Powermatic 90 Lathe or Oliver 20 lathe

M

manakoacraftsman

New User
Keawe
Hello everybody,
I am looking to buy a lathe and 2 options have come up. It's either a vintage powermatic model 90 lathe(that's in spectacular condition) or an older oliver model 20 lathe (needs some tlc). I'm not concerned about having to put some work into fixing anything up. Just would like to know if one is better quality then the other? Both are vintage cast iron machine...very heavy. Would like to know yalls opinions on what would be the better option quality wise. Thank you!
 
mkepke

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
Is the Oliver a pattern makers lathe or something else? Got pictures?

The Powermatic is a safe choice, provided you can accept the max 12” swing inboard and the relatively high speed on the lowest speed settings.

Vintage Powermatic and Oliver are both quality - in that what they claim to do, they do very well and reliably - but if the Oliver is a pattern makers lathe you’re talking apples and oranges in size, weight, capability.

-Mark
 
M

manakoacraftsman

New User
Keawe
mkepke said:
Is the Oliver a pattern makers lathe or something else? Got pictures?

The Powermatic is a safe choice, provided you can accept the max 12” swing inboard and the relatively high speed on the lowest speed settings.

Vintage Powermatic and Oliver are both quality - in that what they claim to do, they do very well and reliably - but if the Oliver is a pattern makers lathe you’re talking apples and oranges in size, weight, capability.

-Mark
Click to expand...
Hi Mark,
I will get pictures soon. How do I know if it's a patternmakers? Thanks!
-Keawe
 
R

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
The PM 90 will swing 12" diameter and about 36" between centers. Weighs about 600 pounds or so. Accessories are available. Has a 1 1/2" x 8 tpi spindle nose. MT2 for both headstock and tailstock. The Oliver 20 will swing a larger diameter, maybe 18" or 20". Could be quite long since Oliver made a bunch of these with different bed lengths. Very heavy depending on bed length. Hard to find accessories. I think the spindle nose is 1 7/8" x 8 tpi. Not sure of the MT openings.

Both of them are good lathes. The PM 90 could have a 3 phase motor with a VFD added to get a lower speed.

Do find out about the Oliver to see if it will fit where you want to put it.

Roy G
 
ashley_phil

ashley_phil

Phil Ashley
Corporate Member
that oliver is amazing Mike! heck of a buy for 5k

Roy is on the right track. PM is the safe bet. Oliver is likely more versatile and definitely a drool worthy option
 
D

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Mike, got to go to California. Hhhmmm!
 
M

manakoacraftsman

New User
Keawe
Mike Davis said:
I would love to have a pattern makers lathe.
Click to expand...

Roy G said:
The PM 90 will swing 12" diameter and about 36" between centers. Weighs about 600 pounds or so. Accessories are available. Has a 1 1/2" x 8 tpi spindle nose. MT2 for both headstock and tailstock. The Oliver 20 will swing a larger diameter, maybe 18" or 20". Could be quite long since Oliver made a bunch of these with different bed lengths. Very heavy depending on bed length. Hard to find accessories. I think the spindle nose is 1 7/8" x 8 tpi. Not sure of the MT openings.

Both of them are good lathes. The PM 90 could have a 3 phase motor with a VFD added to get a lower speed.

Do find out about the Oliver to see if it will fit where you want to put it.

Roy G
Click to expand...
Hi Roy,
It will fit. It's also a patternmakers lathe....also selling cheaper then the pm. But the pm is in near perfect condition. The oliver works fine just needs a painting.
 
C

Cuthriell

Cuthriell
Senior User
I have a mid 80s PM90 and have never had any trouble with it. It has a 110V motor and adequate power. The speed range is ~400 to 2200. It also has a 1/2 HP motor drive added to the outboard end of the shaft that drives it about 80 RPM on a belt and homemade pully. The 1-1/2x8 spindle has fewer choices for chucks and faceplates. PSI has a chuck in that size and One way Stronghold used to come in that size. The one thing I do not like is the gap bed. It is OK for bowls mounted on a faceplate, but is rather short when using a chuck. It also is a work around when turning short spindles because the tool rest must be long enough to cover the gap but not too long to get in the way of the tail stock. I have taken the speed control apart twice to lubricate but it probably was not necessary. I'm happy with it generally. I also have about 200 pounds of lead on the shelf.
 
mkepke

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
manakoacraftsman said:
Hi Mark,
I will get pictures soon. How do I know if it's a patternmakers? Thanks!
-Keawe
Click to expand...
In my limited experience patternmaker lathes will:
* have a carriage (a tool rest with cranks for precise X Y adjustments like a metal lathe)
* have a lead screw running parallel to the ways
* be very heavy compared to a regular spindle lathe

-Mark
 
B

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
For general wood turning, a pattern makers lathe has features that are pretty much useless. One has to work around the mechanism. A tool rest and tool rest base aren't easy to find. A pattern makers lathe is a metal working carriages type lathe for precision turning of wood and plastics for foundry patterns.

A second hand Powermatic can be fraught with problems, particularly if the lathe came from a school shop where inexperienced students brutalized the VS mechanism and tailstock. The only way to tell is to run the lathe through the speed range with wood mounted. I've seen some used 90s that were smooth and quiet. With a used machine, its wise to check it out thoroughly. A good preliminary education on the 90 is to slip over to OWWM.org and put PM90 in the search box.
 
M

manakoacraftsman

New User
Keawe
mkepke said:
In my limited experience patternmaker lathes will:
* have a carriage (a tool rest with cranks for precise X Y adjustments like a metal lathe)
* have a lead screw running parallel to the ways
* be very heavy compared to a regular spindle lathe

-Mark
Click to expand...
Gotcha will try to get pictures
 
M

manakoacraftsman

New User
Keawe

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