Thomas Canfield
03-26-2013, 10:16 PM
There is limited information out there on the new Nova Comet II lathe. After being without a mini lathe for over a year, I received and e-mail from Teknatool about their sale at Christmas for the new lathe. The little video and review sounded too good and the price was good also. I was interested in a lathe light enough to carry for demo or to group activities and for the grandchildren to use. The 12” swing, ¾ HP variable speed, 250 to 4000 rpm, reversible, and less than 90 pounds were right in line. (#1 & 2)
258266258267
The first lathe shipped was a Model 46000. There were several assembly issues and a casting issue with the base of the tailstock that I made the correction or modification, but the technical service said that that lathe was not supposed to have been shipped. Design issues that could not be corrected were the flimsy belt cover (plastic already cracking) and poly belt slippage in the slow speed range. The lathe came with rubber feet, but manual said to bolt or clamp. On rubber feet, the lathe is limited to spindle or very small balanced bowl/boxes.
258268258269258270258271258272258273
I did make some riser blocks and bolted the lathe to a 12” wide 1 – ¼” scrap board to use as a carry board to clamp to a table or B-D Workmate, and lathe was fairly stable, but headstock bolt holes are close together and wood will give with flexing. I did turn a 9”D green ash bowl (#7) with difficult y at the slow speed because of unbalance but belt slippage and not motor power was the issue. The motor and electronic controls worked well and lathe with issues worth working out problems.
A Model 46001 was later shipped and the Model 46000 returned. The new model had corrected the tailstock casting problem, changed the belt cover to a heavier plastic with screw lock, change on/off switch to dust covered push buttons, and changed to a rubber multi groove belt from original poly. There were still assembly issues: Motor again was not tight on mounting plate, pulleys had to be shifted for belt clearance with thicker rubber belt hitting the spindle lock mounting screw, motor mount/lift hits ways and makes belt changing hard, and set screw on tailstock handle loose. The rubber belt seems to reduce slippage, but slow speed range still has a major belt slippage problem. An 8" green ash bowl was turned (#5 & 6) with better results.
I have found the mid speed range to work reasonably well for normal bowl use. It worked well for turning the inside of bowls I turned outside of the rough green wood on my Powermatic 3520B. The small lathe was actually enjoyable to use with the tailstock being a one hand removal, and you can easily work from the end of the short bed.
Pros:
Variable speed control works well and reverse handy for sanding
Light weight for portability
12 position index locks well, good for hand sanding spots also
Mid speed range (530 – 1420 rpm) good for most bowl work
High speed range (1380 – 4000 rpm) good for most spindle and pen work
Optional accessories – grinder, sander, flex shaft – not for me, but may have some appeal to those with limited space and tools.
Cons:
Slow speed range (250 – 680 rpm) has excessive belt slippage issues under medium load at all speeds
Tailstock has 1” to 1-1/4” travel depending on #2 MT inserted
Motor mount needs to be checked and possibly modified to fully release belt
Assembly and preparation needs to be done with care. Check all bolts for tightness.
Handwheel does not have lock screw – I drilled and tapped to provide one, and also added wood ring due to sharp edges
Headstock bolt holes are inset – a brace is suggested to strengthen attachment to the mounting surface (#8)
Riser blocks are needed to elevate lathe above mounting surface to ease clearing shavings
Permanent magnet DC motor has 16 catches when rotated by hand and not a smooth rotation like normal induction motor – takes getting used to but runs smooth
General surface finish could be a lot better. I did have to ease the corners on the ways and tailstock for easier installation
Summary:
It is a light weight lathe at medium price but has what appears to be good motor power and electronic controls. Light weight has most impact on unbalanced larger work and that would be a problem. I think the lathe will work well, firmly fastened down, for balanced bowl blanks , lidded boxes, and spindle/pen work. It should not be looked at as a 12” bowl lathe with the belt slippage in the slow speed range. It should make a good travel lathe and compliment a larger shop lathe that can handle the unbalanced work. I’d buy it again, but wish the headstock would be redesigned to provide more mounting strength and larger drive pulley for the slow speed range.
.
258266258267
The first lathe shipped was a Model 46000. There were several assembly issues and a casting issue with the base of the tailstock that I made the correction or modification, but the technical service said that that lathe was not supposed to have been shipped. Design issues that could not be corrected were the flimsy belt cover (plastic already cracking) and poly belt slippage in the slow speed range. The lathe came with rubber feet, but manual said to bolt or clamp. On rubber feet, the lathe is limited to spindle or very small balanced bowl/boxes.
258268258269258270258271258272258273
I did make some riser blocks and bolted the lathe to a 12” wide 1 – ¼” scrap board to use as a carry board to clamp to a table or B-D Workmate, and lathe was fairly stable, but headstock bolt holes are close together and wood will give with flexing. I did turn a 9”D green ash bowl (#7) with difficult y at the slow speed because of unbalance but belt slippage and not motor power was the issue. The motor and electronic controls worked well and lathe with issues worth working out problems.
A Model 46001 was later shipped and the Model 46000 returned. The new model had corrected the tailstock casting problem, changed the belt cover to a heavier plastic with screw lock, change on/off switch to dust covered push buttons, and changed to a rubber multi groove belt from original poly. There were still assembly issues: Motor again was not tight on mounting plate, pulleys had to be shifted for belt clearance with thicker rubber belt hitting the spindle lock mounting screw, motor mount/lift hits ways and makes belt changing hard, and set screw on tailstock handle loose. The rubber belt seems to reduce slippage, but slow speed range still has a major belt slippage problem. An 8" green ash bowl was turned (#5 & 6) with better results.
I have found the mid speed range to work reasonably well for normal bowl use. It worked well for turning the inside of bowls I turned outside of the rough green wood on my Powermatic 3520B. The small lathe was actually enjoyable to use with the tailstock being a one hand removal, and you can easily work from the end of the short bed.
Pros:
Variable speed control works well and reverse handy for sanding
Light weight for portability
12 position index locks well, good for hand sanding spots also
Mid speed range (530 – 1420 rpm) good for most bowl work
High speed range (1380 – 4000 rpm) good for most spindle and pen work
Optional accessories – grinder, sander, flex shaft – not for me, but may have some appeal to those with limited space and tools.
Cons:
Slow speed range (250 – 680 rpm) has excessive belt slippage issues under medium load at all speeds
Tailstock has 1” to 1-1/4” travel depending on #2 MT inserted
Motor mount needs to be checked and possibly modified to fully release belt
Assembly and preparation needs to be done with care. Check all bolts for tightness.
Handwheel does not have lock screw – I drilled and tapped to provide one, and also added wood ring due to sharp edges
Headstock bolt holes are inset – a brace is suggested to strengthen attachment to the mounting surface (#8)
Riser blocks are needed to elevate lathe above mounting surface to ease clearing shavings
Permanent magnet DC motor has 16 catches when rotated by hand and not a smooth rotation like normal induction motor – takes getting used to but runs smooth
General surface finish could be a lot better. I did have to ease the corners on the ways and tailstock for easier installation
Summary:
It is a light weight lathe at medium price but has what appears to be good motor power and electronic controls. Light weight has most impact on unbalanced larger work and that would be a problem. I think the lathe will work well, firmly fastened down, for balanced bowl blanks , lidded boxes, and spindle/pen work. It should not be looked at as a 12” bowl lathe with the belt slippage in the slow speed range. It should make a good travel lathe and compliment a larger shop lathe that can handle the unbalanced work. I’d buy it again, but wish the headstock would be redesigned to provide more mounting strength and larger drive pulley for the slow speed range.
.