# INTERESTING CONCEPT



## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Arlin Eastman post this over at Woodnet; what are your thoughts?

https://www.rikontools.com/product/70-3040

What do you think?


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Not a turner mostly because I lack the room for a lathe. I guess the idea of the sliding rail is to save room when not in use or if most work is smaller length. For that reason it does look interesting.


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## GaryCK (Apr 7, 2018)

I'm not sure Rikon is doing themselves any favors by showing the tool rest moving with the sliding tailstock extension. My first thought with the animation they have is how the heck do you turn the part towards the head stock? Another picture shows it apparently moving independent of the sliding section.

Interesting concept, though.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

At least they are thinking out of the box, but yea, I see no way for the tool rest to be close to the head for a long workpiece. Of course the tool rest moves, but only along the moving base piece. Flip the work end over end and just work the tailstock side?


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Dont think much of it, especially that it is motorized. Great example of "features" getting in the way of function and actually creating a less capable design. Dont think other companies will copy it, and doubt it remains available for more than a few years.


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I think it is great!


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Looks interesting. I would want a second banjo and tool rest, one upper and one lower so as not to need to move it from upper to lower rails. I don't think the bed extension needs to be motorized, just more to go wrong.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Nothing new about the sliding bedways … Stubby lathes (manufactured in Australia … http://www.omegastubbylathes.com/ ) have had the sliding gap bedways for years. IIRC, John Jordan has been a big supporter of the Stubby lathes. I don't see much of an advantage in having the upper bed motorized.


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## xeddog (Mar 2, 2010)

I just looked at the photos, and one of the pictures (third one) shows the banjo in the "gap" area. It also shows an extension to the thing that raises the tool rest.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I think as far as advertising goes, it couldn't be better.

Here you are discussing a tool, yet to be available, and without knowing a price.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Talk is cheap. Bet the price of the lathe isn't.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

So, the target customer for this product does not have storage space for a full length lathe, but does have work space for it. There might be a few such customers.

Otherwise, I can't see how this would be cheaper, more useful, or in any way better than a fixed length lathe comparable to this one when extended.

Nor can I see how this lathe will handle an off-balance, long work piece as well as a fixed length lathe.

But gimmicks sell…


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

The advantage is for people who turn everything from pens to bowls to chair legs. I like my gap bed but I'd also like to remove the gap sometimes. Banjo/toolrest/tailstock combination can be a bit of a pain when turning stuff like pens. If I could slide the bed closer, I would.

That being said, the motorized bed is a bit much. Not only is it unnecessary but it's just something to break/quit working and added expense.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I wonder how you move the banjo down to the lower bed? Most tool rests have to slide on from the end. If you have to remove the plate that holds it down, unless it has some sort of quick release or something, that could be a PITA that would make it too much trouble to switch back and forth. .


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

That is exactly why I would want a second banjo. Scrap the extend motor and add the second banjo.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Where does the 2nd banjo go when the bed is slid up?

I see this lathe as an answer to a question nobody asked.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Take it off
My thought was for turning a spindle, not needing to move it from bed to bed. If slid in, I wouldn't need the second banjo. I bought a second banjo for my PM 90, and made long tool rests to work the whole spindle at once, like turning a long taper.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

At one time John Jordan was sole vendor for Stubby lathes in United States. Remember when another vendor got into selling them caused big roe in turning community. Only people that really loved any version of Stubby lathe are those that sold them & those that bought them. Not sure who wants to handle sales in USA now that they are back in production.

Without knowing cost of this new Rikon only people going love it are those that sell and those that buy.

Market already has large inventory of lathes capable of large turnings. Have mention those folks that made their own lathes & tools to turn really large projects! These are just few I know but pretty sure whole bunch more that don't know!

