"GENERAL" wood lathes
William Wixon
Does anyone know how to contact, or the address of, a maker of wood
lathes called GENERAL. I’ve seen photographs of wood lathes with GENERAL
imprinted in the casting. They look like excellent lathes, doubt if I’d
ever be able to afford one, but I’m curious about how much they cost.
ow...@davies.mv.com
They're somewhere in Canada; never have been able to locate them directly.
However, they have dealers in most sections of the country, and Highland
Hardware (which has a Web site, www.highland-hardware.com, and monitors
r.w.w) carries their lathes. In Highland's 1996 Spring/Summer catalog,
the General 260VA (their high-end model) was priced at $2795, or $3194
with riser blocks installed to increase the 12-inch swing to 20 inches.
Distance between centers is 38 inches, with an optional 5-foot extension
bed for $1199. The 260 was the gold standard among professional turners
for several decades. The 260VA adds a new 3-phase AC variable-speed
drive system, instead of the old mechanical variable drive.
There is also a General 160, a lighter-duty machine, which lists for
$1495.
You might also want to check out the Woodfast M-series lathes from Craft
Supplies, in Provo, UT. It is endorsed by some extremely good turners,
including Rude Osolnik, who used the General for many years. So far as
I can tell, its only obvious disadvantage is the lack of an extension bed,
which can be useful for chair parts as well as architectural work. The
price varies with the exact model--16 or 20 inches swing, short or long
bed--but tops out at $2995 for a variable-speed model with 20 inches of
swing and 39 inches between centers.
And if those prices don't scare you, check recent postings for a thread
about the new OneWay lathe! Dynamite, but you do pay for it.
Call 800-241-6748 for Highland Hardware's catalog, 801-373-0919 for Craft
Supplies.
Hope this helps.
Walt Stein
William Wixon <wi...@warwick.net> wrote:
>Does anyone know how to contact, or the address of, a maker of wood
>lathes called GENERAL. I’ve seen photographs of wood lathes with GENERAL
>imprinted in the casting. They look like excellent lathes, doubt if I’d
>ever be able to afford one, but I’m curious about how much they cost.
Based in Drummondville, Quebec, General has been making first-rate
power tools for many years. These green-enameled tools have many
legends associated with them, eg:
1. General stores all its castings in back woodlot for n-years before
finishing them in order to properly cure them
2. General uses "heavier" cast iron (sounds wierd to me, but my
general six-inch jointer looks exactly like an old delta, but "is"
much heavier)
3. General "enjoys" making tools, but is lousy on customer service
since it's main business lies elsewhere (true that they are hard to
get parts for)
Anyway, I have two Generals, the six inch jointer, and the 160 lathe.
I would not trade them for any other tool. Someday, I will also buy
their 15 inch drill press, a true industrial model with split casting
for removing slop in the quill.
Even here in Canada, they are slightly more expensive than Deltas,
but, I think, worth the difference. The drill press, otoh, is a good
deal and far less expensive than the comparable 15 inch delta. Their
table saws somewhat outperform the Unisaw (which isn't saying a great
deal because the Unisaw is pretty darn good, anyhow), and trusted
colleagues of mine have a hard time choosing between the powermatic
and the general.
What I like best about all Generals is their reliance on old
fashioned, tried and true, designs. No bells and whistles or plastic
doodads on their gear. Just solid, well finished, and reliable
machinery. As to the lathe, I find the mechanical cone pulley system
for variable speed far better than electronic gismos.
Anway, here's a solid "yes" vote for the whole line of General tools.
PS: word has it that they are set to market a line of Taiwanese
standing tools to compete with some of the middle-end stuff currently
available from other mfrs.
yours,
Walt
Bill Harnell
General Power Tools is a Canadian Manufacturer of high quality woodworking
tools. Anyone fortunate enough to own one of these tools will attest to
their value.
One American distributor is located in Des Moines, Iowa and can be reached
on the net at: http://www.augusthome.com/woodstor.htm
From that page, check the online catalogue for product descriptions and
prices.
FWIW, I'm not connected in any way with either General or the Woodsmith
Store but drool whenever anyone mentions a General tool and go into sheer
ecstasy whenever I can get my hands on one.
Anyone who owns one, will pass it on for at least two generations. They're
superb tools.
One of my life's ambitions is to own a General table saw.
William Wixon <wi...@warwick.net> wrote in article
<324987...@warwick.net>...
