Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Feb 27, 2005 10:12am | #1

   Off the shelf, OK for smallish stuff. Beef up the stand and add some mass and you can go bigger. Smaller lathes like this require that the bowl blank be bandsawed to a fairly circular shape and be moderately in balance at the start. On bigger, heavier lathes you can work with much bigger and much more out of balance rough pieces. I've never used one but those who have seem to have a pretty good opinion of them. I think the design of the direct drive variable speed motor offers more torque at lower RPM but I'm not positive.

   ...........
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis
1. 
   dovetail3 | Feb 27, 2005 09:21pm | #2

   Dennis:
   Could you give an example of what size you
   consider small stuff? I eventually hope to
   be able to turn a vessel that could
   be as large as about 12" tall and perhaps
   a bowl 12 to 14" in diameter.
   Thanks much
   Ken

1. 
   DennisS | Feb 28, 2005 07:21am | #4

   Dovetail -Since Jim has one, I'll have to defer to his knowledge with respect to how hefty it actually is. I'm basing my opinion, and that's simply all it is, on pictures of the machine.I'd not want to mount anything bigger than about 12" across on it. Probably less, in the range of maybe 8". I'd want to spend some time at the band saw initially getting it as round as I could. I'd want to try to use blanks that were quite uniform with respect to grain density, if that's actually a term, or in other words, reasonably well balanced. You'll find that turning green wood to a rough stage is a lot easier than trying to open up something as big as you describe in seasoned wood. Especially hardwood. Rough turn to about 1" or so thick, put it in a paper bag and forget about it for a few months. Hope it doesn't crack all to hell.All that said, of course, if you build a solid bench for support and add plenty of weight, you can up the ante in most respects. Remember, you don't need speed to turn. Even large out or round and out of balance pieces can be handled by simply turning down the speed. Higher revs are better for finishing, of course, but you'll have lightened the load considerably by the time you get to that point.The rotating head feature is really nice for face plate (bowl) turning. Keeps you from having to lean over the bed so much. But if you do decide to take advantage of it, I'd suggest getting a double morse taper to re-aline the headstock for spindle turning. The Nova may have a better indexing system than the Delta benchtop I used to have, but I found that I could never reliably return the headstock to exact alignment without the double taper.For vessels 12" or more tall you might want to find what's called a steady rest to support the open end of the work. When you first start hollowing out the piece there's a lot of pressure over that cantilever distance. The other option is to simply hog out the interior with a large forstner bit. But that's cheating! (grin)...........
   From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
   Dennis

1. 
   dovetail3 | Feb 28, 2005 07:18pm | #6

   Dennis:
   I am just a beginner but by nature,impatient.
   The idea of turning green wood and waiting
   months for a finished product may be a problem.
   Is it a bad idea to expect good results working
   with dry exotic hardwoods? Are there conditions or
   equiptment requirements that would facilitate this
   kind of effort?
   Thanks again. These comments are very helpful
   Ken

2. 
   Jimma | Feb 28, 2005 05:35am | #3

   I've had a Nova 3000 for about five years and find it to be a very good all-round shop lathe. You can turn 14 to 16 inch bowls over the bed if you cut off the corners as Dennis said. It also has a feature which allows you to rotate the drive head 90 degrees for outboard turning; however, you will need to get the optional outrigger and tool rest to use it this way.This is a hefty machine -- all cast iron (except motor unit) with the option to add on bed sections to make it a great spindle turning machine; I can turn table legs easily. It isn't as hefty as a One Way or Powermatic with their integral legs, but a heavy table as I've made from 2X6s and plywood will support big turnings. I find the torque to be plenty good. Here's my setup . . .

1. 
   dovetail3 | Feb 28, 2005 07:13pm | #5

   Jim:
   Thanks! What program should I use to open
   your attachment? Roughly how much does the
   machine weigh?
   Ken

1. 
   Jimma | Feb 28, 2005 09:22pm | #7

   It's a jpeg, Ken, but from a Mac. I don't think that should make any difference, however. Try "asking" your software for alternate ways to read it. I attached it so you could see the 2X6 structure and top with the Nova mounted on it. If it doesn't open, try asking Forestgirl (here on Knots) for a suggestion. She seems to be quite familiar with Windows.A few minutes ago I happened to be at a Woodcraft store where they had five lathes set up next to each other, including a Nova 3000. It was a stripped down model with conventional motor and belt drive. Next to it was the Powermatic weighing in at over 1,000 pounds and was easily the heft winner. They had the Nova mounted on a bent-up sheet metal stand which would be way too light for serious work, but a design like my heavy stand would make all the difference.