Thread: General lathe

Certainly a solid beast. I see no reason why it should not be OK, or even pretty bloody good.

What He Said Looks to be a better lathe than some of the new ones on the market
these days.
Cheers Tony.

'cept for all those things poking out of the tool rest bango. Is it? Great potential to get in the way, but easily solved.

On closer inspection that's te duplicator isn't it? Looks great then.

That's the duplicator bolted down-Excalibur brand. I think I saw that alone listed for $600 USD one time. Only saw one in use on tv, looks pretty neat if you do spindle work, but for me, seems to take away from the art.

Looks like an excellent lathe. If you can get it under a $1000 you will be doing very well.

Here is a review of a General Lathe:

WoodCentral's BP Archives: General 160-1 Lathe

My rule of thumb, used price = 1/2 of new if in good working condition.

Duplicators are nice if you are making porch spindles or table legs. I understand that they do not cut as nicely as hand held tools and require a lot of sanding. I have not used a duplicator.

The duplicator may cost $600 new but if you will never use it, it is worth nothing.

I have a duplicator on a shelf under 2 inches of sanding dust.

The 160-1 lathe swings 15" in the gap but 12" over the rest of the bed. If you use a chuck, that does not leave much room in the gap for deep bowls.

Here is what I found from a dealer in GA. I think yours is a 160-1.

http://www.redmond-machinery.com/general%20160-2.htm

Looks like a solid well made lathe.

Looks like a 260 20" model. These things are bombproof, still made in Canada.

GENERAL 260 VARIABLE SPEED WOOD LATHE [GEN260VD - GENERAL 260 20" SWING LATHE] - $5,395.00 : Island WoodCraft Supply, Complete Woodworking Solutions

Trevor
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Originally Posted by Daddy3x

That's the duplicator bolted down-Excalibur brand. I think I saw that alone listed for $600 USD one time. Only saw one in use on tv, looks pretty neat if you do spindle work, but for me, seems to take away from the art.

I see your point, but would be essential for process work. My stairs have 37 identically turned uprights. That would be a nightmare to do by hand!

They use CNC based gear for stuff like that nowdays, do they not?

Looks like a well built lathe but remember....IF THE HEAD & TAIL STOCKS DO NOT LINE UP PERFECTLY IT MAY AS WELL BE AN ANCHOR.

Might as well toot my own horn: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/vis...lipers-102822/

Cheers,
Joe