Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

I generally do not take the time to write reviews but I am so impressed with this lathe that I felt compelled to do it. I am a weekend warrior and this lathe is fantastic. I have been using it for over 6 years and never had a problem. When I got it I bought some extra belts thinking that they would wear out but after all that time, I have only changed the belt one time. This thing is a tank, it can do anything. I have made vase's that started out weighing about 30 pounds and I also make ink pens on it. I have even used it to turn Alabaster which is also quite heavy. It is versatile, durable, and with the rotating head very flexible. It is really well built with enough power to do the job. Of all the things I have ever bought, this is without a doubt the best. You can buy more expensive lathes but I don't know why you would want to, I have yet to find a project that I cannot do on this machine.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

I have had the lathe since December and use it a few hours every other day. I have turned some rather large bowls and various small projects. Next step is the out board tool rest for some big platters! Stand is not the greatest but for the money.. cant be beat. I laid an old yoga matt under the stand and it greatly reduced the vibration. one can switch the belt speed in probably 30-40 seconds with practice. Wish it had a kill switch as some times scary reaching over to turn it off. No idea why they don't include a hand wheel with the lathe! Thus far super happy with the purchase. Glad i got it on sale but it would be well worth buying for the full MSRP.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

I upgraded from a Jet mini lathe to this Nova on recommendations from several friends, however once I put the unit together, I had to take it back apart to repair mismade parts. The adjusting cam for the motor was drilled crooked and would not fit into the slot properly, would not adjust the motor position as it should. I also found that the nuts that are included are one time use, you loosen them, you replace them or they won't hold again so trip to Lowes to get hardware. Next I find that the sight on the front for knowing where the belt is positioned is about half way off to the left, alignment is not correct to sight as they say to do on the machine. I also has to remove the shielding to cut away part of the material that interferred with the motor shaft when you're adjusting the belt to another speed, it would lock the motor so you could not rotate the pulley to check for proper alignment of the belt prior to tensioning. Overall I expected far higher quality from this produce based on the fact that Fine Woodworking endorsed it!! It is not terribly overpriced (if you buy it on sale as I did) and you don't have to repair it right out of the box, but I found I had to 'work on it' more than I should have and I'm still yet to turn anything on it.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

After 40 years of professional cabinetmaking, it seemed like fun to adopt woodturning as a hobby. Usually I buy used machines but the swiveling headstock was too much to resist and hard to find in older lathes. Although I'm still happy with the Nova after owning it for more than a year, there have been some growing pains. The first thing was to replace the tool rest. The original from Teknatool is too rough for being the one part on the lathe you touch constantly. Then I noticed the tool rest rocked slightly when you applied pressure to the right side. I removed the banjo, what Teknatool calls a "toolslide", and found a couple defects on the bottom. Not only was a twist milled into the bottom of the banjo, but there was about 8" of rough casting which escaped milling altogether. No matter how tightly you cranked down on the locking cam, the banjo would not sit flat on the lathe bed. Unacceptable. I didn't call Teknatool about it, opting instead to just fix it myself. I'll never be a very good turner but working on woodworking machines is a different story. Waiting for what could possibly be another defective part seemed too possible, so I filed the bottom flat using a good straightedge and precision level. So much metal was removed off the bottom, the cam wouldn't grab any more. That was easy to adjust and it works great now. What bothers me most about this defect is that it was so visually obvious and at least four workers at the factory should have spotted it before me. It makes me wonder what else went un-noticed. Ironically, this was one of two parts on the lathe bearing a quality control sticker. Inspector number 2. I also noticed the last time I was in the Rockville Woodcraft store that the Nova DVR on display had a similar defect, although not as bad. At least the display tool rest didn't rock like mine did. Otherwise it's been a pretty good lathe. I haven't turned any 29" bowls, and there haven't been any vibration issues. The grooved power transmission belt is much funkier to change than a normal v-belt; sometimes I yearn for the DVR. Then I remember the price difference and come back to reality. I do plan to add a bed extension the first time I get a long spindle job, and probably some kind of emergency stop (#32W274) I can hit with my knee.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

I had written a previous review of this product outlining the faults of the machine and poor service I experienced. The problem has been resolved with the shipment of a new headstock. Now that the unit is operating within specifications, it's a decent lathe at a reasonable price. However, to get communication going with the USA Teknatool office, I had to contact the company headquarters in New Zealand. They contacted the USA office who immediately responded. In fairness to the USA office, they apparently had been working on resolving my issue, but didn't inform me of if or how they would handle the problem. I initially contacted Teknatool in late December and finally was told how the problem would be corrected in early February (literally the day before the new headstock was shipped). I may consider a DVR headstock at some point in the future, but I'll want to see it run before I buy. Bottom line; if you buy this lathe (especially on sale) and get one of the good ones (which my research says is highly probable), you'll be happy. If you end up needing service, my experience says you'd better have a high tolerance for frustration.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

great wood lathe the 1624nova very happy with design . the best lathe on the market for the price

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

Best value out there if you can adjust it correctly. Vey noisy and lots of vibrations at top two speeds I.e. pen turning speeds. Not nearly as smooth or quiet as Jet mini-lathe. Motor comes loose, lots of adjustment problems . Completely disassembling, reassembling and adding new belt has not helped. Only 4 years old.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

I use the swiveling head for hollowing and truing up the bottom of bowls. If you need to return the headstock to exactly 90 degrees for spindle work, I install a center in the headstock, and slide the tailcenter up to line up before tightening. (my only complaint) After a full morning of roughing out bowls, the motor still ran cool. After a year of use, no problems. The only thing I would change is a variable speed knob!

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

Have has this lathe for 2 years and have made spindles, hollow forms , bowls ,finials,goblets and more with no problems. I bolted the stand to a hybrid stand I made so this lathe does not move around. It is a little light for larger out of round pieces but for most turning it's just fine as it comes from the factory. But if you start with heavy out of round pieces then bolting it down is a good idea. For the money it's a great lathe.

Comments about Nova 1624-44 Wood Lathe :

A very good lathe for the money. I added weight to the stand and it made all the difference. I like the features and design.