I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

Q47m wrote:
I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe
I have had mine 2 or 3 years. I has been a world of difference from
the reeves drive machine I had. Quiet, vibration free, true variable
speed. Never any problem. I did wire in a remote stop button.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Tis better to light a flame thrower
than to curse the darkness.

The vibration can come from a lot of different things. Personally, I
wouldn't have a reeves drive. They always seem to go out or whack. I
have a little experience on a DC motor which is variable speed, and a
lot of esperience on the 3 phase variable speed lathes (8 years on a
PM 3520A and a year on a Robust). I will get to turn on a Nova DVR
next month at our local club meeting. By all accounts I have read, it
is a fine lathe. There is only one thing I don't like about it from
seeing it, and that is the bed sits almost flat on the lathe stand.
There is no room to scoop out shavings that fall inbetween the ways. I
do prefer a sliding headstock to a pivoting one though. Just more
sturdy. I don't think that the belt is usually a contributer to the
vibrations. Usually, sticking out too far, turning too fast with an
unblanced piece of wood, a flimsy, light weight lathe stand, and worn
bearings are the main culprits.
robo hippy

Gerald Ross wrote:
Q47m wrote:
I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe
I have had mine 2 or 3 years. I has been a world of difference from
the reeves drive machine I had. Quiet, vibration free, true variable
speed. Never any problem. I did wire in a remote stop button.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Tis better to light a flame thrower
than to curse the darkness.

On Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:25:01 -0400, Q47m wrote:

I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

I've the DVR XP for a while.. Probably done 200 pieces on it, several of them
pushing the edge towards abuse..
The motor is amazing... Smooth, very quiet and has great torque at all speeds..
The computer that monitors the spindle is incredible... Keeps rpm constant under
load, 3 adjustments for how much of a catch you need to stop the spindle, etc..
I've pushed the limits several times and got what would have been a bad catch on
other lathes.. and all it did was stop the lathe..
Another nice feature of the spindle monitoring is that when it detects a catch
and turns off the power, the spindle then free wheels, so it stops quickly..

Compared to my Jet 1442 with Reeves drive, it's about 10 times smoother and
quieter..
It's very energy efficient and has enough power for me to not convert it to 220v
for the extra 1/4 hp it claims..
Also, your warranty is void if you don't use a surge suppressor and 220v
suppressors are out of my price range..

As Reed said, Reeves drives are problematic.. I was always adjusting, fixing or
just putting up with small problems on the Jet..

Vibration?
The Nova vibrated at certain speeds, but not nearly as much as either of my jet
lathes, which I was very happy with until I got the Nova..
The up & down arrows that adjust the speed by 5 rpm let you find the best speed
for whatever you're doing, allowing you to eliminate a lot of vibration..

My mistake in buying the xp was in getting the "Universal stand"
IMHO, it's a piece of crap and not worthy of such a nice lathe..
I should have bought the cast iron legs, but that would have taken another 4 or
6 weeks to ship and I WANTED the damn lathe ASAP..

I didn't opt for the bed extension, so maybe that contributes to the stand
vibrating, but it's very annoying.. It buzzes and clanks and since I hang a lot
of stuff on magnets, such as the chuck key, it clangs like hell if I don't ease
them onto the magnet..
IMO, there's no substitute for cast iron for absorbing vibration..

Would I spend $2,000 for this lathe again?
In a heartbeat.. YMWV


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:
On Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:25:01 -0400, Q47m wrote:

I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

I've had an original DVR and I really like it but there are a few things
to note -

- the computer control is ok but it it's annoying to have to sit there
holding the speed up/down buttons to go from one end of the range to the
other (eg when going from drilling or sanding at low speed to turning at
much higher speeds). I understand that the DVR XP allows you to program
5 preset speeds though, so this won't be as much of a problem.
I'd prefer it if the control panel had a large, raised stop button in
case of emergencies.

- if something goes wrong with the headstock it's possibly going to be
something you can't fix yourself. I've had to send my headstock away for
repair once before and I'm again getting an error state message on the
console (which you should be able to fix by getting rid of dust around
the spindle speed sensor, but I tried that yesterday and it didn't fix it).

One good feature of the lathe is that if you open up the control panel
you can fit a home-made break out box which gives you access to all the
controls when eg. the headstock is rotated or when you're hollowing a
large vessel and you don't want to have to reach round for the controls.
I've heard that Teknatool are working on their own (wireless?) remote
but have heard nothing from them about this in the last year.

