Replies

1. 
   Clay | Nov 16, 2004 11:56am | #1

   I am not familiar with the DVR model but I DO love my Nova lathe!  I started with a Shopsmith and what a difference the Nova made!  I guess if price were not a consideration for me I would have a custom made lathe but the Nova has served me very well. 

   I am setting up now to do some blacksmithing work and am planning some projects combining work from the lathe with some parts from the forge.  My son fell in love with blacksmithing when he got a taste of it at camp last summer and since I have done lots of jewelry type metalsmithing I have also been attracted to forging work.  So now this has become a major way for us to collaborate and bond.  It is also one of the few areas where I have found him readily willing to acknowledge that his Dad might really know some things worth learning.  His usual assumption is that kids are truly wise and far superior intellectually to parents (this last word is spoken with a definite sneer in its pronunciation).

   I bought one bed extension for my Nova when I got it and have never been sorry for that decision.  I also have a Nova chuck which I like very much, though they have new and improved models of it now.  I would like to have a good foot switch setup for my Nova, I should have bought that and set it up when I got the lathe.

2. 
   DennisS | Nov 16, 2004 06:49pm | #2

   If cost is no object as you imply, go for the biggest machine you have room for! The premier lathe one sees many of the pros using is the big One Way. Another good lathe is the 3hp Powermatic. The latter is more massive even than the One Way at close to 1000#. I have the Powermatic after learning and outgrowing a smaller Delta benchtop model. I can tell you that weight and mass is definitely an advantage when you start turning larger vessels and want to do serious deep hollow work.

   Remember, you can do small work on a big lathe but it's not easy to do large work on a small lathe.

   The rotating headstock feature of some of the benchtop lathes is, in my opinion a mixed blessing. The Delta I had had this feature but it was difficult to realign the spindle and headstock after the headstock had been rotated. This may not be such an issue with bowl and face plate turning but it definitely is with spindles.

   ...........

   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.

   Dennis

3. 
   Napie | Nov 16, 2004 06:56pm | #3

   There is only one...a Oneway!

4. 
   jptenberg | Nov 17, 2004 02:02am | #4

   From what I've been told, the DVR has really crappy torque at low rpms--somthing to consider if you are going to turn large bowls.  When I was looking for a new lathe about a year ago, I went with the Delta steelbed.  It has served me well, but if I were to do it again, I would spend the xtra$ on the PM or maybe the oneway.

   If you're doing more bowls than spindles, then bigger is definately better.  That goes for tools too.

   Peter

   jpswoodworking.com

5. 
   rkkelly36 | Nov 17, 2004 02:23am | #5

   Have you looked at a Poolewood, since money isn't a major factor? What a machine.

   Philip Henslowe: Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
   Hugh Fennyman: How?
   Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery.
1. 
   johnsp | Nov 17, 2004 06:02am | #6

   I must correct myself. I gave the arrogant impression that money was of no concern for me. Actually, I don't want to throw money around or spend a fortune. I just don't like buying tools twice. I'd rather spend wisely now than be upgrading in a year.
   Thanks for all the good advice!

1. 
   DennisS | Nov 17, 2004 06:28am | #7

   Well, spkr, There are only a couple lathes to my knowlege (admittedly limited) that are in the class of the big Powermatic or One Way. (I hear someone gasp at putting them both in the same sentence (grin)). Although General makes a pretty beefy machine as well.One Way is to most observers the premier lathe on the market regardless of which size One Way you look at. But for the sheer mass of the machine it's hard to deny that the Powermatic is up there running a close, in my opinion, second.I could also be wrong but I believe that any electronically speed controlled motor will lose torque at low RPM. In fact on my Powermatic (3HP three phase motor with built in phase converter) with the belts arranged for the high end of speed selection range, if I slow the spindle down to where it's just barely turning I can stop the spindle by hand. Not so if it's set at the slower speed range, of course. So I agree with the one comment about slow speed sucking torque out of a variable speed setup............
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis