# New nova 1624-44 lathe from woodcraft



## wormil

Thanks, don't see many reviews of Nova lathes.


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## michelletwo

I've had a nova for 30 yrs..very nice, but lightweight..if you are planning large bowls on the outrigger, be forewarned..by not being inline with the rails, you have a huge balance issue. Go slowly and find it's limits.


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## los

Norm192,

I had my 16-24 for two years and loved it. Turned everything from spindles to a very heavy 24 inch magnolia bowl with the outrigger(can you say low speeds!).

I ended up adding 60-70 lbs of weight to each end with some old gym weights and rope. Made a huge difference.

For that price its a great deal.

(I recently took the jump and picked up the Nova 2024 and Im in heaven with the bigger capacity and variable speed.)

Enjoy


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## Xyloid_Curt

I have had the Nova 1644 for more than a year and I agree it is a solid bargain. I don't see a need to walk to the other side to change speeds, I never have and pulley changes are pretty easy to do. I added a shelf and bolted the legs to the floor to keep it from walking. I also use sand bags when necessary.


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## Sawdust2012

This is a great lathe. A buddy of mine has one he is considering selling to move up to the DVR. He has more money than sense. I am considering liberating the 1624. My concern is the lack of variable speed. My small Steel City has that feature, and it is convenient, but I have never lived without it. Any feedback on the need for variable speed?


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## wormil

I only spent a short time changing pulleys but hated it and converted my lathe (not a Nova) to variable speed pretty quickly. I wouldn't ever go back to fixed speeds unless I had no choice.


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## BobLove

I've had a 1624/44 for about a year now. I bought mine supposedly new sight unseen. I generally turn staved construction wooden mugs. Think Renaissance fair mugs. I really like the ability to index the head 22.5 degrees off axis from the rails. It make the hollowing so much more comfortable. One thing I've notice is that the head stock and tail (live center don't align well). Let me explain, I can get it pretty close when I put it back inline with the rails. I do have to leave the index locking pin retracted and lock the head stock down first. I know theres the double ended #2MT alignment tool and I haven't tried the procedure in the manual yet.

Does anyone else have this problem.

Beyond the head stock / tail stock centers not being very accurate / fussy to align, I really like the lathe. No power issues for me. Belt speed changes take less than 30 seconds.


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