In the market for a lathe

[Allen Linton]

I am moving away from my overworked ShopSmith. Anyone have experience with a Nova DVR XP? I really like the swivel headstock and the induction motor. Any comments good or bad would be welcome. So many lathes; so little time!:rolleyes:

[John Keeton]

Allen, I am sure you will get some input, but you may want to do a search of the creek. I know there have been several threads on the Nove DVR XP that might be of interest to you.

[Mark Hubl]

Lot's of threads on this. I have a Nova 16-24 and I like it and would buy it again. Many love the DVR and they will chime in. These are nice machines. Some things that will help the discussion be more meaningful to you might be to discuss what kind of turning you do. What do you want to do. What did you think were the short comings of your Shopsmith.

To me it is about mass and budget. If you think you will be spinning big unbalanced blanks then a little more lathe can be had for about the same budget. If you think that you are space strapped and will be doing all kinds of stuff then the Delta is a real player.

The good news here is that the options are many and the products deliver.

[Reed Gray]

To me, the only down side to the DVR is the variable speed. Lowest is 100 rpm, and I need slower for sanding my warped bowls, and to change speeds, you have 5 (I think) preset speeds, and a very slow ramp up and down button. I find the variable speed on my old PM, and my Robust much easier to deal with as all of my blanks are uneven, and different, so I need the whole range of speeds. I would take the Jet with the 2 hp motor as first choice, and the one with the 1 1/2 hp motor second. I am also prejudiced to the sliding headstock. The DVR is a fine lathe, and pretty good torque, but not for me.

robo hippy

[Alan Trout]

I own a DVR XP and teach on a 1642. having used both I will take my DVR any day of the week. For 99% of us 100RPM is fine, I really like the swivel headstock and I really like the banjo and tailstock on the DVR over the Jet. After you have used the lathe a while the 5 pre-set speeds become second nature. It has a wonderful program feature for the less experienced turner. With a bad catch it shuts the machine down which is faster than any safety stop switch you would have to hit. It has a wonderfully compact footprint if space is an issue, and the stand can be left to your imagination. I run my DVR XP on 220V and it has a ton of torque and is probably the smoothest transmission of power of any lathe on the market. Mine has the swing away bed segment that is great for a place to park your tailstock or for turning long spindles.

Here are some pics of the stand that I fabricated for mine. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?99001-DVR-lathe-stand-finally-done!!-Lots-of-Pics&highlight= (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?99001-DVR-lathe-stand-finally-done%21%21-Lots-of-Pics&highlight=)

With this all being said it is a much better deal on sale. at $1699 it is a heck of a nice lathe. If I were to go to a bigger lathe I probably go to the Robust or the big Vicmarc. If I were to start with a bigger lathe it would be the PM.

Good Luck

Alan

[David Reed]

Not having any experience with the rotating headstock, my comments should be taken with a grain or two of salt. Although the rotating headstock has some intriguing features, I personally think the sliding headstock has more versatility. Seems that it has all the same benefits of the rotating plus some others. Both allow outboard turning requiring an outboard tool rest but the sliding allows the turner to assume alternative positions, especially useful when hollowing without 'riding' the ways.
Jet

[Bill Blasic]

Having both a DVR and a Powermatic the swivel vs slide has no effect for me as I can do either. Either of which I seldom use. They are both very nice lathes and I wouldn't part with either. The DVR with the 5 presets works well for me and the buttons for up and down speed changes do not bother me in the least, even going between the two lathes I have never been bothered. The DVR on sale is a true bargain and set up with 220 Volts you get over 2 HP. Both lathes have power to spare for me and both are cast iron which is my preference in lathe makeup. 16" vs 20" over the bed is a fair difference but I have them both covered. I really have found that there is not a big market for bowls bigger than say 16" around here anyway. If I had to do it over I would do it the same way no regrets.
Bill

[John Coloccia]

If they would just replace that ridiculous control panel with an on/off button and a knob, I would have the DVR in my shop right now. As it is, I'm very much considering bringing in the Powermatic. Anything will be a giant step up from my Jet mini lathe, though. Anyhow, that's just my opinion, but I don't believe buttons, screens, beeps and "modes" has any business in a woodshop.

