Hi Don,

I got it yesterday and got it set  up today. My Powermatic did not have threaded holes so I just got longer bolts to secure it. I've been using it all morning and it works just fine. Thanks for designing it and making the price reasonable.

My lathe is one of the first Powermatic 3520A. I got it right after they came out with it and I know they made changes right away because a friend of mine bought one about six months later and his has tapped holes along with other subtle changes. I heard about your swing away from Elmer Jacobs, a friend of mine who had been in Florida this past winter and saw it down there. He also bought one from you and suggested that we purchase one for our Pikes Peak Woodturners Club. I am the club president and will bring it up at todays board meeting.

I'm a full time professional woodturner who works on the lathe every day. I have a cart on wheels the same height as the ways on my lathe so I only had to move the tail stock about a foot from the ways to the cart. What I have noticed about using your Swing Away is that the use of it permits me to keep my attention on my work and not on moving the tail stock around. On a typical bowl I will move the tail stock on and off the ways about three times per bowl (three times on and three times off) for a total of six lifts. I average five bowls a day so that is 30 times I lift the tail stock on or off. Your Swing Away is not only a huge savings on lifting but also on the time it takes to move the tail stock on and off, time that I now use to stay focused on the bowl I'm turning.

Thanks again,

Larry Fox

Don Butler and I belong to the same turning club and as a result of that I was lucky enough to have bought his first swing away prototype. Granted it’s not the new and improved model available today, it’s not powder coated nor does it have easy slide bed ways. But I have never had to lift that 50lb plus tailstock again! In fact I have never had the tailstock off the lathe. Like the weed eater & the T.V. remote, frankly I don’t know how I lived with out it! The ease of installation (five minutes) and the price is unbeatable! I have many turning tools but this is the most used and most reliable!

Pay Mr. Butler or pay your chiropractor!

Happy Turning

Rob Patrick

I bought Butler’s Tailstock Swing Away within a few days of hearing about it from a friend. I use the tailstock in most of my turnings. In the past I would remove and replace the tailstock several times while turning a given piece. The Powermatic tailstock is heavy and awkward and does not sit well on a bench top. Sometimes I would find my self working around the removal or replacement of the tailstock because the process was unpleasant and time consuming. Often this work around would end in disaster with either the workpiece falling out or catches caused by arms bumping the tailstock.

... with the Swing Away I never hesitate
to move the tailstock because it only takes
a few seconds to swing either direction

However, with the Swing Away I never hesitate to move the tailstock because it only takes a few seconds to swing either direction. It is well designed and very easy to install and use. No drilling is required.  I thought alignment would take some time, but in a few minutes I was up and running. I have used the Swing Away for several months now and have never needed to adjust the alignment. It has become so natural to use I barely give it a thought when I move the tailstock.

The supplied locking pin is a bit awkward to use, but there is an elegant solution. I made a knockout bar, see the pictures, which also serves as a locking pin. One could also make a shorter pin with a nice handle for ease of use.

I recommend this device to all Powermatic 3520 owners.

Stuart Lillie
Winter Park Florida
Member American Association of Woodturners
Member Central Florida Woodturners

Since the installation of the Swing-a-way was completed at John C. Campbell Folk School, the instances of one removing the tailstock has been almost eliminated.

... this is without a doubt 'the cat's meow'

In the past, they were always being removed, and many times it took two people to pick them up and realign them.  For people, who have less than normal upper body strength, this is without a doubt 'the cat's meow'.

I would highly recommend this very affordable accessory - available through Don Butler, designer & manufacturer.

Doug Barnes

Resident Artist - Woodturning, John C. Campbell Folk School

President, Brasstown Woodturning Guild