As for vibration - I've never really used any other lathe so I can't say
if it's more or less than normal. There are a couple of locations in the
speed range where there's some vibration even with the lathe running
without a load, but 5 or 10 rpm either side it's fine.

We have an original DVR for our club lathe at it always performs well.

If you're not aware - there's a yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/teknatool/ and a my family group (I think
you need an invite for this, but just ask if you want one).

Hope that helps

Duncan

--
----------------------------
www.duncanhoyle.com
----------------------------

On Mar 20, 1:36*am, mac davis wrote:
Also, your warranty is void if you don't use asurgesuppressor and 220v
suppressors are out of my price range..

Even the Cutler-Hammer protector (mounts on a breaker box) costs
less than $50 in Lowes.

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:42:37 -0700 (PDT), westom wrote:

On Mar 20, 1:36*am, mac davis wrote:
Also, your warranty is void if you don't use asurgesuppressor and 220v
suppressors are out of my price range..

Even the Cutler-Hammer protector (mounts on a breaker box) costs
less than $50 in Lowes.
translation please,
Is that a 220v surge protector?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mar 20, 2:41*pm, mac davis wrote:
*Even the Cutler-Hammer protector (mounts on a breaker box) costs
less than $50 in Lowes.
translation please,
Is that a 220v surge protector?

Yes. Of course. One surge protector for everything including the
dishwasher and your 240 VAC air conditioner. Those also need
protection. "220 volt" protection means one protector for everything
- 120 volt and 240 volts appliances.

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:37:41 -0700 (PDT), westom wrote:

On Mar 20, 2:41*pm, mac davis wrote:
*Even the Cutler-Hammer protector (mounts on a breaker box) costs
less than $50 in Lowes.
translation please,
Is that a 220v surge protector?

Yes. Of course. One surge protector for everything including the
dishwasher and your 240 VAC air conditioner. Those also need
protection. "220 volt" protection means one protector for everything
- 120 volt and 240 volts appliances.

Wow..very cool...
We have a lot of small power fluctuations here and have surge protectors on most
things..That sounds like a much better way to go!
Thanks..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I owned a DVR for about 5 years. Great lathe. The headstock is well
built and, without any load, it did not vibrate. But I did get some
vibration from the DVR lathe at certain speeds and certain
situations. This was more a problem with the stand that I used and
not the headstock (I used the sheet metal stand made by Nova). I also
had trouble with any piece of wood that was large and/or the least bit
out of round. That is because the machine was not heavy enough for
what I was trying to turn.

I now own a Oneway 2436. I has a belt drive and again, when spinning
without a load there is absolutely no vibraton. It is 900 pounds as
opposed to the DVR's 200 lb. Even though I don't get anywhere near
the vibration problems with the Oneway, with large and/or out of round
logs the fact is vibrations can still be a problem - even with a 900
lb gorilla.

With any lathe their seems to be some RPM's that you will get a
vibration depending on the load and situation. The point is that your
problem is likely more about what you are turning and not a problem
with the DVR.

Ted J.

Q47m wrote:

Thanks for all the helpful information. Now that Woodcraft has the the
lathe on sale for $1699, I think I'll take the plunge.

Thanks again,

L Bledsoe

I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

In article ,
Q47m wrote:

I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

A couple more points. The through head is nice for vacuum chucking, but
the factory vacuum adapter prevents the use of the factory knock-out
bar. The "motor stall" on a hard catch is nice, and you can adjust how
hard the stall has to be to stop the lathe (I have left mine at factory).

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:06:20 -0700, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

A couple more points. The through head is nice for vacuum chucking, but
the factory vacuum adapter prevents the use of the factory knock-out
bar.

Funny that you mention that, Ralph...
I didn't realize that since I don't use the Nova bar...
I didn't like the "no-knob" design and use the rod from my Jet 1442, so I never
realized that the one for the lathe didn't fit... must be a smaller diameter..

BTW: I use the vac adapter a lot, but with plastic hose to the vac pump, not a
shop vac as it was apparently designed for.. YMWV


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:
On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:06:20 -0700, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

A couple more points. The through head is nice for vacuum chucking, but
the factory vacuum adapter prevents the use of the factory knock-out
bar.

Funny that you mention that, Ralph...
I didn't realize that since I don't use the Nova bar...
I didn't like the "no-knob" design and use the rod from my Jet 1442, so I never
realized that the one for the lathe didn't fit... must be a smaller diameter..

BTW: I use the vac adapter a lot, but with plastic hose to the vac pump, not a
shop vac as it was apparently designed for.. YMWV

I epoxied an air hose quick-connect into the bearing on mine, and the
knockout bar won't go through that for certain. :)
--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

One who has both feet on the ground is
not moving forward.

