Carl McCarty wrote:
Thank you for the reply. I believe I will probaly be spending the extra
money on the DVR.

william kossack wrote:

Buying a lathe is like buying a car. It really depends on what you
think your going to do, what your friends have and how much you want
to spend. I know people that have jet minis and are very happy with
them and I know people with some of the big iron lathes and a few that
have DVR. Many turners have more than one lathe. Like a car owner
they have a pickuptruck lathe to rough out and you don't mind abusing
with chunks that are maybe a bit large, another lathe for general use
that you use more and maybe a sportscar lathe that you got because of
your midlife crises required something flashy to impress turners of a
different gender

I've had a DVR for about 4 months and love it. The only problems I've
had with my DVR is getting 5 minutes of time from my teenage son so he
could help me put it on the stand and the problem with a burr
developing in the taper that required the use of a reamer. I've
turned both tiny mini bowls and large bowls with a recent maple chunk
that was 17 inches across and with a weight of mybe 50 pounds that I
roughed out a couple months ago (filling 2 40 gallon trash bags with
shavings in the process).

I looked at the bigger and heavier lathes but I had the requirment
that the lathe be semi-portable and I wanted a low RPM for unballanced
chunks. I started out with a grizzly that would bog down at the
slightest touch and start dancing if things were just slightly off
ballence. I love how the DVR puts more power into the motor to
maintain the RPM that you select. One of these days I'm going to
convert my lathe to 220 but I'm not seeing the need at this point.

My DVR sits on a wooden stand made out of 2x4s and 2x6s with wheels at
one end so I can move it out onto the driveway and keep the shavings
out of the garage. This creates a minor problem in that during the
sunny heat of the day the LCD display goes black and hard to read.
However, I generally don't pay too much attention to the RPM. I turn
at the speed I'm comfortable with for the piece I'm turning (if it
seems too fast I slow it down a bit..if it is taking too long I speed
it up..sometimes I turn something slower just because I'm trying to
relax and enjoy the process) Learning on the grizzly I got used to
going slow so I have to keep reminding myself that I have more power
and I can go faster without bogging the lathe down.

Carl McCarty wrote:

I am getting ready to move up to a new lathe. I currently have an old
Delta Homecraft Double Duty lathe.
It works fine but I would like something with more capacity.
I have been looking at the tecknatool site and thinking one of their
lathes would suit my needs well.
I am seeking some advice from more experienced turners than myself if
the DVR motor and different tailstock is realy worth
all that extra money. With the extra $8-900 I could get all the
accessories for the lathe and still have money left over?
I was at Woodcraft the other day, and the salesman was pushing the
DVR pretty hard and acted like the 3000 was a thing of the past. But,
they also had the DVR on the floor and certanly make more money of an
$1800 sale than they do $900.
So, if anyone would share their knowledge and point me in one
direction or another, I would appreciate it. Also, if you know of
another lathe in this price range and have a strong arguement for it,
I would like to hear it.
Thanks,
Carl McCarty





If you can afford the DVR, buy it.

I've had my DVR for several months as well, I'm still glad I chose it
every time I turn it on. So far it has turned anything I've asked it to
without complaint, from pens to 18" diameter Madrone bowl blanks. I've
switched it over to 220 and I've made a few basic modifications to it,
including an extremely heavy duty stand and a modified outrigger
toolrest that has a post that extends to the floor (if any other DVR
owners want one, drop me a note - lil_mike at earthlink dot net).

To sum up the DVR, it is far far more lathe than I currently warrant as
a turner, that's for sure. Teknatool's support has been top-notch as
well, they helped me through the little difficulties I had when I got
the lathe.

The 2 HP motor with variable speed on the DVR is very nice, as is
reverse. Adding these items would bring the cost of a 3000 to very near
that of the DVR, and though the speed control would start at 0 rpm,
you'd still be dealing with a belt and pulleys.

Mike