James R. Johnson: homemade lathes & tools.
http://jamesjohnsonwoodturner.com/JJ_Lathe.htm

Denis Elliott: custom wood lathe, wall sculptures & other large turnings. 
http://denniselliott.com/

Ed Moulthrop: Homemade lathe & tools his son & grandson still use. Ed passed away several years ago but here is sample of his work. Both son & grandson use those same homemade lathe & tools &.
https://www.pinterest.com/russellwoodz/ed-moulthrop/

http://moulthropstudios.com/


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Sorry for dupilcate post!


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

> The advantage is for people who turn everything from pens to bowls to chair legs. I like my gap bed but I d also like to remove the gap sometimes. Banjo/toolrest/tailstock combination can be a bit of a pain when turning stuff like pens. If I could slide the bed closer, I would.
> 
> That being said, the motorized bed is a bit much. Not only is it unnecessary but it s just something to break/quit working and added expense.
> 
> - HokieKen


Yeah, the motorized feature screams "gimmick" to me too. Like you said, "One more thing to go wrong." Cost/utility ratio is pretty high.

Moving the banjo from bed to gap (or back) means you have to remove the tool rest, insert (or remove) the extender, and re-install the tool rest.

I'll keep the pivoting headstock and outboard banjo on my Nova Galaxi.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

Yeah, the motorized feature screams "gimmick" to me too. Like you said, "One more thing to go wrong." Cost/utility ratio is pretty high.

pretty sure i saw comments in this regard about the motorized router tables, always a buyer for new goods, pending product viability, sales may be great, or….......................... who is to know, only when the doors close and the lights go out. 
novel idea for sure.
rj in az


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## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

Last time I saw a Sliding Tailstock was on Prom night.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

> I ll keep the pivoting headstock and outboard banjo on my Nova Galaxi
> - AndyJ1s


Agreed, I also have a Galaxi. For me the pivoting headstock was the main selling point. Apparently it isnt that popular, Jet discontinued the design on 16 & 18" models a year or so ago. Their "outboard" solution wasnt great, just a tool rest extension, which could have hurt sales. Curious why the design doesnt sell better, I havent found an issue with it yet. Had a lathe with that feature for 7 yrs.


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## AndyJ1s (Jan 26, 2019)

Good point; the usefulness of a pivoting head stock is dependent upon a robust tool rest solution for alternate orientations of the headstock. Some turners fabricate a free-standing tool rest.

One point I hadn't considered on the Rikon sliding bed concept is the use of the sliding bed, just to move the tailstock. That could be handy, but could have been incorporated for a fraction of the additional cost/complexity of the sliding bed. Moving the tailstock occurs multiple times in many projects, but extending or retracting the bed would likely not occur that often (unless also used just to move the tailstock).


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I went through a pretty extensive research/selection process before acquiring the Galaxi (got it Dec '18). Outboard tool rest was a major focus, and I concluded free standing rests are not a good solution. Yes they do work, and sometimes are the only solution especially with very large blanks, but for typical work they arent a good choice. With out of balance blanks the rest needs to move in unison with the lathe, and then all the rest adjustment that is done as a blank is cut down is a real pita when the whole contraption weighing a couple hundred pounds needs to be moved.

There is a major issue with using the sliding bed to set the tailstock - no feel for how tight it is, how much force is being applied. As for using to simply slide the tailstock back and forth and still using the hand wheel to set the force, no thanks tailstocks arent hard to move (pita to remove and slide the headstock down for hollowing bowls though, the reason I prefer a pivoting headstock).


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

IMO, a better solution for easily removing the tailstock is the pivoting extension that you can get for the Laguna and Robust lathes (at least). The Robust one tilts and the Laguna one is on a hinge that swings to the side. Not only do the move the TS out of the way but you also do not have to find a place to put it.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

It looks expensive and I doubt it's cost effective versus a larger, better lathe. And not many amateurs do long turnings, pros will have space for larger lathes. It's a feature that looks handy but will only be useful to a few.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

I've read and re-read all the comments on this topic. It seems like the reason for the sliding bed was missed. All the talk is mostly about the tailstock or tool rest moving with bed. 
What I understood when I first saw the link, was that here is a lathe that has a swing at X inches, with centers at X inches. When you move the bed, you have a greater swing for even larger diameter pieces, plus when the bed moves, you get more distance between centers. Then you would move the tail stock and banjo by hand to meet the needs….............. Jerry (in Tucson).