On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:11:00 -0400, Gerald Ross wrote:

BTW: I use the vac adapter a lot, but with plastic hose to the vac pump, not a
shop vac as it was apparently designed for.. YMWV

I epoxied an air hose quick-connect into the bearing on mine, and the
knockout bar won't go through that for certain. :)

Good point.. I've never used a knockout bar when the vac adapter is on, not only
because of the hose, but what would I knock out??
I guess some folks leave the adapter on all the time?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
In article ,
Q47m wrote:

I have owned a couple belt drive lathes, one reeves drive and one
variable drive. As they get more use vibration has been a problem.
I have replaced the belts.

So my question, is the Nova DVD really vibration free and is the
motor/computer reliable?

Thanks to all that respond.

L Bledsoe

A couple more points. The through head is nice for vacuum chucking, but
the factory vacuum adapter prevents the use of the factory knock-out
bar. The "motor stall" on a hard catch is nice, and you can adjust how
hard the stall has to be to stop the lathe (I have left mine at factory).


The vacuum adapter can be quickly removed by loosening one setscrew. I
keep the allen wrench for it stuck to a magnet on the motor housing

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

One who has both feet on the ground is
not moving forward.

On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:08:27 -0400, Gerald Ross wrote:


The vacuum adapter can be quickly removed by loosening one setscrew. I
keep the allen wrench for it stuck to a magnet on the motor housing

I'm a bit worried about magnets near the computer, so all my stuff like that is
on magnets on the stand or bed rails..
My adapter hangs on my DC hose and the wrench & set screw are on a magnet..

Have you heard anything about Nova developing a remote switch like you made?
The more "sit down hollowing" I do, the more I'd like to not have to reach over
a spinning chunk of wood to turn the lathe off...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:

Have you heard anything about Nova developing a remote switch like you made?
The more "sit down hollowing" I do, the more I'd like to not have to reach over
a spinning chunk of wood to turn the lathe off...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Despite having made one for myself (and it working well), I've contacted
Teknatool several times in the past about the possibility of them
producing their own.
When I last asked them about it (early 2007) there was one mentioned on
the website, but I've had a quick look and couldn't find it. At the time
they told me that it was a work in progress and almost ready.
When I didn't hear anything further I gave up asking. I vaguely remember
reading somewhere that it was going to be wireless - which would be
nice, but probably expensive.
If you have some basic soldering skills the DIY version is relatively
easy to make but it involves opening up the control box and
unplugging/plugging cables. When I was building mine I got connections
the wrong way round and it didn't do any damage (maybe I was lucky).

I've mailed them a couple of times about a possible upgrade from my
DVR3000 to the DVRXP control software/board (to give me access to the
new functions). I haven't had any response yet.

Duncan

--
----------------------------
www.duncanhoyle.com
----------------------------

Duncan Hoyle wrote:
mac davis wrote:

Have you heard anything about Nova developing a remote switch like you made?
The more "sit down hollowing" I do, the more I'd like to not have to reach over
a spinning chunk of wood to turn the lathe off...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Despite having made one for myself (and it working well), I've contacted
Teknatool several times in the past about the possibility of them
producing their own.
When I last asked them about it (early 2007) there was one mentioned on
the website, but I've had a quick look and couldn't find it. At the time
they told me that it was a work in progress and almost ready.
When I didn't hear anything further I gave up asking. I vaguely remember
reading somewhere that it was going to be wireless - which would be
nice, but probably expensive.
If you have some basic soldering skills the DIY version is relatively
easy to make but it involves opening up the control box and
unplugging/plugging cables. When I was building mine I got connections
the wrong way round and it didn't do any damage (maybe I was lucky).

I've mailed them a couple of times about a possible upgrade from my
DVR3000 to the DVRXP control software/board (to give me access to the
new functions). I haven't had any response yet.

Duncan

I never had any luck emailing them either. You might try Tim Geist if
you haven't already.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Going the speed of light is bad for
your age.

On Mar 22, 12:14*pm, mac davis wrote:

I'm a bit worried about magnets near the computer, so all my stuff like that is
on magnets on the stand or bed rails..

Should not be an issue, the local field (generated by the DVR motor)
is not effected by any of those small "
dot" magnets. Even the really powerful rare-earth type.
That might not be true of the large/hugely powerful 10,000 gauss
magnets

Have you heard anything about Nova developing a remote switch like you made?

Late last year I did a "search" of the Teknatool web-site and
noticed that all references to the "forth coming" remote. My guess is
the project got dropped