Originally posted by Mudder
Originally posted by Rifleman1776
Other forums I belong to often talk about the need to build a heavy stand for the Nova. That is it's big downside.
Frank,
Are you speaking from experience or just passing along second hand, questionable information?
If you were going to take the time to build a stand would you make it out of 1 x 4's? I think not. The main idea with ANY lathe is to build a heavy stand to reduce vibration. Many folks do this by putting a shelf under the lathe stand and filling it with several bags of sand. BTW, the Universal stand has built in flanges that are intended for a plywood shelf. here is a quote from the manufacturer..."The legs have an extra flange bent on the inside to allow you to insert a piece of plywood creating a "boxed" leg which can be filled with sand for extra vibration dampening."
Yep the DVR is not a very heavy lathe and if you turn something that is not balanced at too many RPM's it will dance across the floor as any other lathe of this size would do. When I first bought my DVR I picked up the pressed sheet steel "universal" stand that came with it and turned a 24" platter with no problems at all. You start at a suitable RPM. I have since attached it to a bench, not because it walked in the shop but because I have the bed extension and the outboard toolrest attachment, making the "universal" stand too short.
One final thought.....
The DVR weighs 181 lbs. This weight does not include the weight of the "universal" stand (Which BTW is another 64 lbs). The Grizzly & Jet lathes with 14 & 16" swing have listed weights in the neighborhood of 300 lbs. this INCLUDES THE WEIGHT OF THE CAST IRON LEGS. I believe that if you exclude the legs you might find that the difference in weights between these lathes would be in the 30 to 40 pound range.
I have not found the weight of the lathe to be a downside, Matter of fact I found it to be an advantage bringing the lathe into my shop by myself. Adding weight after it is set in place is very easy. Carrying a heavy lathe around is not.
. This is the metal stand, not the cast iron they sell now. I built a shelf across the bottom, enclosed it, and added 400# of bagged sand. It was very easy to do and I thoroghly LOVE the lathe. It is worth it to have to add the weight to not have to deal with belts, etc. I turn a lot of large bowls and platters with some really off balance stuff and mine does not move at all. Here is a picture of my stand set-up:
