Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Dec 31, 2002 03:46am | #1

   Hi Bill -

   I'm definitely a beginner as well and can vouch for the 'growing out of it' syndrome. I started with a Delta midi lathe and it took about two months before I realized it wasn't going to last long if I were to get serious about turning.

   That said, the Nova is, from all I've heard and read, a much superior lathe to the Delta. Size and power are the two most obvious factors when chosing a lathe, the one factor not so obvious is mass. It takes quite a bit of heft to control a large out-of-balance blank for a large bowl, for instance.

   Any midi lathe you select will, I imagine, be fair game for mounting on a heavy duty stand that you should probably consider making yourself. Most metal stands sold with lathes are pretty whimpy from what I've seen. Build something with a platform on which you can put several concrete blocks or bags of sand to add mass to the whole situation.

   The biggest thing I had against the Delta was that the headstock could be rotated out for outboard type turning but getting it lined back up with the tail stock was problematic. I believe the Nova features a rotating headstock as well so check out how easy it is to get it centered back on the tail center. That and the variable speed mechanism consisted of a variable width pulley setup that needed to have the lathe turning to change speed; opt for an electronic control for variable speed. Changing belts on pulleys isn't a huge bother but an electronic variable speed control is a lot handier.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   kennedy136 | Jan 01, 2003 07:30am | #4

   Dennis,

             I own the Delta you are speaking about and I have found no problems realigning the headstock after having flipped it to turn outboard.  As to power it is more than adequate with it's 1.5 hp Baldor.  It is built in  a very robust manner with plenty of provisions to add weight though that would'nt be necessary except for a large out-of-balance outboard turning.  Further it would be an easy fabrication project to make a bed extension which would allow one to turn porch posts etc. I plan to make one for mine at some point.  This lathe has had excellent reviews in several magazines and is in my view the most bang for the buck in it's class.  I paid 1600.00 for mine on sale which is about 100.00 off the regular street price.  I highly recommend it.

                                                          Mark

1. 
   DennisS | Jan 01, 2003 10:25am | #5

   Hi Prof.;

   I think you may have the next generation Delta midi from the one I had. Mine was only 1hp and had the variable speed pulley setup for changing speeds - the lathe had to be turning to adjust the speed - mechanical, not electronic. Does yours have electronic speed control?

   Mine came with a whimpy stamped steel stand. Yes, there were rails on which one could put a platform to add weight. But I wasn't thrilled with that sort of setup.

   This evening I roughed out several bowl blanks about 8" across. I'm experimenting with natural edge & bark inclusion designs. As such, these blanks were tremendously out of balance when I begain the roughing process. My Powermatic has a shipping weight of 950lbs. I was spinning these blanks at close to 1000RPM (between centers to be sure) before I got any vibration that would affect working them to round.

   Not everyone will get involved to that excess to be sure. And I like being able to use things like the big OneWay Stronghold chucks for the bigger pieces. And since I see most of my woodworking in the future focused on turning rather than flat work, I like having a piece of equipment I doubt that I'll ever outgrow.

   But that's just me. If it were the other way around - had I decided to concentrate on furniture making instead of turning, the little Delta would most likely have stayed in the shop. As it is, it was a great machine to learn basic turning techniques on and worth having to introduce me to the craft of turning initially. My rationale in buying a bigger, heavier lathe was that I can always make small things on a big lathe but it's problematic making big things on a small lathe............

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   Adrian | Jan 02, 2003 06:00am | #6

   I have a General 160 in my shop, and a 160 and a 260 in my school shop. Fine machines. Haven't seen a Nova up close to compare.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.SWAY too conservative to be merely right wing

2. 
   kennedy136 | Jan 02, 2003 08:18am | #7

   DEnnis,

            Yes you have the lighter lathe.  If you go back and read the original post or maybe it was one of his answers he mentioned the lathe I have.  Mine has a steel bed not a cast iron bed.  It is a lot of lathe for the money.  If one has 3 grand to spend on the heavy general of Powermatic then in my opnion they ought to put another 1500 bucks with it and by a One-way.  It is undoubtedly the best machine out there but as said it is expensive.  Ernie Conover says that the only thing wrong with the One-way is that Ernie didn't invent it. 

                                                              Mark

2. 
   Jimma | Dec 31, 2002 06:54am | #2

   Can't go wrong with the Nova 3000, but you'll need to buy one of the bed extensions if you want to turn table legs or anything longer than the standard model will accomodate. The above post by Dennis is right on with respect to a hefty table. Mine is probably a couple of hundred pounds without the lathe on it. The Nova does have positive indexing. General makes a very nice machine, but you might want to check on the accessories that are available for each. I bought the DC motor and controller for the belt-driven Nova model and really prefer it over the new Nova which has a direct drive DC motor only. Flip of a coin, I guess.

3. 
   DennisS | Dec 31, 2002 07:56am | #3

   Bill -

   My apolgies; I didn't read the subject line close enough to realize the General was in the offing for your purchase.

   I looked at the General at a recent industrial WW show here in Seattle. It ran a *VERY* close second to the Powermatic that I eventually bought. For my money, you buy lathes by the pound. The more pounds you can buy, the better.

   Well, there *are* other factors to consider, of course, but if the General is on your wish list and in your budget, give it several high points for stability, solidity and so forth. Given equal ranges of speed and convenience of controlling speeds, I'd go General.

   I would have bought the General table saw over my Unisaw if there had been a local rep to deal with. Don't like getting service long distance is all.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

4. 
   AKwoodworker | Jan 02, 2003 09:46am | #8

   I've got the General 160-2 and like the machine very much. I too am a beginner and don't see myself outgrowing this model any time soon. You might get in touch with http://www.woodsmithstore.com and check their price. I believe their price is around 1250.00 with a 1 hp motor, or was last year. Don't know a thing about the Nova but I think it's more $$ than the General. I own a few General tools and I like them all. Good luck

   AKwoodworker 

1. 
   BBleiler | Jan 02, 2003 09:37pm | #9

   Thank you all for your advice! I think the General 160-2 lathe will meet my needs and be more than enough lathe as my skills improve over time. The Powermatic that Dennis mentioned appears to be a fine lathe,but out of my budget. As far as the Nova 3000 this too seems to be a nice machine, but I'd prefer a fixed head stock verses a rotating headstock. As I mentioned in my original post I am a beginner, I have absolutely no clue on how to get started. Can anybody give advice as to which tools to start out with and any accessories that I might need?

   Bill Bleiler