# Highly recommended



## croessler

Tim… I too am looking at replacing / augmenting my mini/midi lathe. Afriend keeps recommending this lathe every time I see him.

My concerns were similar to yours. Such as:
1. Aligning the head after swinging outboard
2. Stability

After your review the main concern is that I can only turn a 24" spindle without adding a bed extension. Have you researched the cost of these extensions etc?

Thanks for the review. I would be interested in hearing an update after you have had a chance to turn large stock etc… You never know you might convince me that I don't want the big powermatic I've been lusting over. 

Regards,


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## pmf2000

Chris,

Everything is a function of money  If you can afford one of the big boys then I say go for it. Honestly I would have looked at a Powermatic or a big General if I had the money. I generally get nice stuff but not quite the best.

What I do say is that for the money this lathe is a really good value. There seem to be lots of deals to be had for one as well (free chuck, free heavy duty stand, ect.).

I am copying a couple of excerpts from the Fine Woodworking lathe article:

"The Powermatic and the rikon moved no more than 0.005 in. until I raised the speed past 500 rpm. That's impressive. It means the lathes won't move when you begin turning a large bowl and take a series of interrupted cuts to make the blank round. As delivered, none of the other lathes could match that. weighting
the less-stable lathes with 200 to 250 lb. of sand helped. The Nova 1624-44, for example, became nearly as stable as the Powermatic."

"The Nova DVr, the Powermatic, and the rikon had no significant speed loss even with the maximum 40 lb. of
weight on the brake lever."

"Stability improves to very good when weighted with sand. 20-in. bed extension, $200; stand, $245; outboard tool-rest holder, $270. Street price includes bed extension."

Hope that helps.


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## toyguy

Real nice review.. I have also been bitten by the turning bug and I have been looking at lathes. The Nova is one that has been on my watch list….. your review is timely… Thanks
I was once looking at the King you have, and although it looks good I had my suspicions, you have pretty much answered my questions there too. I was also looking at a Craftex, but have not heard to much good about them…. anyway, thanks for the review, I'll check the Nova out.


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## jockmike2

Thanks for the great review. I own a Delta, an older model so I'm always looking, just in case. You make a good case for your lathe. Sounds like you picked a winner.


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## dmann

Thanks for the review. I am leaning towards one of these too. I would love a DVR XP but can't justify the 2X price. I'll be upgrading from a Jet 1220 and the additional power and ability to go to ~200 RPM on the 1624 will be a welcome change.

I have a lot of Teknatool accessories such as a SuperNova chuck, multiple jaws, and I just picked up a Nova Live Center system which I will review after I use it for a few weeks. I have been very happy with their products so far, good quality construction and decent amount of features for the cost.

Chris-for aligning after swinging the head I have seen an alignment tool that has a MT2 taper on both ends that is used just for this purpose. Loosen the headstock, slip in the tool and bring the tailstock up so everything is in line, then tighen down the headstock. Here is an example: http://tinyurl.com/9wq34


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