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The day has finally arrived a new lathe! Nova 1624 in the shop.
Good morning all,
Well, the day finally arrived. Backstory: Bought a Harbor Freight Big Green Lathe in 2011. Got it for 75 dollars used. I hadn’t turned before and I am a woodworking hobbyist. So the idea was to not break the bank, while deciding if it was something I wanted to do. Well, You know how it goes. It turned into a Time and money suck and I was hooked. I mostly turned pens, but did the occasional pepper mill, bowls etc. Started casting my own blanks, repurposing my paint pot (which I never used as a paint pot,)into a pressure pot for custom colored corian blanks. About 15 months ago, the big green monster killed itself. First a pulley disintegrated and then the motor quit with a forlorn cry of loss and surrender. She was done. I spent about 40 dollars on parts to attach a DC Treadmill with a potentiometer, but I’m not an electrician and well there’s the rest of the crappy lathe to deal with. So I told my wife, Tax refund time, if we get one, is going towards a new lathe. That hasn't been possible for quite some time, and any money saved went towards my youngest daughters wedding last August. There was two weeks there of empty nesting, where all the possibilities opened back up. And then her mom had to move in with us because of health problems. Alas everything went on hold as we moved her into our bedroom downstairs and moved upstairs to avoid Mother’s-in-laws falling down stairs. To pile on, I finished my Bachelors last year(at 49),so I couldn’t really spend money on that while pursuing a degree in Theology. (Be a good steward and all).
So, I finally pulled the plug last Thursday and bought a Nova 1624. It was due to be delivered on my 31st Wedding Anniversary, the 11th. On the 9th, I was using my table saw and some Oak kicked back into my hand causing 7 stitches worth of damage to my thumb. So on the 11th, I go to the hand doctor and he tells me not to do anything with that thumb for 10 days. I told him that I had a lathe being delivered and I wouldn’t make any promises. The freight service said they only drop off at the curb, curb height.But the delivery guy, a Saint, brought his own pallet jack and trucked it into my garage without a second thought. I tipped him a well worth it 20 dollars for his kindness and great attitude. Today, it went together. Very smoothly, I might add. The instructions aren’t the greatest, but it’s pretty straightforward. This lathe has been on my short list for years, but the Laguna 12 16 made it a very difficult decision. The real decision maker came down to size. I always enjoyed the capability to go larger on my HF lathe while still being able to turn smaller. I’m hoping for some segmented bowl action and some larger bowl and platter turning, so I knew I’d be at least getting the lathe, the stand and the bed extension if I bought the laguna. And turning the 16 inch on the back end seems like it has some problem. It seems pretty crowded back there. In reality, I decided, I’m a simple man and variable speed is handy. The Reeves system on the HF was simple enough, but I turn for relaxation and fun and changing pulleys won’t be a problem for me. I just couldn’t see giving up the capacity for the simplicity of ease of variable speed. Mostly from a fiscal standpoint. If I had an unlimited budget, neither of those would be on my list and I’d be shopping for the 1836 or Jet 1642 EVS. If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I’ve always enjoyed this forum and wanted to gloat here first.
A couple of observations. It is a beast. You CAN put it together with one person. The Bed was completely flat and once the grease was removed super slippery. The Tailstock and the Banjo glide from one end to the other. I wish the knockout bar came with a knob on the end, so I can store it in the Headstock lock. It runs smooth, very little vibration at full speed. Love the reverse. The fit and finish on mine were top notch. The paint is evenly applied and seems durable. The threads on all the legs were painted over, making it difficult to thread the feet on. It’s like driving a race car compared to my HF lathe. The tailstock aligned with the drive spur perfectly, right out of the box. I couldn’t be happier and can’t wait to turn.
All my best....Todd
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