Another which lathe question

[Allen Mattsen]

I pulled the trigger on the Rikon. I found a very good deal, making the difference between the Grizzly (including their 5% discount) and the Rikon less than $900. It's still a lot of money, and it really pushed my budget, but its features and warranty seemed worth it to me. I expect it to be the last lathe I'll ever own.

The bad news is that Rikon is waiting for a shipment from China and I probably won't get it until March. I just went through the same thing with a Bosch sander that I ordered. It took me three months to get that one.

I'm very interested to hear about your experience with this new Rikon 70-3040 lathe. The 3HP motor is a very attractive feature as is the sliding bed / space saving ability. Is there the ability for outboard turning on this? The price is very competitive and warranty impressive. It's definitely on my short list for when I upgrade. So: please share how you like it when you get it and going. ☺️

[David Bolson]

Allen - I didn’t end up getting the Rikon. I ordered it in January and was told it would arrive on March 15th, to which I agreed. A couple of weeks later, I was told May 1st. I was having lathe withdrawal, and didn’t want to wait that long and I also suspected there could be further delay. So I ended up ordering the Grizzly G0766. Which is currently on its way.

[Rusty Nesmith]

I saw the Rikon at Woodcraft. I didn’t get to use it but the guy ran it through all of the speeds and bed extension. It was impressive.

[Robert D Evans]

I hope you will be as happy with your new G0766 as I am with mine. I did a lot of research before I bought mine and I think it's the best lathe for the money on the market.

[Randy Heinemann]

Just wondering why you need to replace your Nova? Seems like it is large enough and, if weight is the issue there are a ways to remedy that. I own a Comet II midi lathe because I wasn't sure I would keep turning and didn't want to spend a lot of money on a lathe. Since I've turned for over 2 years and now find I'd like more capacity and power and weight, I think I may buy something like a Powermatic 2020 or 3520. However, if I already had a 20" over bed capability I'm not sure I'd even consider spending the money on a new lathe, especially if money was an issue.

[David Bolson]

Just wondering why you need to replace your Nova?

The motor on my Nova 2024 died. It is proprietary and unfixable and Teknatool has no more 2024 headstocks.

[Robert D Evans]

At least you have a very sturdy saw horse.