VB Manufacturing, Unit 2, North Crescent, Diplocks Way, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3LE
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  +44 (0)1323 442440                          +44 (0)1323 840696                          sales@hegner.co.uk

The VB36

Master Bowlturner Lathe

  With no exaggeration, the VB36 has been designed to equip you with ultimate potential to take on any wood-turning project — and enjoy it!  In his work, "The Lathe Book", American author and turner Ernie Conover (who writes for Fine Woodworking Magazine) entitles one chapter "Dream Lathes". In fact there is only one machine described — the VB36.
  Of course we are very familiar with manufacturers claiming "uniqueness" for their products, but the VB is truly unique in the best possible way. We want you to understand why. By all means call us for further information  — and don't forget to e-mail us your address, or phone, for your free video.

VB with Standard bed tailstock

VB with Short bed tailstock

(Some thoughts from Roger Buse, Chairman, VB Manufacturing:) "WHO BUYS A VB36?"     I  have been involved with woodworking and  woodworking machinery design and sales for the major part of my working life. In all of that time, I have never met a customer who regretted buying the very best machine that he or she could afford. On the other hand, I have sold a succession of slightly improved specification machines to the same customer over a period of years until he finally ended up with the machine he was truly happy with — that is the one that he "couldn't justify" or " didn't have the space for" all those years ago!     When considering a purchase, all sorts of reasons are offered for settling for less than what one really wants. Buying the best is the simplest way to save money and enjoy one's woodworking activities from the start. Unlike differences in Hi-Fi equipment, which may cost many hundreds of pounds for an end result that only bats and dogs can distinguish, the woodturner will immediately know when he is using a machine that has no inherent limitations or drawbacks.    Not much that we choose to spend our time and money on can actually be "justified" in any real sense. People play golf, go sailing, take holidays and so on because they enjoy it — not because they will ever be able to make a living by doing these things. Similarly, if you enjoy woodturning, you will derive even greater satisfaction from your time at the lathe if you are untroubled by equipment limitations and shortcomings.     I am often asked if we have any second-hand VB's for sale. In fact, although the VB is now by far the most widely used lathe in its price category, none of us have ever seen one advertised for sale. If one did appear on the market, we don't imagine that it would cost very much less than the owner paid for it! VB owners are not just professional turners, but people from every imaginable background who simply want to enjoy what they do. "TESTIMONIALS"     Many of us have come to regard "unsolicited testimonials" with some suspicion and so we have avoided relying on  "Chris, from Birmingham", or his relatives, for support. (In any case, most turners now know someone who is a VB owner to whom they can talk directly, or we can certainly refer you to one or more local owners.) However, in September '97, a letter appeared in  "The Woodturner" magazine. It was sent by Keith Dickinson in response to what he felt was implied criticism of the VB in the review of another lathe in a previous issue. I include a copy of his letter here because it addresses the sometimes heard objection that the VB "runs hot". The editor devoted an entire page to reprinting Mr. Dickinson's letter. Here it is (without accompanying photographs): "BRITISH ENGINEERING AT ITS BEST"

—  I am an obsessive woodturner and two years ago started to plan my own design for a bowl turning lathe. Around the same time I saw an advertisement for the VB36. I asked for information and was greatly impressed by the spec. After reading it, I shelved my plans.       My main reason for choosing the VB36 was because of its bearing specification. I am an engineer working in the Gas Turbine Division of Rolls Royce. We use bearings made on a very similar design principle for the RB211 gas compressor unit which generates 38,000 shaft horse power. It depends on its bearings not only to carry the shaft load, but also to keep things turning without any deviation from a perfect turning circle. I have seen these bearings after 100,000 hours in service (10 years) and found them in the same condition as the day the unit was commissioned.      I mention these facts because in the review of the Turnstyler, it was obvious that theVB36 was being alluded to as the only lathe not using "tried and tested" ball or roller bearings. In his conclusion, Mr. Warr emphasised that the Turnstyler bearings "happily need no attention whatsoever" and "thanks to those headstock bearings which remain cool, even under heavy load" and that "they are friction-free". The implication is obviously that temperature and rolling resistance are the ways in which bearing performance can best be determined — irrespective of bearing type, shaft seals, or indeed the working application. The two types

of bearing (i.e. plain or rolling element) are as  different in their requirements and operating characteristics as chalk and cheese, and it is silly to imply that these differences are in themselves meaningful. A plain bearing "floats" the shaft and the heat generated through the work of the supporting lubricant film sinks away through the surrounding mass of metal in a predictable and controlled way. It is supposed to happen. Engineers evaluate and plan for it.      In the case of the VB36 the effect is moderate and precisely what we would expect from a fine tolerance assembly of this sort. In the same way, the four multi-lip shaft seals that isolate the front and rear bearings serve not only to keep the lubricant in, but also contaminants out. Their resistance is one indication that they are doing the job they are there for.      On the point of maintenance, I now use my VB36 for an average of between 25 to 30 hours a week. I check the bearing lubricant reservoirs before starting a turning session and, to date, have not had to add a single drop of oil.     What a pity that genuinely top quality engineering should be allowed to be denigrated in support of ill-informed conclusions. I feel very strongly that the term "British engineering" should do more than simply describe a product that was made in Britain!                                       P.K. Dickinson (Merseyside)