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Who owns a NOVA 1624-44?

Who owns a NOVA 1624?

NO it wouldn't work,as for one it would tear the belt up in no time,but what could be done is you could get different size pullys,but you would have to do some serious recearch on getting one that would give you the speeds you want.I am with Others though,that why do you need this certain speed?Usually what a lot of folks go for is a way to slow there lathes down to very slow speeds.
 
More Flexibility...

Thanks for the info! I didn't think this would work, but it was an interesting thought.

I mainly was interested in this speed range because I have found times that 300 was painfully slow, yet 900 was too fast. Of course, that's on my big lathe, but I am guessing that I will stick to smaller (6"-10" diameter) bowls on the NOVA. Yes, I did say that I would use it primarily for spindle turning, but you know how turning goes. The more options the better. Anywho, I am bringing it home in about 3 weeks or so. Spindle turning here I come! :D

Hutch
 
Who owns a NOVA 1624-44

I turn a lot of big blanks.I have cored 16" blanks and I core them at around 900,but I make sure they are rounded and allways bring the tail stock up to them for support,without any trouble.
 
Interesting...

That's good to know. THanks for the info. I have been wanting to get a coring system, cuz I have made some big bowls that could have been made into 3 or 4 bowls. Ken, what kind of base/stand do you have your NOVA on?

Hutch
 
I made my own out of 2x6's and have about 600 lbs of concrete bags under it.The concrete was cheaper than sand,thats why I used it,case your wondering.I built it for my little Ricon before I got the Nova.Talk about over kill:D I will try an post a pic ( if I can) :huh: I should have said that I ran it at about 300 rpm's if I couldn't get it on my BS and it wasn't perfectly round.Fixed that problen this yr as I just picked up an old Walker Turner that will round out anything I need to turn now :thumb::thumb:
 
Matt,

I am afraid there may be some error in specs. on the Woodcraft site about Nova 1624.
8 speeds (215, 360, 904, 1030, 1450, 2180, 2900, 3630 RPM),

According to page 8, 18 & 19 of the manual:
http://www.teknatool.com/products/Lathes/1624/Downloads/NOVA1624_manual_Jun_08.pdf
Speeds (rpm): 8-step motor pulley
214, 360, 690, 1030, 1450, 2180, 2900, 3630

My gut feeling tells me that people at Nova should be smarter than the Woodcraft specs. There is no way they would put the 2nd and 3rd so far apart; and the 3rd and 4th speed so close together. If they did, that is a good reason to look for something else.
 
Spindle height?

Hey all, I'm thinking of getting a 1624 also. Thanks for the responses. What is the spindle height on the included stand? I'm around 6'3" and would be looking at a height of around 48" (the bent elbow method of measuring height). I really like the open design of the stand and wouldn't want to build some type of box that would limit foot placement and movement, did this with my JET 1014 for mobility. I've looked at the self-leveling castors (Zambus,etc) because the ability to move it would be an added advantage. Would the stem type castors be a better choice than the plate style? Not sure that the castors would get me to my desired height by themselves.

Any help would be appreciated.
Glenn
 
Glenn Barber said:
...I've looked at the self-leveling castors (Zambus,etc) because the ability to move it would be an added advantage. Would the stem type castors be a better choice than the plate style? Not sure that the castors would get me to my desired height by themselves.

Any help would be appreciated.
Glenn
Click to expand...

Welcome to the clubhouse, Glenn. :wave: I've got the Zambus casters on my PM 3520B and I love 'em. I used the stem type, since the legs on my lather were already set up with holes through the feet, but I'd go with whichever style most easily adapts to your lathe's legs. Either style adds about 4" of height. (102 millimeters)
 
My 1624 has the feet adjusted all the way out and is sitting on 4x4's to get it up as high as I want it. Just went out and measured my spindle and it is dead on 46 1/2". Maybe that will help you.
 
Welcome to the Family Glenn! :wave:

You could always put some sort of riser block between the Nova stand and the Nova lathe, you would just have to get longer bolts. Make sure the bolts you get are strong hard bolts, not some cheesy soft ones from the borg. I guess a hard wood spacer would work, but some blocks of steel, or aluminum would work better, I would think :dunno:

I too have the Zambus casters on my lathe stand, and they work very well.

Cheers!
 
The Zambus casters I keep seeing you all talking about , I looked them up and they mention self leveling but don't mention how they work or lock:huh:. How expensive are they because I couldn't find a price on them.
 
