Nova DVR XP

[Keith E Byrd]

I am looking at getting a new lathe (my 20 year old sears was the cheapest model they had when my boys bought it for me!) I just started doing turning and really wanting to improve my skills. I have about $2000 to spend on one. What are your recommendations? I have been looking at the Nova DVR XP.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Keith I looked and turned on both the Nova DVR XP and the Jet 1642. Both are excellent lathes but went with the DVR because of space (Small shop). I built my own stand and haven't looked back.

[George Heatherly]

I bought a DVR XP last fall. I chose it because it was easier to adapt to my short stature by building my own stand. I have been completely satisfied with it.

[Steve Vaughan]

Love mine and the price was right when WoodCraft put it on sale, which they do a couple times a year - $500 off! That'll get it down to where you can get it and a few tools or a chuck.

[Julian Tracy]

There's a super heavy duty looking Holzmann German-made lathe on the AA Craigslist right now with an attached duplication setup on it as well as a few rests, steady and follow I think.

Not sure how much they cost new, but he's asking $900 for it and I imagine they're not cheap new.

Might be worth a look anyways.

Let me know if you go look at it and what you think - there's not much info on that model online as far as I could see with some simple searching.

JT

[Roger Chandler]

For the money, I would prefer the Jet 16/42 evs, or the Grizzly G0698. The sliding headstock on both is a great feature, and both have reversing and many other features. The DVR is a good lathe as well, just not nearly as heavy, which is good for larger turnings and out of balance wood blanks.

[Alan Trout]

I personally teach on a 1642 and own a DVR XP no question I will take the DVR any day of the week. Its smooth, powerful, compact, and just does everything I have ever ask of it. It just overall functions better than the 1642 that I teach on. With this being said it is a much better deal on sale which I bet they will be going on sale pretty soon and either Woodcraft or Craftsupply. I also built my own heavy duty stand and it is an incredibly stable machine.

Alan

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If you have $2K, you may be able to swing the 2 horse 1642.... You'll have to run 220, but many folks like that little bit of extra hp. If you core, or plan to, it really comes in handy.

[Keith E Byrd]

Julian,
Didn't see that one but did see "grizzly 58" wood lathe model #G1067Z" - he wants $400 in Harper woods. Any body know anything about this model?

[Peter Fabricius]

The DVR XP is fantastic. Nice compace size and heavy enough to do all that can be done on a 16" capacity lathe. Outboard can turn up to 29".
1.75 HP on 110 volt and comes up to 2 HP on 220 volt.
The 110 volt model is working very well for me. The Safety auto Stop if you dig in and get a very large catch is very good...
The sale price puts this one in a good position.
Peter F.

[John McCaskill]

I got the DVR XP about a 1-1/2 years ago and wouldn't look back. I love it. I got it on sale at Woodcraft for about $1699 IIRC. Built my own stand as well. Here is a picture of the lathe & stand. I added 6 bags of sand in the bottom for added stability. I put a foot switch in line for "emergency stop". Haven't needed it, but makes me feel safer.
182025
Then, a year later, I added drawers for storage. See below.

[Julian Tracy]

I saw the Grizzly setup, but read a few reviews with folks that were unhappy with the quality/performance of that particular model. That was during the era where some of the Grizzly stuff was a bit iffy I think...

JT

[Steve Kubien]

I know a guy in NZ who regularly turns pieces 24"+ in diameter and 5'-6' in length on his Nova DVR. Ya, he made a custom stand for it. Alby is a full-time turner and he is on his lathe 35-40 hours per week. His DVR is 6 years old and he has never had a problem with it.

The DVR will handle whatever you want to throw at it.

It will likely be my next lathe (barring a huge financial infusion).

[Sid Matheny]

I got mine in Nov. 2009 and very happy with it. For the money I don't think you can go wrong.

Sid

[Ralph Lindberg]

I own a DVR-XP, if I was buying today, under the same restrictions, I would buy it again.
Plus side. There are other short-bed lathes (Vicmarc 300 short bed, Stubby) but they cost more. It runs on either 110 or 220, it produces more power at 220 (it's not a conventional motor, closer to a syncro in some ways). You can build your own stand (or buy one$$$). It consumes less power, when turning under no load, then a conventional motor. A hard catch, stops the lathe. It can turn backwards, for reverse sanding and hollowing. The head can swivel, for larger turning. When you power it up, it comes up at 500 rpm. So you can't have been turning a pen, at 3000 rpm, and come back (three weeks lather) and put a large bowl on the lathe and turn the lathe on...
Minus side. Like all electronic lathes, you have to go to the vendor for parts support. But it also uses a completely non-standard motor, if you have motor issues, you have to go to Teknatool. Not that Teknatool (inc) looks to be doing anything, other then expanding. In fact the new Shopsmith is powered with a DVR motor.

That being said, I know of no motor failures, all the failures I know of have been in the main board electronics.

