I know, I know. A lathe isn't exactly a jig. But for all you turners out there, the Stubby is definitely a journeyman quality machine.

Stubby Lathe, USA, Inc. is a new company formed by Stubby enthusiast Bill Rubenstein to act as the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of Omega Stubby Lathes from Australia. Bill has been a happy Stubby owner since 1999, and when the lathes became unavailable due to weakness in the US dollar, he decided to try to rectify the situation. Thanks to Bill and a few of his buddies, this exquisite machine is again available in North America.

"I will be selling directly to turners," Bill told Woodezine. "And also through remarketers. John Jordan Woodturning is acting as a remarketer at the current time, and I anticipate that there will be others. John is the person responsible for introducing Stubby lathes to the US. Our first shipment of machines is expected in November, and then we expect to receive regular shipments."

Photo by Jamie Donaldson.
Jamie has a superb review of the Stubby on his Web site (www.kestrelcreek.com/Articles/Stubby_Lathe_Review.htm)

Stubby lathes have a number of unique features (several are patented), which make them a joy to use. The sliding, rotating bed gives one the ability to turn very large pieces inboard, while still using tailstock support. The bed's rotation lets you mount a boring bar trap so that the bar can be almost perpendicular to the axis of the lathe - especially important when working on low, wide hollow forms.

While the machines are designed primarily for bowl and hollow-form turning, the sliding bed allows one to turn spindles of 30" and greater. The built-in vacuum port provides for vacuum chucking without adapters, and the auxiliary bed and second banjo allow one to work efficiently from both the headstock and tailstock side of a piece. Massive castings give the lathe a feel of stability which cannot be matched by fabricated machines.

There is an active, dedicated, and happy community of Stubby owners who are in touch via an Internet chat group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stubbygroup), and it is likely that there is someone in the group who is near you and would be willing to introduce you to his/her machine. Most have turned on a number of different machines and when making their buying decisions, they chose Stubby.

The image at left is Mark Mandell taking a test drive on Larry Mamlet's Stubby lathe. "Between the auxiliary bed and two banjos, you have lots of options you just don't have with any other machine," says Bill.

An S750 with stand, 2 hp motor, vector variable frequency drive, and full function remote control is priced at $4875.00 plus shipping (from O'Fallon, MO to your location). The company's first shipment of lathes should be available for delivery in November, and orders are currently being accepted. For details, you may visit the company's web site (www.stubbylatheusa.com) or call Bill Rubenstein at (636) 949-2044.