Laguna,Griz, Nova, and Jet...which one

[Ben Sedwick]

I have been looking to upgrade to a larger lathe and am eyeing the Nova 1624 but my local woodcraft is selling the it with $1000 tag and the stand seperate for $300+. This stand looks just like the one that Craft Supplies and others include in the price. There has also been some talk lately about Laguna's lathes and their questionable c.s. Too bad because the 16/43 looks like a nice machine. Many probably know this but it looks like a rebadged Grizzly G0462 that is under $600 delivered. Is this the case and is the Griz a decent machine. What would be a good upgrade from a p.o.s. Hf type when I do mostly spindle work and the occaisional bowl. I have considered the smaller Jet EVS with bed extensions also. Need help making a decision. thanks BS

[Gary Garmar]

As to your Lathe needs, I suggest you buy the MOST Lathe you can buy, saves on the upgrade factor.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ben a friend of mine got the 1624 from Woodcraft and built his own stand for it. He added a box on the stand near the bottom for 280 lbs of sand and it is rock solid. He just loves it. A lot of people have this lathe and gives you pretty good bang for the buck. I have heard nothing good about Laguna lathes and especially their CS. I know a few that have the Griz G0632 that love them for the money but you would need 220V in your shop. I debated between the Jet 1642 110V unit and the Nova DVR XP. Actually turned on both and they are both great machines and if I would have had more room probably would have went with the Jet but the Nova fit the bill for me with a smaller footprint.

All that said I would buy the most lathe you can to save a upgrade later. I upgraded twice and would have been money ahead if I would have bought what I wanted in the first place.

[Benjamin Dahl]

Ben, I don't have any of those lathes but do know people have been happy with the nova. you could probably make a real solid stand for a lot less than $300 depending on what tools you have available. maybe do a search on "lathe stand" or "ballast box" on here to get some ideas.
there has also been some discussion about a new grizzly lathe recently. not sure if it is the one you mention but it might be worth it to look for that thread too.
good luck.
Ben
ps. I grew up in Gloucester and we used to have field trips up to the Stone zoo every year.

[Paul Vicchitto]

Ben,
I have the Nova 1624 mine came with the stock steel stand ( more leg set than stand). Usually the $300 stand is the cast iron leg set which is very nice albeit pricey. I am pretty sure that the 1624 comes boxed with the steel leg set unless you are buying a floor model with no legs. I boxed in my steel legs and filled it with about 300 lbs of sand. Very solid, no vibration have turned a few bowls in the 10" to 14" range with no problems. I don't think that you can beat it for the price range. I would ask to open the box and see if leg set comes with it. Save yourself $300 and buy a few Thompson gouges!!!!

Paul

[Alan Trout]

Ben, first let me say that I am not a lathe expert or an expert wood turner. But I worked in a segment of the machine tool industry as a field rep for about 6 years and owned a machine shop for 8 years so I do understand machines pretty well.

I think I would check but I am pretty sure that the Nova 1624 comes with the steel leg set as standard. Call the Woodcraft 800 number and ask them, especially if your store is a company store. The Nova 1624 is a heck of a nice little lathe for the money. I have heard nothing but praise from owners. It is very versatile because of the modular nature of the lathe. I purchased the DVR model this last October and built my own custom heavy duty stand which can be seen in this thread. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=99001 . I have turned on both the Jet 1642 and a 3520B which are very nice machines but let me say that I am still very pleased with my decision to go with the Nova DVR. It fills my requirements very nicely. :D

The Jet is a great machine. But pretty hard to compare the two being the Jet has a VFD drive and the Nova 1624 is a manual speed change as configured. The best way to say it is that they are different but both very capable.

Far as the Laguna goes I would probably shy away at this point. There have been some that have had alot of trouble with some of the early ones. They may have corrected those issues, but untill more good reports come about just be cautious. Far as customer service goes I purchased a large piece of equipment from them about 15 years ago and have needed a few parts over the years. Some parts had to wait a few weeks but the service has always been courtious. No real complaints from me in that department.

Good Luck

Alan

[Richard Madison]

Ben,
If you were a novice turner, I would say get the Jet 1642, as the EVS is most helpful. Even for the experienced, it gives you the option of slow-rolling (50 rpm) the lathe while power sanding or applying finish. That said, I have never seen a complaint from a Nova owner, and it is a lot of capacity for your $$. The new Griz 1642 looks like a clone of the Jet for less money, but is as yet unproven. Good luck with your decision.

[Ben Sedwick]

Thank you all for your replys. It is my understanding also that the 1624 comes with a stand; at least according to Tecknatool and every other distributor. The main problem, I think, comes from the some folks at Woodcraft. I stood in there eyeing the Nova for ten minutes wondering why the stand had a seperate price tag and nobody bothered to talk to me. I guess I could have sought out help, but I don't feel like it's my job to go to a retail store and do so. So instead, I fumed and walked out. There was a DVR on display next to the 1624 and it appeared to have a heavier stand, so I assumed the other was the standard included one. I am leaning toward this one anyway, and probably will buy from these guys. If their $999 tag includes a stand I will get it. I apologize for the flame; didn't mean to go there.

[Rick Mills]

I believe you mean the Laguna 18/47, I have owned one almost a year, and although there are a few things that seemed a little odd about the design. It's been a good machine so far and has produced some beautiful bowls and pens. I did receive the wrong replacement part due to a mix up in CS but I eventually got the correct part.