which lathe

[Farm boy]

I need help and advice please :D
I found a nova tl1200 at belmont on ebay for $400 starting bid and
there is an old chap at the woodturners club i go to word of mouth says he has a Tough brand 1 1/2 hp lathe for the same price, i have not seen either but i am leaning towards the Tough as it is older but heaps of grunt I am unsure of the horsepower of the nova
any advice greatly recieved
Greg

[orificiam]

I need help and advice please :D
I found a nova tl1200 at belmont on ebay for $400 starting bid and
there is an old chap at the woodturners club i go to word of mouth says he has a Tough brand 1 1/2 hp lathe for the same price, i have not seen either but i am leaning towards the Tough as it is older but heaps of grunt I am unsure of the horsepower of the nova
any advice greatly recieved
Greg

Hi Greg, I'd go for the Tough.
Cheers Tony.:)

[INVENTOR]

I think the nova has a round bar bed (can be a pain) but swivel head where as the tough are very solid cast iron ( very good) but fixed head with relatively small swing.
combine the two designs and you have something. you would be lucky to get the tough for that price IMO.

[Avery]

Consider any extras that might come with the lathes. Faceplates, chucks , etc.etc. some of the older lathes may have less common spindle threads that can make buying accessories a bit more expensive.

[artme]

I have a Nova TL 1200.


Pluses: Good range of speeds, Quality headstock, quality tailstock

Minuses; two sections of pipe as bed, on/off switch difficult to reach in a hurry, Toolpost and tailstock do not have camlock - this is a PITA,

All the bad points are fixable, but why bother if you can ger a lathe without these shortcomings.

BTW - The Tough is a good lathe,.

[tea lady]

Go the Tough! You can out board turn on them if you want. Some even have a left hand thread on the out board side! $400 is a great price. Less then half of what I paid last year.:C :) And I'm happy!

You might need a few mates to help pick it up. :rolleyes::U

[issatree]

Hi Farm Boy,
Yes, the Tough. Had 1 since 1990, has not missed a beat. Travels on 3000 RPM.most times I use it. Molykote the Bearings when I think of it.
Most likely doesn't have the Cam Locks, but you can still buy them, or as I've seen the Banjo & Tail Stock rehashed with Cam Locks. Should be 1in.10 TPI. Spindle.
Go for it, & try to put it on Rails, rather than a bench, far better.

[Farm boy]

thanks for the feedback
I have to wait for a member to come back from holidays and get the address for the tough, i will get a good look at it and hopfully pinch some money off my wife:D
thanks for the feeback about the weight i will grab a mate if i can snavle it

[munruben]

Unanimous; the toughs have it.:) Let us know if you get it.:2tsup:

[Wood Nut]

Hi Greg,
It sounds like the same wood turner's club I go to. I cannot comment on the other lathe but I do own a TOUGH. Great lathe, solid etc etc. I'm very happy with it - if only I could afford to put a vfd on.
Cheers, Paul