[Matt Owen]

I love my DVR XP. I bought it 5 years ago, and would do it again given what I know now. It's a great lathe with a lot features that make turning more enjoyable. I would highly recommend it.

[Reed Gray]

I prefer the sliding headstock to the pivoting ones. Personal taste, that there wasn't a pivoting model out when I got my PM 3520A many years ago. I have turned on a Jet 1642 1 1/2 hp model, 110 volt, and consider it to be under powered for production purposes. I haven't turned on the 2 hp model, but if it is even close to the PM, then it is at least as good for power as the Nova when it runs on 220. The only thing I really didn't like about the Nova is the speed control. It is push button, and VERY SLOW to ramp up or down. You do have some preset speeds you can select, but for the bowls I turn, and how often I change speeds, moving up or down, it just isn't practical. No two pieces of wood are the same. I now have a Robust American Beauty with a 3 hp motor. Got it for the hp, and made in USA. The Sweet 16 that he makes is a fine lathe also, but out of your price range.

robo hippy

[Keith E Byrd]

John, Thanks for the info and the pics - that is a great workstation!

[Joe Scarfo]

Keith...

I struggled for a while with a similiar decision and decided to go on the hunt for a used 3520B. It took a while, but I finally found one for not a lot more than your $2000 budget.

If I'm right, you're not far from Detroit.... try putting a Want To Buy add on craigslist...

[Dick Wilson]

Keith,

I have see the DVR but have never used it. From the pictures above I would say that it depends on what you want to turn now or in the future. I have heard a lot of good things about the DVR and the Jet. I own a 1442 Jet. I love it except it only goes down to 450 rpms. A big drawback when things are out of round. I would love to have the Jet 1642 - around $2K. I slide the headstock up and down the bed for all sorts of things. I like standing at the end of the lathe when turning the inside of a bowl. A lot of lathes the headstock is fixed. I guess it is what you get used to. If I were in the market and had $2k that I wanted to spend I would get the 1642. Just MHO.

[Jeff Willaford]

I opted for the DVR XP about a year and a half ago as I did not have 220 in the shed and have been very happy with it. The swivel head saves a lot of wear and tear on my back for both bowls and hollow forms. A double ended MT2 alighment tool makes the recentering process a no brainer. I have a homemade stand with 600 lbs of sand bags but cast iron mass would be better.

[Alan Trout]

With a properly built stand the DVR can be as stable as any lathe out there. I did a steel fabricated stand and I would put it up against any lathe out there for stability. Mass added in the right areas can pay big dividends. My rig ways a little North of 800lbs.

Will I ever by a bigger lathe? Probably but I will be keeping my DVR for sure. IMHO the only thing I give up to a 3520 is swing. My next lathe will be 24-25" swing lathe American Beauty, or Vicmarc.

Here are some pics of my DVR stand.

Alan

[Keith E Byrd]

Alan,
Thanks for the feed back. Did you build the stand? Do you have plans?

[Keith E Byrd]

Gentlemen thank you all for your input. Based on the feedback I am doing the following:
1. Searching Craiglist for a DVR or 3520. Based on the DVR owner's responses I am leaning towards a DVR
2. Waiting for Woodcraft to have a sale.
Again thanks for taking the time to provide feedback.

[Jon Nuckles]

Good luck with your search. You might want to join, or at least contact, your closest woodturning groups for a used lathe. I checked Craigslist for all areas within about 200 miles of Chicago for a couple of months without seeing much of anything other than a Craftsman lathe or Shopsmith for sale. (Not saying anything against those, but they weren't what I was looking for and are not what you have expressed interest in.) I have heard that many lathes change hands within clubs when somebody upgrades, without ever reaching Craigslist or woodworking forum classifieds.

[Keith E Byrd]

Well I guess I am going to have to accellerate my savings plan - I went down to my shop tonight and put a bowl blank on with a face plate and could not get the tail stock to line up. I grabbed the blank and noticed that it wobbled. After a little more research I discovered what appears to a bad bearing housing on the head stock. With the original price of the lathe and its age and its quality my guess is it isn't worth fixing. So I think its called "outta luck" until I can get a replacement.

[John McCaskill]

I see in today's sale flyer that the Nova DVR XP is on sale at Woodcraft for $1699.99 during March, just FYI. Here's the page:
http://tinyurl.com/63kksv8
Regards
John

[Gene Tereba]

bernie

going that route...any advice or pics on your stand?

[Don Meyer]

The Nova DVR is now on sale at WoodCraft for 1699.00. I bought one two years ago and amextremely happpy with it. It's a great buy at the sale price.

[John McCaskill]

bernie

going that route...any advice or pics on your stand?
My stand is in my Picasa web album: http://tinyurl.com/4fhkec2
John

[Robert Vroman]

Hi All. I just wanted to say thanks for your responses to this thread. I am in the same situation as the OP, and had pretty much decided on the Jet 1642 1.5 hp selling locally for $2,000. There is a 2 hp version here on Craigslist for $1900, but no 220 in the shop as of now. Anyway, I went into Tool King today with every intention of walking out with the 1.5 hp 1642 when I decided to take a closer look at the DVR XP ($1700 plus $350 for the stand).