Alan, I can't find any current prices on the web. The site I bought mine from appears to be gone. (It was a retail branch of www.zambus.com.) If I recall correctly, they cost me about $40 to $45 each...about the same as a heavy mobile base.

If you go to this page, you'll see a little window with an animated illustration of how the foot pad is lowered to the ground, lifting the wheel off the floor.

http://www.zambus.com/product/330lbs.php

I had a several people tell me I'd be crazy to install wheels on my lathe, but when it's on the foot pads, it's harder to slide across the floor than when it was on the factory leveling feet.

Here's a thread about the wheels on my lathe:

http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7099
 
Thanks for the info Vaughn:thumb:. Having to raise and lower each individualy on the lathe wouldn't be that much of a problem since I don't move it around like my other machines and my back would appreciate the extra height. I thought I read in one of these post that they were self leveling, sort of like you see oa some appliances.
 
Matt,

Did you get your lathe yet? I am considering the same lathe for my next major tool purchase (maybe in the next year) and this is the one that I like. The feedback from this post on this lathe is good. Glad I did a seach rather than post the question again.
 
shame on yu yooper

hey dont abandon ship rich,, our crew is already under manned,, if you slide over the other side.. we the flatlanders wont have a flank left to proteck with:)
 
Mixed bag....

Well, I did get it, and I have only run it about 12 to 15 hours.

On initial setup I was actually disappointed. Even though it performs VERY well, it was clear that there was significant runout in a step pulley/motor shaft. (That is, I could see a ghost image, not just a matter of a couple thousandths) It doesn't effect the performance, but I am concerned it will cause unneccessary wear on the motor bearings and/or arbor bearings. I just feel a little let down by Teknatool, as there doesn't seem to be any logical reason why there would be that kind of wobble. The mechanics and machining of the whole thing are so straightforward, I don't get why it is even an issue. I have talked with tech support, and I still have a few things to try to see if I can reduce the runout. Worst case scenario, get a new drive system before the 1 year warranty expires. On the other hand, I haven't much confidence in their quality control after installing the handwheel. It's got about 1/16th of an inch wobble, and it just screws on!! How the heck do you mess that up?

On the upside, it spins like a champ. Really, it's a great performer otherwise. Lots of power, and a perfect selection of speeds. I would still recommend it, especially if you catch it on their special sales. Just know that it's possible for there to be the aforementioned issues.

Hutch
 
larry merlau said:
hey dont abandon ship rich,, our crew is already under manned,, if you slide over the other side.. we the flatlanders wont have a flank left to proteck with:)
Click to expand...

Larry, dont worry, I didnt jump yet. If I bought another tool, I would probably be the first thing though it, according to my wife:eek::rofl:.

My shop expansion is first on the list, then there has to be the calming time for my wife - that time where I make things for her and soften her up:D:thumb:.

The big issue with a lathe is that it can be a huge distraction to the other woodworking projects and tools:dunno:.
 
Matt Hutchinson said:
Well, I did get it, and I have only run it about 12 to 15 hours.

On initial setup I was actually disappointed. Even though it performs VERY well, it was clear that there was significant runout in a step pulley/motor shaft. (That is, I could see a ghost image, not just a matter of a couple thousandths) It doesn't effect the performance, but I am concerned it will cause unneccessary wear on the motor bearings and/or arbor bearings. I just feel a little let down by Teknatool, as there doesn't seem to be any logical reason why there would be that kind of wobble. The mechanics and machining of the whole thing are so straightforward, I don't get why it is even an issue. I have talked with tech support, and I still have a few things to try to see if I can reduce the runout. Worst case scenario, get a new drive system before the 1 year warranty expires. On the other hand, I haven't much confidence in their quality control after installing the handwheel. It's got about 1/16th of an inch wobble, and it just screws on!! How the heck do you mess that up?

On the upside, it spins like a champ. Really, it's a great performer otherwise. Lots of power, and a perfect selection of speeds. I would still recommend it, especially if you catch it on their special sales. Just know that it's possible for there to be the aforementioned issues.

Hutch
Click to expand...

The sheaves are manufactured by someone else and probably ordered already bored, so the machining may not be the fault of Teknatool, but they should have caught the runnout before the shipped it to you.

Sounds like the lathe performs decent. I think this is the way I will go.

PS: Don't tell Larry.
 
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