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Reece
14th October 2009, 09:47 PM
Hi all,

it's time to upgrade from my carbatec mini lathe.

i'm looking at 4 lathes at the moment, and will narrow it down from here, so to those who own or have owned any of these in the past, what are some of the pro's and con's of them?

Carbatec 1.1m Bed Lathe MC1100A (http://www.carbatec.com.au/carba-tec-11m-bed-wood-lathe_c20060)

Woodfast M305X Midi Lathe (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/woodfast-m305x-variable-speed-midi-lathe)

Hare and Forbes WL-46 Lathe (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Products?stockCode=W387)

Nova 1624-44 (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/nova-1624-44-lathe)

i make a lot of pens, a few bowls and the odd bit of useless nothing here and there too.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Reece

GC
14th October 2009, 09:58 PM
Hi Reece,

I have a MC1100. Pretty good, but quality leaves a lot to be desired. After 5 years have had 2 engine issues, many of the cam locks loosen under vibration and some of the handles have broken off etc. BUT great for the $$ I paid.

Nova 1624 - Bigger engine than MC1100 and better quality, I've studied this long and hard as highly likely to be my next purchase.

GC

Skew ChiDAMN!!
14th October 2009, 10:10 PM
For "pens only," the Woodfast is easily the best choice.

The MC-1100 is nice entry-level lathe, but it's basically just an MC-900 with a few (to my mind) minor improvements. It has almost all of the MC-900s faults.

The Nova is a far nicer lathe to use than an MC-X00, although personally I'm not convinced it's the best value for money.

I haven't tried the H&F.

So, the Woodfast will turn goblets & 12" dia. or smaller bowls and platters, so could be the better choice for you. But it's just more of what you're doing now, although at better quality. It's also the only one of the bunch that doesn't do outboard turning. :~

The Nova would be my choice of the group; almost as good for pens and also opens the door to larger turnings if you'd so desire.

How's yer budget? :U

artme
14th October 2009, 10:30 PM
Reece, I second Skews choice of the Nova with the H&F running a very close second.

Wilco Flier
15th October 2009, 03:39 AM
I bought the Nova 1624 lathe this week, and im very happy with the machine. I never worked with the another lathes, the nova was my first choice, and i like them. For a impression of my lathe zee tis link from the Dutch woodwork forum: Houtbewerkersforum.nl • Toon onderwerp - Mijn Nieuwe Nova 1824-44 Draaibank (http://woodworking.nl/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=917)

artme
15th October 2009, 07:02 AM
I bought the Nova 1624 lathe this week, and im very happy with the machine. I never worked with the another lathes, the nova was my first choice, and i like them. For a impression of my lathe zee tis link from the Dutch woodwork forum: Houtbewerkersforum.nl • Toon onderwerp - Mijn Nieuwe Nova 1824-44 Draaibank (http://woodworking.nl/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=917)

How good is your Dutch Reece?:D:D

Reece
15th October 2009, 08:46 AM
How's yer budget? :U

my budget is high, but wifey has other ideas :U

the nova is about a high as i can go in terms of price, otherwise i'd be going for a vicmarc i reckon.

Is it hard to re-allign the centers on the nova after doing outboard turning?

Ozkaban
15th October 2009, 09:29 AM
I've played with the Nova and it's pretty reasonable for the money. It's belt change, but it's easy enough to do, it has 8 well spaced speeds which is great. In that group I'd go for that one, unless as skew said the Woodfast has the capacity you need.

I'd never really considered the Hafco one - it (and the mid level carbatec) look to have too much of the MC-XX about them and whilst they have many major improvements I wonder if they have fully resolved issues such as slop in the tailstock, headstock and tailstock not quite lining up, bed rails not perfectly parallel, etc. If anyone has these lathes, I'd love to hear how they compare to their cheaper cousins.

Cheers,
Dave

orraloon
15th October 2009, 12:14 PM
It depends what you see yourself turning down the track. I would be opting for the Nova out of that bunch as a decent all rounder. They have a good reputation. As has been said it is belt change but I see that as being reliable. How long would you expect elect var speed will last and how much to repair it.
Regards
John

Wilco Flier
15th October 2009, 07:54 PM
Is it hard to re-allign the centers on the nova after doing outboard turning?

No, its very easy, put the swivel head in the normal direction, take the another center and put them on one line. Then lock the swivel head. It takes 5 seconds.

One thing: make sure the centers are on one line (x-axis and y-axis) when you buy the machine.

DJ’s Timber
15th October 2009, 08:25 PM
Is it hard to re-allign the centers on the nova after doing outboard turning?

Very easily with one of these (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/2mt-acruline-system)

Manuka Jock
15th October 2009, 08:51 PM
Is it hard to re-allign the centers on the nova after doing outboard turning?

Reece ,
I have the XP , and the setup is the same .
centers line up just right , as Wilco says .
DJ's wee tool looks like a good idea too :2tsup:

If you do get the Nova ,

get an extra bed section too if you can , gives you room to move :U

cheers ,
Jock

mick61
15th October 2009, 09:39 PM
Gday I would go the Nova because of the extra range of use. Woodfast next.
Mick:D

DoctorBobski
16th October 2009, 01:46 PM
Have you considered the Jets? My father in law has a 1220 and is very happy ($595 Gary Pye)

orraloon
16th October 2009, 05:25 PM
To line up my lathe headstock I put the point of a cone live centre (with tailstock locked down) in the morse recess then lock the headstock. Takes about 5 secs also.
I should mention my lathe is not a Nova but the line up method will suit any lathe.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
16th October 2009, 05:50 PM
:yes: But the double-ended MT is more accurate. Slip it in with the headstock loose, slide up the tailstock and clamp it. Wind out the quill whatever it takes to ensure a nice, snug fit and then clamp the headstock.

Bingo!

No peering at the drive-/tail-spurs in the dinginess of the shop at the end of a long working day... and then only finding out you screwed up when your turning comes out oval at one end. :;

nalmo
16th October 2009, 09:35 PM
I've had a Nova 1624 for about 18mths and am really happy with it. I find the belts easy to change, but an EVS would be nice to slowly bring up the speed especially on larger pieces. There is always the option of the add on EVS & motor, albeit a bit pricey for me at the moment. Nova is a good solid, versatile lathe which I'm sure you'll be happy with for a wide variety of turning. There's a lathe comparison in Fine Woodworking which rated it very highly.

Sawdust Maker
16th October 2009, 09:45 PM
I used a 1624 whilst taking lessons - nice lathe
but I got the one same as Jock :2tsup:, I like the infinitesimal changeability in speed
When you buy get them to throw in that double ended MT2 thingy. I got one later and use it often especially when lining up for pen turning (teknatool make one)