, this lathe requires 230V so it was necessary for me to install a dedicated line over to the tool location.Other than the assembly, I am very pleased with the lathe and enjoy using it.
Also, the moveable headstock is handy if you want to turn very large bowls although the normal swing is 20 inches which accomodates the Oneway Stronghold chuck and mega jumbo jaw set up. I did that after I read that comment in another evaluation of this tool and found it to be helpful. I recommend buying the correct hex wrench head for your socket set to make it easier to attach the legs. The lathe arrived in excellent shape and the delivery driver was helpful in moving the box into the garage. There were some anxious moments but the assembly was completed in about three hours.
The lathe is substantial and heavy. Also, the headstock had to be winched up in order to slide in on the rail. Even disassembled it was not easy to move the parts and my wife and I struggled to get the task accomplished. The electronic speed control works well and makes multiple speed changes while turning a breeze. Because of the weight it was necessary for me to remove the headstock and tool rest from the main body inorder to carry all of the parts into the basement.
A very good product for serious wood turners. The Powermatic lathe, model 3520B, is reliable, strong, silent, heavy.
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