Nova Lathe Question

[Wes Henson]

see that Woodcraft is having a sale on Nova lathes this month. I'm eyeing the DVR. But I realized the headstock doesn't slide! So does that mean you are forced to buy the outboard turning tool to turn anything over the 16" bed limit?
I have a little Rikon 12" midi and I'd like to upgrade to do bigger bowls.

What's everyone’s thought go for the Nova, or save up some more and get something like the Jet 1642

Thanks for you insight and opinions.
Wes

[Maria Alvarado]

but it does rotate, so if you have your piece mounted on a faceplate, or as long as you don't need tailstock support, you can rotate one slot counter-clockwise and still use your tool rest for work larger than 16". Now for really large work, you will probably need the outrigger.
Hope that helps, I have the 1624-44 and really like it.

[Alan Trout]

Wes, it is a great lathe at a great price. I personally like a rotating head stock. After you rough the outside of a bowl you just turn the head to the 22.5 degrees and hollow out the bowl in a very comfortable position.

You can also use a floor stand rather than an outrigger for really large pieces however the outrigger is more convenient.

IMHO it is every bit as good a lathe as the Jet. Either would make you happy, however there are many things about the DVR that I prefer. That is the reason I own one.

Good Luck

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would think on the Jet even if you have a sliding headstock anything over 16" you would need a floor stand for your tool rest. With the DVR the outboard rest bolts to the end of the lathe and I can turn up to 29". I turned on both the Jet and Nova before I bought. When I turned on the Jet we used a floor stand while we turned a 18 1/2" bowl. I did not care for that setup. I bought the Nova because I like the idea of turning the headstock 22.5 deg and still use the tool rest on the lathe. The fact that the outboard bolted to the lathe bed makes it rigid and comfortable.

[Ken George]

I have had the DVR for almost 5 years now and love it. Because of the cramped single car garage my shop is in, the lathe has to be up against a wall. The rotating headstock is a blessing and I use it on just about everything I turn. I highly recommend it.
The only problem that I have had is with static. When buffing with the Beall system a large amount of static is built up on your body. If you don't discharge that static and touch the control panel it wipes out the control board. This has happened to me 3 times. Each time Tim Geist has replaced the board within a week. He provides GREAT service.

[John Trax]

Wes, I have the 1624-44 and the best feature is the rotating headstock. It is so easy to do the outside and then rotate either 22.5 or 45 degrees and hollow the inside. For turnings larger than 16" I think you would want the outboard rest so you could rotate a full 180 degrees and turn. The regular banjo works fine out to 45 degrees but beyond that I feel like I'm stretching it's capabilities. If I had it to do over I would get the DVR instead because of the variable speed but it was outside my budget at the time.

[Wes Henson]

Thanks everyone for the information. I guess I was a little concerned that the tool rest wouldn't reach far eough, but it sounds like that isn't an issue.
Now I just need to convience my wife of the value that the lathe provides...