Nova lathe question

[gad5264]

Not only have I fallen down the slippery slope, I am thinking of jumping off the cliff also. Currently I have a Jet 1014VS that I bought used over a year ago. It has served me well but I am wanting to graduate to turning larger items in the near future. I started a few weeks ago doing my research on a new lathe that will fit into my budget. Internet research has been done and I have been reading reviews and comparison reports in various wood magaziness. I have pretty much made up my mind that my new lathe is going to be a Nova 1624 but wanted to post here for opinions from people who actually use this lathe in their own shops and not just the people who test them.

Opinions and comments please?

 

[KenV]

It is a good lathe --- good rule of thumb is get as much lathe as you can afford when you get it. All the larger lathes are good -- some have features that some like better than others . Nova, powermatic, Oneway, Robust, Stubby are all good. It is what your budget and turning style can accomidate.

 

[snowman56]

I have the Nova DVR XP. Don't have to change any belts, just push the buttons to get the speed that you want. It costs a little more than the 1624, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything else right now. If you can afford a powermatic 3520B then go ahead and get the biggest that you can get with your budget. But, the Nova is a great machine and they have great support. You can do outboard turning up to 29". Just my opinion.

 

[mickr]

I have the old 3000 (forerunner to the 1624) it's a very good lathe..I like the 265 bottom speed

 

[PTownSubbie]

Grant,

I have the Nova 1624. It is a great lathe. A few things I wish it had though.

I wish I would have sprung for the heavy cast iron bed vice the stock bed. (I built a add-on shelf with concrete and bricks loaded on it). The lathe is on a 3/4" plywood floor on joists so that may give some making it seem lighter than it really is. I think it would be better if mounted on a concrete floor.

I wish it had VS control. It is just a desire but not required. Not hard to change the belt position, just doing it.

It is a great lathe. I have turned bowls up to 12" no problems. Just turned a tool handle that is ~17" long.

For the money I don't think there is a competitive lathe. I purchased mine when WoodCraft had them on sale for $899. Almost a steal for my first lathe.

 

[heinedan]

Grant,

I have had the 1624-44 for about a year now, and I love it. Mine was an upgrade from a Crapsman lathe, and the quality difference is amazing. If you want a pro quality lathe without spending thousands, you cannot go wrong.

Dan

 

[Smokey7385]

I have a Nova 1624-44 that I got last year when Woodcraft had them on sale. At first I thought I would not like having to move the belt to change speeds but I've found that that is not a problem at all. I highly recommend the 1624, I think it is the best price/performance lathe on the market.

 

[lorbay]

I had this very same lathe and at the time it was the one for my budget, but if I new then what I know now I would have waited for the extra cash and went for the DVR. I know a lot of people that have this same lathe and find that changing the belts speeds is not a problem, and its not but it's sure nice to have that little knob to turn the speed up or down. I finally converted mine with a speed drive and 2 hp motor as I was turning large bowls up to 22" and when you start roughing at 300 to 500 rpm you want the speed to go up as soon as you get the wood off, then it gets to be a pain in the butt changing belt speeds. I have just traded it in on a Vimarc VL300, they gave me what I paid for the Nova when I bought it, but then it had a seed drive and 2 hp motor. So having said all that save up for the DVR.

Lin.

 

[KenV]

Just got the sale flyer from Craft USA and the Novas are a few bucks off --

I know I am biased -- but variable speed is very very very nice and I have it on all the lathes now. (one big one and several mini/micro lathes -- one can never have too many lathes or bandsaws or hand planes or.....)