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I think that the only real advantage is that it is shorter and takes up less room when you don't extend it. Without the extension, it would always have the maximum swing. There aren't too many situations where a smaller swing is advantageous. The rest of the conversation was us (unsuccessfully) trying to find other reasons that the moving bed could be nice.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Never been a fig fan of outboard turning or swiveling headstocks. Owned a Delta 700 and turned outboard twice and didn't feel safe cause had to put myself in line of fire to reach on/off switch. Also trying to manipulate rest base & tool rest bit of a PITA. So not a big fan of commercially sold or homemade outboard tool stands & rest although many turners swear by them.

Nova's optional outboard rest probably one of the safest because it's attached to the lathe. Of course Powermatic's optional old style three leg outboard turning stand also very expensive:

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/nova-outboard-tool-rest-assembly-black

http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/outboard-turning-stand-heavy-duty-for-powermatic-models-3520-3520a-3520b-3520c-4224-and-4224b/6294732

Also agree with Rick M, buy a "better lathe," for two reasons safer than outboard turning and really don't need a sliding bed lathe.

If want to turn large items and be safer buy something with large swing and easy access to on off switch or build your own remote on/off switch! 
https://oneway.ca/products-category/lathes/2000-Series-Lathe

http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/4224b-lathe-with-lamp-kit/1794224K


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## darb (Dec 5, 2015)

Hi, I have not bought the Rikon 70-3040, however i like the sliding bed for the swing difference and the ability to use the tail stock to secure the piece. I turn small bowls, larger bowls, vases, plates and platters, as a hobby. I have recently been interested in wood lamp shades. I have a few large aspen/poplar tress on my property where I live in Massachusetts. So, I am interested in turning them into lamp shades. The Nova lathe I have has been a very good tool for what I do in wood turning. It has a head stock I can turn away from the bed to turn a large bowl/platter with a outboard attachment. However, I can not use the tail stock to secure the large piece when turning on the outboard. The Rikon seem interesting for my purposes and I like the power and bed gap that I see in the Rikon 70-3040. I have not seen enough reviews to really make a decision on spending the $3700 for the lathe and I have not been able to find a complete enough video on it to say it does what it is suppose to do. Allso, I am no a fan of changing belts and the videos do not explain that enough in detail to say why you have to change belts. Thanks Harry


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## Leovanderloo (Apr 28, 2016)

To have a lathe with that larger swing by using a gap bed, the answer is as used in metal lathes, a gap block that fils the gap when not needed, an outboard setup that is well thought out and build is a sweet addition, it gets you out of the line of fire at all times, and a movable switch is there to start and stop the lathe.

I build a outboard setup on my metal lathe (it has also an inboard gap and gap block).

I can and have turned a bunch of large (30+ inches) turnings on it, the switching I do with an air activated switch with a magnet on the bottom, I have been using this since 1996 and needed a new one two years ago, as the bulb was starting to leak, fixed that and use that switch on an other lathe.


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## mike02719 (Jan 13, 2008)

Unless you have a need for longer turning blanks, I see no need for this feature. Also how much outboard turning will you do? How many people have a place to put/store a bowl of that size? I am on my third lathe, and the need for such capacity is rare, for me anyway. Most quality lathes sell bed extensions if needed. My advice would be wait a while and research machines with features like this.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

While the 31" swing capability between centers of this lathe is impressive, it does have a fixed headstock position, which means the user will be leaning and/or extending their arms to hollow bowls. With a sliding or pivoting headstock the user can get in front of the bowl to make cuts w/o leaning and/or extending arms. See Leo's pic above. If you want to turn big bowls I would look elsewhere.


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