[Matt Owen]

I've had my DVR XP for almost 5 years now, and if I could do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. It runs extremely smooth, the swiveling headstock is great for my small shop (no room to turn at the end of a lathe via a sliding headstock), and no belts to change - ever. It packs plenty of power (I use it at 110V), and has done everything I've asked of it.

Having said that, I've only turned on two other lathes - a cheap Rockler mini lathe, and the PM3520B. Before I had turned on the PM, I always wondered if I had made a mistake in getting the DVR XP. Everyone who owns one seems to rave about how great they are, and at the time there was only about a $1200 difference, not to mention the 20" swing and extra weight. The grass certainly looked a lot greener. However, after turning on one a few times I don't regret my purchase of the XP at all. I think it's a great lathe for the money, and I'm glad I made the decision that I did.

[Andrew Kertesz]

The one thing to remember is the DVR does NOT come with legs or a stand. Cast iron legs can be purchased as an option. I recently bought a 1624 when they were on sale and for the amount of time I have had on it I am happy...

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have a Nova DVR XP for 4 yrs now and not a lick of problems. I do like the rotating head. I turned on both the Jet 1642 and the Nova. I would buy mine again any day of the week. I built my stand the way I wanted, with storage and stout.

[John Coloccia]

Personally, I'm really starting to lean towards the DVR. I turned on an older one at the beginning of the year, and I thought it had the nicest banjo and tailstock of all of them. It was just very comfortable for me. Anyhow, I'm wondering what people are doing for bases and how you're liking the buttons and such?

[Alan Trout]

John,

I have gotten use to the buttons on mine. At first I was not sure that I would like it but after I set my presets to where I wanted them it has not been inconvenient to use. I posted a link in this thread to the stand that I built for mine. I understand that not everyone has the tools or skills to do steel fabrication, but I can tell you that my lathe is ever bit as stable or more so with unbalanced loads as a PM3520. I would suspect that a wooden bench could be built that made the unit just as stable as my stand. It is one of those things you can use your imagination and come up with some pretty cool stuff. I have seen some fabulous stands with built in storage, vac system etc.

Good Luck

Alan

[Bill Bolen]

I've been turning on my DVR XP for 2 years now with zero problems. (well I did add a piece of drill rod to the tool rest edge for smoother movement) The only alternate route I would consider now would be one of the 2 smaller Robust lathes. But the $$ difference is considerable...Bill...

[Kirk Miller]

Allen,
I would take a serious look at the Jet 1642 2 HP. I think they are still on sale. I don't have the reciept with me but if memory serves me correctly, (and it rarely does) but I am pretty sure the price on them right now is $1900. I think that is a great price on a lathe that I will have to work pretty hard to find something it won't do.

[John Coloccia]

You know, one thing I really didn't like about the Nova was the lack of a sliding headstock. I just think of all the times I stand directly in line with my mini lathe (which I can do because it's a mini lathe), and I didn't want to have to use an outboard rig to get that. One thing I just realized, via the magic of YouTube, is that you can simply rotate the head to an intermediate position, and get by and large the same functionality.

[Rich Aldrich]

The DVR is a nice lathe. I turned on one when I was offered a lesson from the pres of our club. Steve S. let me turn on his Jet 1642, so I had the opportunity to turn on both lathes. I liked the Jet better. I like the sliding head stock and the weight of the machine, but then I cant remember what the weight of the DVR was.

It was a very tough choice. The only thing that would have made the choice easier was if I had enough for Mustard, Robust, Oneway, etc... but then there would have been those choices. I always wondered what those mustard owners do when they get Mustard on their shirt.......

