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Best $1500 lathe?

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I've seen discussions concerning what lathe to purchase, but they are usually outside my price range unless I've missed the posts. I've been turning for a couple of years on a Rikon Mini turning small bowls, platters, pens etc.. I would like to move up to a full size lathe to turn larger bowls and platters. I need to hold the budget to around $1500 plus. At this price range, what would you suggest? It has to be mobile since my wife is still under the impression that at least one vehicle is allowed in the garage.

Thanks for your input!
 
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mobile lathe

Have you checked on ebay? I was looking for a bowl lathe last spring and found a t2o hp woodfast for 2500 but the bid didn't reach that so I wrote the seller and bought it for $1500. Sometimes you can get a real deal there. Gary:):)
 
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The Woodcraft October sale catalog just came out and they have the Nova DVR on sale for $1699.99...
 
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And Woodcrafts sale on the Nova 1624 for $899 leaves you a lot of spare change to buy the larger chucks, etc that you will need. (And pay the $200 freight charge.)

I have the 1624. Yes, speed change requires a belt change, but otherwise it's a very solid lathe. I've added a ballast box with 400# and have turned 50# out of balance blanks with no problem.

Find the FineWoodworking review on lathes to get good reviews of the class of lathes that you are considering.
 
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I got my Jet 1642 EVS with 2hp for a just a bit more than that and shipping costs........I think you can get a good lathe for that, watch Ebay and Craigs list.......I have picked up great deals on Craigs list as long as your not in a hurry........
 
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And Woodcrafts sale on the Nova 1624 for $899 leaves you a lot of spare change to buy the larger chucks, etc that you will need. (And pay the $200 freight charge.)

I have the 1624. Yes, speed change requires a belt change, but otherwise it's a very solid lathe. I've added a ballast box with 400# and have turned 50# out of balance blanks with no problem.

Find the FineWoodworking review on lathes to get good reviews of the class of lathes that you are considering.

Steve: can you post a pic of your ballast box showing how it attaches to the 1624?

Thanks!
 
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Steve: can you post a pic of your ballast box showing how it attaches to the 1624?

Thanks!

I'll get a pic over weekend.

It's basically a box constructed of 3/4" plywood - the top just touches the upper bolts that attach legs, the width just fits inside those bolts, length just fits between those bolts, depth sized to fit dimension of pig iron slabs I had. Lid of box is split at mid line so you can load pig after installing box and still get lid to fit.

Attachment is heavy strap (hardward store with holes in it) that is bent to form a hook. The hook hangs from the of slot in cast iron portion of leg frames and then is attached to end face of ply box. So no holes drilled in 1624.

It provides a shelf about 8" below the bed, and gets weight up high near bed and lots of room to sweep under.

I have approx 450# in that box - and it really settles down the 1624 (original weight of 260# plus 80# for stand).

I'm tall so I needed to put lathe on risers. So I took heavy steel U as a 'foot' under the end of legs. Then have casters. And then use crowbar to lift up onto 4x4 blocks to get up off casters. And that all works fine with the added weight. Just don't let go of the crowbar at the wrong moment.
 
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Tony & Steve: Thanks! At 6'5" I need to build riser blocks too - perfect solutions!
 
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Nova 1624

I too am interested in the Nova1624. One thing I have not been able to get from Woodcraft or the web site is the amperage at 115 volts for the 1 1/2 hp motor. Anybody know ? How about the adequacy of this motor?

Wayne
 
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Check out auctions. Google auctions near you. I am in Michigan and it is amazing what deals you can get at auctions. Mill shops are going out right and left and machines many times go for salvage. I have seen PM and Delta's in good shape go for $200. You can also pick up accessories very cheap. It does take a bit of patience but well worth the wait. Besides it is fun going to an auction. Be sure to check the phase of the motor. Usually it is not much of a problem to change motors on a lathe.
 
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I too am interested in the Nova1624. One thing I have not been able to get from Woodcraft or the web site is the amperage at 115 volts for the 1 1/2 hp motor. Anybody know ? How about the adequacy of this motor?

Wayne

Motor faceplate on my Nova 1624 states 13.5amp.

I have roughed out 50# blanks of red elm with no problem at all. Plenty of power.

My gut feeling - because the 1624 uses direct belt drive - and the motor is always turning at full rpm - you are getting full motor power delivered to the headstock at whatever speed you are turning at - especially noticeable when you are turning at slow speeds.

On the other hand a VFD driven motor has to turn at less than its' rated rpm to provide those slow speeds. And that means the VFD driven motor (running at 25hz or so) cannot deliver the same power that it can when it is turning at its' full rated rpm. So the amount of power delivered to the headstock is less when turning at slow speeds with a VFD.

