an interesting lathe review ex US

[hughie]

A lathe review from the US including prices

http://www.teknatool.com/products/Lathes/1624/Downloads/Fine%20Woodworking%20Heavy%20Duty%20Lathe%20Test_April%2007.pdf

[wheelinround]

TY Hughie will have a good read later

[SRH]

The article is very timely, thankyou. I am thinking seriously about buying the Nova 1624-44 in the next few weeks. The price I see locally in Adelaide has dropped $200 to $1495 in recent weeks. I would be interested in comments from those that have used the Nova. It sits in my price range and is a big upgrade from my second hand Delta Midi.

Regards.

[Manuka Jock]

One thing that the reviews fail to mention , re the Nova lathes , is the tool rest itself .
The banjo is great , but the tool-rest is lacking .
It needs to be cut away at the ends , and have the the profile scalloped , in the traditional manner ,
The existing one is, apparently , a patten-makers style .
I am on the lookout for the old style rest with the right post diameter for mine.

Its' amazing how rare a spare is :rolleyes:

[wheelinround]

One thing that the reviews fail to mention , re the Nova lathes , is the tool rest itself .
The banjo is great , but the tool-rest is lacking .
It needs to be cut away at the ends , and have the the profile scalloped , in the traditional manner ,
The existing one is, apparently , a patten-makers style .
I am on the lookout for the old style rest with the right post diameter for mine.

Its' amazing how rare a spare is :rolleyes:


Make one :roll:

[Pat]

Well, the "Rikon" is the Woodfast M910 in different colours. I can see how the tool rest handle could be annoying, I'll have to spend more time with it. I'll have a look at the banjo travel, whilst locked down. I agree that it doesn't want to walk anywhere, I haven't bolted mine down yet:)

Very interesting article, Hughie.

AFAIK, Woodfast has partnered with Rikon for the American market, as Rikon has brand exposure.

BTW I am still happy with the Yellow Peril :U

[Jim Carroll]

One thing that the reviews fail to mention , re the Nova lathes , is the tool rest itself .
The banjo is great , but the tool-rest is lacking .
It needs to be cut away at the ends , and have the the profile scalloped , in the traditional manner ,
The existing one is, apparently , a patten-makers style .
I am on the lookout for the old style rest with the right post diameter for mine.

Its' amazing how rare a spare is :rolleyes:

This is what you need Toolrest (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/toolrest-300mm)

[wheelinround]

Well, the "Rikon" is the Woodfast M910 in different colours. I can see how the tool rest handle could be annoying, I'll have to spend more time with it. I'll have a look at the banjo travel, whilst locked down. I agree that it doesn't want to walk anywhere, I haven't bolted mine down yet:)

Very interesting article, Hughie.

AFAIK, Woodfast has partnered with Rikon for the American market, as Rikon has brand exposure.

BTW I am still happy with the Yellow Peril :U

No proof as yet of how happy a pic is worth a thousand words:;

[Manuka Jock]

Make one :roll:

Out of a good hardwood scotia moulding eh :U

[wheelinround]

Out of a good hardwood scotia moulding eh :U


:doh: not a welder eh :roll: maybe a good hearted kiwi welder you know

[slharder]

I would be interested in comments from those that have used the Nova. .

I live in the states and have had my 1624 for 6 months. Love it.

I added a ballast box between the legs to bring total weight up to 600#. It handles rough out blanks weighing 50#. And speed changes are pretty easy once you do a few of them.

I plan to eventually convert it to variable speed by changing out the motor. But for the time being I feel I'm getting the most bang for the buck with the Nova.

[Manuka Jock]

:doh: not a welder eh :roll: maybe a good hearted kiwi welder you know
I know some exellant welders .

But no one can weld hardwood to steel .
:rolleyes:

[rsser]

I actually like the design of the DVR XP rest: rigid, tilted forward for better trailing clearance inside a bowl, and a single plane. You could get more clearance by relieving the bottom corners with an angle grinder.

As for the casting quality, was prob done by drunken elves on a moonless night.

[Manuka Jock]

Aye Ern , for bowl work they are fine (with the bottom corners lopped off ), but for spindle turning , I miss using the scollop as a gauge for planning cuts .

The quality of mine is ok , musta been cast by Patupaiarehe (Kiwi Elves) :U

[rsser]

and they don't drink??

Yes, a cove under the edge is nice. I have a 150mm version of the unit that Jim's posted a link to above, and used to have a 300mm version that came with the Stubby. Worth the dough. Think you'll also find them on the Woodfast site.

ps they're bit bulky tho for a tied underhand grip when rolling beads with a skew

[rsser]

ps the locking lever on the banjo got a +ve comment in the review.

It's a sliding rod

I found it a distracting irritant, to have to find and push it to the right side to use, and replaced it with a captive spanner thingy

pps the Stubby folk in the US were outraged that the black beast wasn't included in the test