[Clint Baxter]

Really like the DVR I recently picked up when they went on sale. Once I figured out where I wanted my "five" preset speeds, i've been happy with the speed changes. Really like the way the tail stock and banjo lock down easily and securely. If you only swivel the head to an intermediate position, you don't need an outboard turning attachment. You just use the banjo and tool rest same as any other time. it just needs to be extended out a little, which it has no problems doing. I'm very happy with it. The only thing I wish it provided was a self-ejecting tailstock. I found that much easier than having to grab the knockout bar each time I switch centers. I got the DVR as opposed to one of the larger lathes mainly because of my limited shop space.

Good luck on whatever choice you make.

Clint

[Matt Owen]

I'm wondering what people are doing for bases and how you're liking the buttons and such?

John,

The buttons don't bother me one bit. My first lathe had a knob to change the speed, but it took me all of about one turning session to get used to the pads.

As for the stand, I bought one of the "sheet Metal" stands from Woodcraft. It's actually quite a bit thicker than sheet metal, and works really well. However, I don't think they sell them anymore. If you build one, you can make it as robust as you want it to be. Just make room for a bunch of sand bags. I've got mine loaded with 300 lbs.

[Scott Hackler]

I have owned and turned on a Nova 1624-44 for well over a year and love the lathe (great lathe for the money) but now I am longing after a lathe with more weight and variable speed. I have been spoiled with the rotating headstock and if I have a sliding headstock I would have to alter the lathe placement in the shop in order to utilize that option.

I might suggest an in-expensive lathe to start, like the Nova 1624-44 or the Nova DVR. Just to make sure that turning is for you. You can spend years turning on these lathes and always upgrade if you want the luxury of the more expensive lathes.

Now that I am completely hooked, I have been studying lathes from Robust and Stubby... way too much! I figure upgrade only ONE more time! Now to convince the wife that I NEED a $6500 lathe! :)

[John McCaskill]

I love my Nova DVR XP after a year of use. I added a foot switch in case I needed an emergency shut off, but haven't used it except to experiment.

[John Coloccia]

I love my Nova DVR XP after a year of use. I added a foot switch in case I needed an emergency shut off, but haven't used it except to experiment.

I was wondering if there was a way to add a remote off like that. I ran into this just today, in fact. I had a small bowl fly apart on me...I can only assume there was a crack or something that I didn't see. Anyhow, on my mini-lathe, I was able to turn it off without crossing in front of the spinning remains of my bowl because of where the switch is located.

Anyhow, it's not going to sway me one way of another, but that's just something you'd think you'd see more of on lathes. Some Vicmarcs have the bar along the bottom. I'm surprised that it hasn't caught on.

How did you end up doing it?

[Jake Helmboldt]

I was close to buying the DVR but opted for the Jet 1624. I have limited space in the shop so I really liked the idea of the DVR with the smaller footprint and swivel head. However, by the time I had added up all the extras (heavy duty stand, outboard rest, bed extension, etc) it was almost as much as a PM 3520, and much more than the Jet. I'm also not crazy about a head that can't be serviced/repaired/replaced with a standard motor, but that hasn't been an issue so far (and hopefully won't be). Just make sure you price it based upon how you would want it fully configured because the $1600 is just the price of admission.

[Bill Blasic]

John,
The first thing a new DVR owner looks for is how to put a speed dial on it. Believe me after using it awhile you never look back as it becomes second nature. I'm constatly switching between the DVR, Powermatic, Jet 1220 VS and the 46-460 Delta and those buttons and ramp speeds are no hindrance. Shopsmith is now using the DVR motor to power the machine.
Bill

[Peter Fabricius]

I really like my DVR XP, cannot imagine having it any other way. Sure the control panel takes a little getting used to after a simple on/off switch on my old lathe but it works great.
For hollowing I just rotate the head 22.5 degrees and I have absolute clear access without leaning in over the bed. I have a very small space for the lathe and it is great.
Running on 110 volt I have 1.75 HP and the torque at 100 is the same as 3500 rpm. The safety stop feature on bad catches is a REAL safety feature. Not yet needed but if I do then it is there. My 5 preselects are set at 250, 500 default, 850, 1600, and 2500. When turning pens the higher two are great.
There you have it, buy it on sale and it is a great deal. Should come with legs and the outboard rig for $2000.00.
Peter F.