That's just my gut feeling. But when you have a 13.5 amp motor, turning at 1725 rpm, and which is revolving 8 times for every revolution of the headstock that it is driving, then you have a lot of oomph behind the bowl blank that you are turning.

(If that 50# bowl blank is unbalanced then see my prior post on ballast box.)
 
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Wayne,
I bought the NOVA 1624-44 two years ago when on sale at Woodcraft and I am very, very pleased with it. I have said this before and will continue to say so; I think that this lathe is the best price/performance lathe on the market.
 
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Wheelman -Steve Harder

I just purchased a Nova 1624 with 20"extension and outboard tool rest for just under $1500 tax included. Will use my Nova midichuck until a Supermova2 or Vicmarc becomes affordable. This is right at Wheelmans budget.

Wayne Spence
 
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Steve: can you post a pic of your ballast box showing how it attaches to the 1624?

Thanks!

Here's the ballast box and details on my casters - which are floating just off the floor. The ballast box has 450# of cast iron in/on it. That weight really pays off with large out-of-round blanks, you still start at slowest speed but it gives you confidence as you start the rough out.
 

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Delta 46-460??

Wayne,
I bought the NOVA 1624-44 two years ago when on sale at Woodcraft and I am very, very pleased with it. I have said this before and will continue to say so; I think that this lathe is the best price/performance lathe on the market.

Hello, just ran across this thread and need some advice. I used to have a Jet 1014 for pen turning but had to sell it. Now I have enough money saved back up to purchase the new Delta 46-460. I asked around on Sawmill creek if I should look into saving more and get the Nova 1624 and I got a 50/50 reponse. Half say the new Delta the others say the Nova. I want to learn to do Boxes, Ornaments and Stoppers. Not really worried about bowls for now. Just need something to learn on and make stuff for family and friends like I did with the pens. Almost everyone says that since they moved to a VS lathe they would never go back so that is probably the one thing that keeps me from really taking a hard look at the Nova. What do you think?? Thanks.
 
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My gut feeling - because the 1624 uses direct belt drive - and the motor is always turning at full rpm - you are getting full motor power delivered to the headstock at whatever speed you are turning at - especially noticeable when you are turning at slow speeds.

On the other hand a VFD driven motor has to turn at less than its' rated rpm to provide those slow speeds. And that means the VFD driven motor (running at 25hz or so) cannot deliver the same power that it can when it is turning at its' full rated rpm. So the amount of power delivered to the headstock is less when turning at slow speeds

Steve's comment in October seems intuitively correct, but is not quite right with respect to VFD lathes, and we see this frequently in the forums. It is torque that rotates the spindle against a cutting load, NOT power. Power is the product of torque and rpm. If the torque is held constant and the rpm is reduced, then of course the power is reduced, but not the ability of that constant torque to rotate the spindle against a cutting load. Beyond that, the VFD unit provides the manufacturers with considerable latitude in "tuning" the torque curve of the motor to fit the application. For wood lathe use this can, and does provide very high torque at low motor speeds, even though the power produced by the motor is much less than rated hp.
 
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Jack, Same thing as on SMC. Get the Delta.

Tex, your not going to let me get anything other than the delta are you:D! I'll think on it for a couple more days and see. I need to call Rockler and see if they have any Deltas in stock. They had a sale on them last month and may not have any on hand. Why am I always broke during these $%*@ sales!!! :p. Story of my life.
 
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Jack,
Noticed that Refueler on yet another forum decided on the Delta. Seriously, hope you will both (?) be happy with your choice. I rarely endorse or promote a product or idea (because I might be wrong), but the first year or more after getting a VFD/EVS lathe my confidence and learning curve improved tremendously.
 

john lucas

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Jack It's kind of an apple and oranges kind of thing. The Nova is a larger lathe and is $300 to $400 more expensive. The Delta takes up a smaller footprint and handles smaller work but for a lot less money. I have a 20" lathe but the vast majority of work I turn could be done on a 12" mini.
There are a lot of misconceptions about the VFD. I'm not an electronics engineer but have worked with them for quite a few years now. It has been stated that they do reduce the horsepower a little. I can't argue that. However in practical use they have plenty of power especially at the low end. That is because they reduce the frequency that the power hits the motor, they don't reduce the voltage or current. At least not so I can tell from turning with one. They do reduce the RPM but that's because they go from 50 cycles per second to much less, I think mine goes down to something like 6, which gets the rpm down to about 50.
DC motors on the other hand lower the power when you turn the speed down. Consequently at slow speeds they are way underpowered.
I've turned on both lathes and they are both excellent buys for the money you put in them. I think you would be happy with either. However once you've turned on a lathe with VFD it's hard to go back. You just turn a dial and you change speeds. No belt changes or cranking a big mechanical dial.
 
