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Exploring the spiritual potential of art
made of wood |
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Two years ago my larger turnings began to stress out my faithful old Woodfast, so I started researching heavier duty short bed lathes. With Scotch and German ancestry plus the mindset of a engineer, I am very particular in my requirements, and I also had to justify this investment to my bookkeeper wife! I tried them all, and a local AAW chapter member’s Stubby sang a siren song to me when I used it. The importer is my revered teacher John Jordan, so we struck a deal for one of the St. Paul AAW Symposium demo lathes. I was somewhat put off by the matte black paint- I thought candy apple red metal flake would be ’way cool’ but have come to appreciate the sleek black beauty. Sanding sealer and CA glue drips don’t show, and scratches can be repaired with Buck stove black. |
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Made in Australia by Omega Tool, it is incredibly smooth and quiet, partly due to about 800 lbs. of cast iron. Every part moves easily and locks securely without force, all functions of a robust and logically designed working machine. The unique bed is a sliding, pivoting beam, allowing 30" swing and 34" between centers. An auxiliary bed and tool rest can be mounted in 5 different configurations, giving the impression that the whole lathe is double jointed! Yet the machining is so precise that everything indexes perfectly when returned to normal position. |
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The headstock is also tank-like with a 1 1/4" x 8 spindle mounted in double row angular contact bearings and 24 hole indexing. The only feature I haven’t used is the built-in vacuum port. I especially like the design of the tailstock, with one exception-the lock down lever is too short. I made an extension out of steel tubing, and now don’t WHACK *!!+# my knuckles on the casting! |
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A remote ON/OFF switch can be positioned using the magnet on the box, my only other complaint- the magnet wasn’t strong enough, so I replaced it with a larger one that doesn’t slide off. The motor is 2 hp AC with serious testosterone and 0-1600 or 0-3300 rpm speed ranges. The electronic motor controller is 240 v. single phase AC with built-in ramp up, ramp down, and dynamic braking. All controls are in similar locations as the Woodfast, allowing me to work back and forth between the two lathes. The Stubby is a BRUTE - like a Woodfast on steroids, so I named it STUDLY! I have found it to be superior for my bowl and vessel turning needs when compared to similarly priced lathes like Oneways due to the larger swing capacity, sliding bed features, and spindle size that matched accessories I already owned. The available stand allows adjustment of spindle height from 44" to 52" without resorting to blocks under legs, etc. The individually adjustable legs correct for uneven floors without resorting to shims that always vibrate loose. This bad boy does not move, so you had better place it where you want it while several of your friends are there to help! The Stubby 1000 has an even larger capacity of 20" swing over
bed and 44" swing with bed extended. It is available with either 2
hp or 3 hp AC motor, and is mounted on a fixed base. Both machines
include standard accessories such as spur center, ball bearing tail
center, faceplate, wrenches and knockout rod. |
Click here to email Jamie for further information. |
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