Some of the pros I see are that it is upgradable to 220 in the future, it is a much smaller footprint (my "shop" is a small 1 car garage and while I could make the 1642 work, it would be tight. The DVR is actually a bit shorter than my current lathe, but oh so much better), and although I really like the sliding headstock of the 1642, placement might make access to the end of the bed difficult, so the rotating headstock of the DVR may actually be a good thing.

My concerns were that it did not appear as "beefy" as the 1642, and to get the same length an optional extension would have to be purchased. But, that could still be a good thing since I could take it off when I do not need the length. My biggest question was will the DVR do the same thing as the 1642, or will I be limiting myself in anyway? (Plus it did not help that I had become emotionally attached to the idea of the 1642). All the comments here seem to indicate I should have no concerns with the DVR though.

That leads me to my new questions. The machine on the showroom floor did not have a hand wheel on the head stock. The person I was speaking with was not sure if it was just not put on, or if it did not come with one. For those who own one, does it have a hand wheel? Granted my current lathe does not have one, but I have been recently turning on lathes that do and really like having it. Also, for anyone who purchased the stand, were you happy with it? Did you ultimately end up building your own stand because the commercial one was not adequate?

Thanks for your thoughts about these questions or any other comments you might have about the decision between these two machines.

[Clint Baxter]

They do come with a hand wheel. I bought the legs/stand last year and they are ok. You can add a shelf to them and then ballast or whatever. I put extensions under the legs to increase the height, but I am 6'6". Real easy to increase the centerline level to suit yourself. Been happy with setup and unless enough funds are available for one of the big boys, would do it gladly again

Clint

[Roger Wilson]

Take a look at the Nova 16-24 as well. In terms of your budget note that you are going to have to spend hundreds of dollars on chucks etc. in addition to the lathe.

[Alan Trout]

Robert,

I think you will be very happy with the DVR. It does come with a hand wheel they generally leave it in a box so it does not get lost. I turn on both,I have a DVR XP with a custom fabricated stand but I have also turned one with the factory cast iron legs. I teach on the 1642 at our local Woodcraft. I much prefer the DVR. IMHO the DVR has a better banjo and I also prefer the tail stock. "Beefy" is a relative term. I find that the bed on the DVR is incredibly stiff considering its size and weight. Compared to the 1642 which twist very easy for its size and mass. The DVR is a very nice for a compact lathe in its price range.

Now with that being said I think if you could get the PM3520B for the $3000 dollar range that is a best buy, but if it is close the new retail price I would go for a Vicmarc, Robust, Oneway, a Stubby.

Good Luck and have fun,

Alan

[Ralph Lindberg]

Keith I looked and turned on both the Nova DVR XP and the Jet 1642. Both are excellent lathes but went with the DVR because of space (Small shop). I built my own stand and haven't looked back.

What he said, if I had a large area, there are better lathes. But for the foot print, it's ideal.

I also like the electronic stall brake. If you get a hard catch, the lathe simply stops

[Robert Vroman]

Thanks all. Alan, interesting comment about the twist in the bed, I would have thought that would be more likely in the sectioned bed of the DVR. Also, in researching this I found your stand, very impressive! Way beyond my skill set, so I can either build one out of wood, or purchase the cast iron one and spend that time turning :) The 3520B is impressive, and not entirely out of budget, but it is the space issue. As far as budget, before refreshing the page there as a comment about considering the associated costs of chucks, jaws, etc. Fortunately those are already in place, all I will need is a new insert to move from the 1 inch 8 TPI to the 1 1/4 inch 8 TPI of the DVR. I will lose a couple of face plates that are one inch and do not use inserts, but I rarely use those anyway. (Although a bigger set of cole jaws may be in order for the additional 4 inches of swing this the DVR has over my current machine)

I will have to follow up a bit more about the hand wheel. I stopped in today to get another look at it on the floor. The person who put it together was there and said that everything was on the display model.

Thanks again!

[Clint Baxter]

Robert, if you look at Alan's pictures on Post #22, you can see the hand wheel on the left side of the last pic. As smoothly as the DVR turn, I find myself using the hand wheel all the time to stop the turning. Elsewise, they tend to coast for quite a while. Couldn't believe how smooth it was when I first got mine, comparing it to my previous lathes.

[Robert Vroman]

Robert, if you look at Alan's pictures on Post #22, you can see the hand wheel on the left side of the last pic. As smoothly as the DVR turn, I find myself using the hand wheel all the time to stop the turning. Elsewise, they tend to coast for quite a while. Couldn't believe how smooth it was when I first got mine, comparing it to my previous lathes.

That makes sense with the lack of a belt and the associated friction. I had not thought of that.