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New Kid on the block has to be considered

Hi all,
the question was best $1500.00 lathe. While no one can argue the merits of the Nova 1644 or the Jet 1642.00 both which are more than 1500.00 here in 2010, the new kid on the block is the grizzly 18x47 model G0698.

It has all the features, like 2hp. variable speed , 3 phase, reversing, smooth and quiet operation, heavy weight, and quality pulleys, switches, wiring and machining; one would have to say that this lathe should certainly be in the running.

My experience so far has been very positive, and the track record of the lathe with other vendors such as Laguna, Hare & Forbes, and Busy Bee shows this machine is not a flash in the pan.

I believe that the quality is comparable to the Jet 1642 evs, only it has larger capacity both in swing and between centers. The PM 3520b has very similar features, and this lathe stacks up very well for the price.
 
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Hi all,
the question was best $1500.00 lathe. While no one can argue the merits of the Nova 1644 or the Jet 1642.00 both which are more than 1500.00 here in 2010

The price of the Nova 1624-44 is $1200 regular price, but it does go on sale from time-to-time for much less. The DVR XP is the one over $1500, at $2200. I've had one for 4 years now, and think that it is a great, under appreciated lathe.

Matt
 

Bill Boehme

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Steve's comment in October seems intuitively correct, but is not quite right with respect to VFD lathes, and we see this frequently in the forums. It is torque that rotates the spindle against a cutting load, NOT power. Power is the product of torque and rpm. If the torque is held constant and the rpm is reduced, then of course the power is reduced, but not the ability of that constant torque to rotate the spindle against a cutting load. Beyond that, the VFD unit provides the manufacturers with considerable latitude in "tuning" the torque curve of the motor to fit the application. For wood lathe use this can, and does provide very high torque at low motor speeds, even though the power produced by the motor is much less than rated hp.

I think that we sometimes place too much emphasis on which is more important since they are directly related, but with a variable speed drive it can be confusing, if not misleading because of the way that things are advertised. Just to get technical for a bit, in order to do work (cutting wood in this case), power is required. Torque does not necessarily mean that any work is being done since the motor is generating torque even when it is stalled. Three phase motors designed for inverter duty are generally capable of producing full running torque at base speed and slower -- all the way down to zero speed in the case of a true vector feedback system. Consider, however, that a one horsepower motor can only produce three pound-feet of torque at base speed and it becomes easier to see why torque alone isn't going anywhere. Power, the product of torque and speed, tells us how much work can be done. With a variable frequency drive, this also means that below base speed (base speed is the 60 Hz speed), available mechanical power output is reduced proportionally with reduced speed. Lathes with variable frequency drives are going to wimp out at some point as the speed is lowered. Lathe manufacturers deal with this problem by using stepped pulleys having at least two speed ranges. The purpose of doing this is to keep the motor speed up high enough that adequate power to the load can be produced (remember that available torque is constant). Stepped pulleys are also important to minimize overspeeding the motor. This is straying off the topic a bit, but running the motor at very at high speeds is undesirable for a variety of reasons including reduced torque and power.

Torque is important when considering loads (such as loads on gear teeth in a drive train), but it is power that actually does the work. Torque can exist in a static situation where nothing is moving and no work is being done.

I think that while VFD drives are great, when someone is shopping for a lathe, it is important to recognize that everything has a down side that balances the good news. With stepped pulley drives, the advantages are lower cost and more power while the disadvantage is limited speed control. With variable speed drive, the disadvantages are cost and reduced power at slow speeds. The better lathes compensate for this with multiple speed ranges (we're back to stepped pulleys again) and larger motors (more money). So, it is important also when comparing lathes to recognize that higher horsepower motors on VFD lathes does not automatically translate to more powerful -- more likely it means getting back on an even keel with fixed speed lathes.
 
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Bill Boehme

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I forgot to mention that when using a belt drive system for speed control, since the available motor power is always the rated power, this means that the torque at the spindle is multiplied by the inverse of the drive ratio (as viewed from the motor end of the drive train). The bottom line is that the slower the spindle runs, the greater the spindle torque. Convenience is the only "advantage" that an electronic variable speed drive can offer. When there is money and power to spare, that may be sufficient reason to choose a variable speed drive lathe. I know that I would.
 
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Great information Bill

I forgot to mention that when using a belt drive system for speed control, since the available motor power is always the rated power, this means that the torque at the spindle is multiplied by the inverse of the drive ratio (as viewed from the motor end of the drive train). The bottom line is that the slower the spindle runs, the greater the spindle torque. Convenience is the only "advantage" that an electronic variable speed drive can offer. When there is money and power to spare, that may be sufficient reason to choose a variable speed drive lathe. I know that I would.


Hi Bill,

Your last 2 posts on this thread have been particularly informing. It is great to have someone who can explain the dynamics of electrical function. It also explains many of the phenomina that we who do woodworking experience with our machines.

Thanks!
 
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