Another Nova Tool Rest Post

[Bob Borzelleri]

I should start out by stating up front that I am very satisfied by all aspects of my Nova 1624-44 except the quality of 2 of the 3 tool rests I bought.

While I'm at it, I'm not wanting to make this a "made in China bash". Given the time frame within which I bought my stuff, it's pretty likely that my rests were made in China, but any quality control issue should really go to the feet of the manufacturer, in my view. Poor production quality can come out of any facility. It's up to the company to decide to let the product go out or not.

My rests are 4", 12" and a curved bowl rest. I didn't take any shots of the surfaces of the rests prior to spending a hour or so resurfacing them, but if you look closely at the left curvy end of the bowl rest, just below the newly finished surface and that looks like the surface of the moon, you won't need a "before" picture.

The 4" rest was not all that bad to start with. It has a fairly wide flat surface that some might argue should be rounded (I tend to agree), but the final grind wasn't all that bad. Not so with the 12" rest which had no particular consistent surface and several "bumps" that I believe should not have passed QC.

The bowl rest was another issue entirely. There wasn't a flat area along any plane of the rest and most of it looked like it had been shot peened. I spent about 2/3 of my time on this rest alone.

I know that many folks use aftermarket rests with polished rods. However, I'm wondering if other Nova tools rest owners have had better luck with QC than I had. Also wondering if other lathe stock rests are any better.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Bob I only have a 4" and 12" Nova rests. I did have some problems with them but after spending a bit of time with them and then giving them a good coat of wax they seem to be fine. I agree that if it is right it should never hit the market but you know that $$$$$ speaks loudly.

[Robert Snowden]

I have the nova dvr/xp that came with a 12" rest that i have never took out of plastic.I make my own rest out of s.s. so i have no need for the 12" rest.As far as quality i love the lathe,had a few issue's with the tail stock,that nova resloved quickly.

[Charlie Reals]

Bob,
I have the same problem with the rests. As you say, the 4" wasn't bad but the 12" and bowl rest weren't usable the way they came from the factory.
Charlie

[Alan Trout]

I have 12" rest as well as the Nova Bowl rest. For the cost of the Nova bowl rest I am more than happy with it. I use the 12" rest all of the time. I had to dress both with a file but when done they both are very functional. I see no significant quality difference between these rest than the comparable factory rest from Jet or PM.

The Nova rest are a casting and some flash is pretty normal. I guess they could grind them before they paint them but in some ways I would rather finish the rest myself as I can final shape it the way that I like. I guess I did not find it a large inconvenience to have to dress the rest.

I also have a Robust rest which I also like and was good to go right out of the box.

Alan

[Bob Hampton]

yup same thing here on my 1644..have to keep the tool rest dressed up all the time...easily gets chips in it and gets real "sticky"
I was down at the woodcraft store where i bought the lathe recently and told them about it ...asked about a replacement because i wasnt happy with it ..as i stated i paid over $1000 for the lathe and this piece is junk...of course nothing was done about ...since then I have made a couple nice one's that work alot better.
Other then that piece the lathe is a dream to turn on and very glad i bought it
Bob

[Mark Hubl]

When I bought my Nova I bought all three rests as well. I returned the bowl rest before using it. Did not like the quality or size of the thing. The 4" is ok, but I don't use it all that often. The 12" is ok when dressed, but it does seem a bit on the soft side. I think there is a Robust rest in my future.

[Paul Douglass]

Yep, I have the Nova 1624-44. I love the lathe, but you are correct in my opinion, the tool rest sucks, (I only have the 12" that comes with the lathe). I dress it up with sandpaper and keep it waxed to make it useable. But if you think that sucks, you should buy their sharpening system.... The one thing good about it is it made me finally take the plunge and buy a wolverine setup!

This is all just my opinion and not worth much.

Came back to say, Nova makes great chucks!!

[GLENN THOMAS]

Bob,

I have a 1624 and every so often I also have to dress the tool rest. It doesn't seem to take much to get nicks and dings in it. I agree with what you said about quality control. Not too long ago I had a problem with a case I purchased for a cell phone. I tried several time to contact the company that made it through their website and had no success. I found their facebook page and left a comment for all the world to see. I didn't flame them or get nasty I just expressed my opinion. 30 min later I get an e-mail and two days later I had a new case delivered free of charge. If you have a facebook account do a search for Nova Woodworking and leave a comment. I don't think they will want the world to see a negative post or an unhappy customer and I wouldn't be surprised if you get a quick response. Nova opened a discussion on there facebook page asking customers what they can do improve their tools. Maybe you can also leave a comment there.

GT

[Bill Bolen]

Bob, I agree completly. Went through the same process on my new DVR. STILL filing away on the bowl rest though. I attached a piece of drill rod to the 12" rest and that sure made a difference for me...Bill...

[Charlie Reals]

This subject got an old man thinking way in the past and realizing how lazy we have become.:rolleyes:. I would love to have a dollar for every hour I spent dressing tool rests in high school shop. It came with the territory. I do find these to be very soft though, perhaps I will go with the drill rod on the 12".
Charlie

[Bob Borzelleri]

I don't think I would mind much if occasional dressing was needed. My gripe is that the surface of the bowl rest, and to a lesser degree the 12" rest came complete with moguls. It would have been no effort for the fabricator to have left a smooth surface to begin with.