Robert G Reid
>
>Does anyone know how to contact, or the address of, a maker of wood
>lathes called GENERAL. I’ve seen photographs of wood lathes with
GENERAL
>imprinted in the casting. They look like excellent lathes, doubt if
I’d
>ever be able to afford one, but I’m curious about how much they cost.
highland hardware (800)241-6748 also http://highland-hardware.com has
general lathes in their current catalog
John van Veen
General Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
835 Cherrier St., Drummondville Quebec J2B 5A8
Tel: 819-472-1161 Fax 819-472-3266
I recently called and received a catalogue within days, unfortunately
there was no price list :-(
- John Coulombe
Here is a mailing address that was valid back in January 1996.
General
835 Cherrier Street
Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
J2B 5A8
Tel: (819) 472-1161
Fax: (810) 472-3266
John Coulombe
Orleans, Ontario, Canada
coul...@magi.com
"Any man who strives to do his best whether his work be great or small
is considered to be doing the work of a lion." --- nagarjuna (C 100 -200 AD)
Roger Wiegand
While I certainly wouldn't disagree with the praise heaped on the
General lathes in this discussion, I would note one down point. David
Ellsworth demonstrated on a new 260 at our recent turning symposium and
I was impressed at how loud it was. The motor noise was significant, but
the sheet metal stand rattled and rumbled something awful when he was
spinning an unbalanced log on it. Didn't affect the operation at all,
only the aesthetics. I'd hope for a machine that expensive to be
quieter.
S. Siddall
William Wixon <wi...@warwick.net> wrote:
>Does anyone know how to contact, or the address of, a maker of wood
>lathes called GENERAL. I’ve seen photographs of wood lathes with GENERAL
>imprinted in the casting. They look like excellent lathes, doubt if I’d
>ever be able to afford one, but I’m curious about how much they cost.
General is a manufacturer in Quebec, Canada. I do not have their
address and, from what I've heard from some of the dealers, the
product is hard to get. I have used their model 260 lathe and the
cabinet saw (can't remember the model. Both are very sturdy and
smooth running machines. One of their dealers is Ashman Technical Ltd
in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They can be reached at (416) 560-2400.
They have done exporting to the U.S. so I'm sure they will have a
catalog for you.
Steve from Workshop Supply.
Walt Stein
Roger Wiegand <rcw...@monsanto.com> wrote:
A fair point from one who has heaped praise on the Generals. My 160
had the same problem...indeed, the heavy lathe on the sheet metal
stand was a bit top-heavy, too, threatening to tip under certain
(theoretical) circumstances.
Simple fix: I built an mdf "coffin" which exactly fit the spreader on
the stand, about 10 inches deep. Filled this with sandbags, thus
adding 120 pounds of sand or so to the base, covered the coffin with a
tight fitting lid. Now I have a quiet, stable lathe, along with a
handy shelf about 24 inches or so off the ground. If you go for this
fix, DON'T fill with loose sand, for many obvious reasons. Bag it and
tightly seal the bags. Loses some weight, gains much in convenience
and protection of the tool.
yours,
Walt.
Rick Stein
In article <52q15h$7...@news.bellglobal.com>,
work...@execulink.com (S. Siddall) wrote:
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>From: work...@execulink.com (S. Siddall)
>Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
>Subject: Re: "GENERAL" wood lathes
>Date: Tue, 01 Oct 1996 05:51:04 GMT
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General machines are also available from the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines,
Iowa. I recently passed through Des Moines on a trip and stopped in the store.
they had the lathe in stock at that time. Their phone number is (800)835.5084.
Rick Stein
lawrence, KS
I am not associated with the Woodsmith Store other than as a customer.
Ken Waller
work...@execulink.com (S. Siddall) wrote:
>William Wixon <wi...@warwick.net> wrote:
>
>>Does anyone know how to contact, or the address of, a maker of wood
>
>General is a manufacturer in Quebec, Canada. I do not have their
>address and, from what I've heard from some of the dealers, the
>product is hard to get. (clip) One of their dealers is Ashman Technical Ltd
>in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They can be reached at (416) 560-2400.
>They have done exporting to the U.S. so I'm sure they will have a
>catalog for you.
>
>Steve from Workshop Supply.
>
The area code for Hamilton is now 905.
Many Canadian high schools use General table saws and lathes because of their
ruggedness as well as their precision. Their not cheap but worth the investment.
Good luck with your search.
Ken Waller