casual observation Oneway 1224

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Went to a friend's shop yesterday and saw his new Oneway 1224 lathe. He also has a big Powermatic. The Oneway replaced a Jet mini. After the first blush of being impressed, like seeing a Ferrari, I quickly got unimpressed. Now, I'm sure it is top quality all the way. Oneway has a great reputation. But, without using it, the downsides, as I see them, are: the EVS does not have a digital read-out for RPMs; the headstock is fixed; the positioning of the bottom shelf makes getting close to the work awkward (e.g. can't put feet under and get close); the controls are on the back side, one must reach over the work, IMHO this poses a possible safety hazard. The spindle center height was a bit high for my comfort but might be OK for a tall guy.
I didn't use it or even turn it on. But those factors alone would turn me to another brand and model.
And, at about $2,500.00, I wouldn't expect these design problems to exist. Oh, well.

p.s. this ad photo is from the back side, not the working side.
 

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There you go again Frank. You never seize to astound me.
You are actually comparing a Grizzly to a Oneway and think a Grizzly comes out ahead.

Mark Twain once said "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
 
OK, I had my laugh. Seriously I can see what your saying Frank. I don't care about a speed readout but I can see why someone would expect one. Headstock fixed wouldn't bother me, but not being to able to stand close and the controls not being able to be moved around do surprise me for that price.

Ron, you better read again. Frank never compared it to a Grizzly nor even mentioned Grizz. I just was kidding him with the painting in green comment. That's where there that got started.
 
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Ron, you better read again. Frank never compared it to a Grizzly nor even mentioned Grizz. I just was kidding him with the painting in green comment. That's where there that got started.

I've played on a 1224 a few times.


If the Mod Team feels it would be in the best interest of this forum to delete my posts, please do so.


PM me if you wish
 
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I've played on a 1224 a few times.


If the Mod Team feels it would be in the best interest of this forum to delete my posts, please do so.


PM me if you wish

Ron, I would delete your avatar ;) but opinions are OK. However, as was pointed out, I never said anything about Grizzly. Only observations of the 1224. Painting green would not allow placing feet in a comfortable position, lower the height or make reaching for controls safer.
If you git too rough, I can just send my cousin, Rocco, to visit you. ;)
 
Ron, I would delete your avatar ;) but opinions are OK. However, as was pointed out, I never said anything about Grizzly. Only observations of the 1224. Painting green would not allow placing feet in a comfortable position, lower the height or make reaching for controls safer.
If you git too rough, I can just send my cousin, Rocco, to visit you. ;)


What you don't like my avatar! My work shop is in the basement. My wife calls me Granpa Munster whenever I come up from the "Dungeon"

Besides, my cousin Guido is bigger than your cousin Rocco!:D
 
Gentlemen,

I love my wife, she is the perfect wife for me.
Yes, there are many different wives in the world, and many are the perfect wife for their husband.
While these other wives are perfect for their husbands, they are not the right wife for me.
I love my wife, other men love their wives.
Isn't it a wonderful world where each man can love his wife, and respect another man's choice of loving his own wife.

Frank ;)

is she green? or cream colored:rofl: now thats a opposite idea you started there:thumb::thumb:
 
Frank
What was your impression of the mustard one. :type:
Jay

Are you baiting me???? :rolleyes:
Actually, favorable but not 'wowed'. It has several characteristics similar to the Grizzly that, I believe, came from the same factory in China.
It is massively heavier. That is very good. Power and controls are very similar. Head must be slid to end for big bowl turning. Not good, IMHO as that requires extra shop space not everyone has, including me. And the 80 lb. tailstock must be removed. That could be a real grunt for some people. It has features that I like for holding tools and such.
If the price were in my budget, would I buy it over the Grizzly G0632 that I have? Doubtful. I don't see the extra $2,000.00 buying $2,000.00 worth of more lathe.
That's me. You asked.
 
Now if you want a review on this lathe by someone who actually used it to turn, and has for some time used it...............

Chris Barton said:
Hi Folks,

Nearly a year ago I bought a new Oneway 1224 to replace my Jet VSmini. I have had many questions over that period of time asking me if the Oneway was worth the money and if there were any issues that I noticed so, I thought I would post a short review of my baby lathe.

In general the fit and finish of the Oneway is superior to anything else I've seen. Now, that's not to say that the other machines I've experienced aren't great machines but, compared to PM (my other lathe is a PM 3520a), Nova, Jet, Stubby, Vicmark, Woodtek, General and Rikon, the Oneway is noticeably superior. The motor is very nearly silent, very strong and has not only electronic speed control but, electronic braking as well.

The locking mechanisms for the Oneway are very strong and so easy to use that they can actually be a nuisance. The weight of the handles alone are enough to lock them in place when I would try to move the tool rest or tail stock. The 1224 has both a MT2 headstock and tailstock, unlike the larger Oneways that have a MT3 tailstock, which I see as an advantage. The downside to the tailstock is that it uses a keyway lock to secure the travel of the center and this faces up where dust and wood chips can easily clog the mechanism.

Another big plus for this machine is the integrated steel base. The lower frame of the lathe is made from 1/4" steel and this lowers the center of gravity and makes the lathe very rigid. In it's OEM format, two plywood shelves are available for tools and such but, I found them to be wood chip collectors and made drawers to fit the spaces and these have worked very well to hold tools and accessories.

I mounted my 1224 on wheels and the leveling tabs that are OEM perfectly fit a set of locking casters I had. I find that I turn most anything that would normally fit on a mini/midi lathe on the Oneway and use my 3520a mostly for larger bowls, spindles longer than 24" and HFs.

Now, the big question, "is it worth the money?" For me the answer is yes. At the time I bought it the price was about $2.4K delivered which, was just about the same as I paid for the PM. Sometimes I find tools sized for the job to make the job a joy and the Oneway has fit the bill perfectly. Now, if I could only afford one lathe then the choice would be easy; PM3520b. The Powermatic is the best lathe on the market for the dollar cost averaging over time.

Let me know if I there are any questions that I might be able to answer...
100_0301.jpg 100_0302.jpg 100_0303.jpg 100_0304.jpg 100_0305.jpg

Now Chris seems pleased with this lathe, and I notice that Oneway still sells them, so there might just be a market for them :dunno:

Of course if a person was making their living from a tool, they would most likely want something better than just the garden variety tool, but if they are just putting around in their workshop, then it would become a "want" rather than "need" thing, which is OK too, if you can afford it, or want to afford it.

I'd love to one day one a large Oneway lathe. :thumb:
 
For the record, my thread is "casual observation". Obviously I cannot give a users perspective.
However, I do wonder how tall Chris is. No matter the price of the toy, the spindle height would be uncomfortable for me.
And, having to stand back because of poor foot positioning is a huge downer.

Reminds me of my brother-in-laws $100,000.00 Jaguar car. Literally no room for the feet and butt (can we say "butt" here?) felt like it was dragging on the pavement. High quality car but give me my used Dodge truck any day. A much better ride.
 
...And the 80 lb. tailstock must be removed. That could be a real grunt for some people...
Just to clarify, I'm pretty certain the PM tailstock is not 80 pounds. I would guess it's closer to 40 or 50 pounds. I can lift mine off the floor quite easily with one hand, although it takes two to get it into place on the lathe bed. If it was 80 pounds, I doubt I could lift it one-handed.
 
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