I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

Hi Doug,

I can't think of a single con for this lathe. I've had one for about two
months now and I've already turned about 20 or 25 pieces on it. What I can
say is: the company backs their product 100%. My "new" lathe died on me
(first time in Teknatool history) last Sunday. Tuesday, I had a brand new
lathe. No questions asked. Teknatool has a toll free number to technical
support in New Zealand, and Woodcraft (the main supplier in the States) also
has an 800 tech support line. Teknatool are extremely helpful and courteous.
Very, very professional company. (And no, I don't in any way represent
them--I just think they're a fantastic company!).

Having said that, let me get into the nuts and bolts of the lathe itself:

- It comes with a built in index, so if you're into ornamental turning,
carving, or such, it's a breeze to set stops at regular intervals.
- The entire headstock rotates 360 degrees. This is great if you want to do
off-the-bed turning of larger pieces, so center to bed distance is a moot
point. Also, I've found that it's easier on my back if I turn the headstock
away from center about 45 degrees; no more bening over the lathe when deep
hollowing.
- Computer controlled, variable speed motor from 250 rpm (I think) up to
3500 rpm in increments of 5 rpm.
- If you do buy one, I strongly recommend the bench that's designed for it.
I've actually got mine bolted into a concrete floor. I ordered the long
bench, both for the added weight and so that I could eventually add an
extension to the lathe bed (for turning long pieces such as pool cues).
- Has a great number of optional items such as vacuum chucking systems,
ornamental turning tools, out-rigger tool rest, etc.
-Comes with a HEAVY-DUTY 12" tool rest and an extremely heavy and rugged
tailstock. Includes morse taper and live center.
-I'm not sure if it's included in all lathe setups, but mine also came with
the vacuum ready flywheel/handle.

I can go on all day, but these are just some of the pros. If you're
seriously interested, I suggest you call Woodcraft (if you have one close to
where you're located) and see if they'll let you try one out. They let me
try mine (brand new out of the box) before I actually purchased it.
Alternatively, if you're in the Chesapeake, VA area, let me know and I'd be
happy to let you check out mine.

Also, don't know if you're aware that Teknatool has a web site... It's at
http://www.teknatool.com. They have a lot of information about the DVR,
including the manual which you can download.

Hope this has been of some help to you. I really do HIGHLY recommend the
DVR. I believe it's as good, if not better than lathes that cost ten times
as much.

If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

--
Ali T. Borahan
AliSails - Fine Wood Artistry & Custom Woodcrafts
Web URL: http://www.alisails.com



"Franklin Rasmussen" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

Hello Doug,

There has been a lot of discussion on this machine on this newsgroup over the
past year. Lyn wrote a series of articles on his DVR for More Woodturning. I've
owned one for almost a year now. I had a Nova 3000 for three or four years
before acquiring the DVR 3000. I always felt the Nova 3000 was the best lathe on
the market for under $1500. The Nova DVR 3000 is an even better lathe, but it
costs a bit more. I would say it is the best lathe under $1800 to $2000 now.

Because of the DVR technology, the lathe is low in power at very slow rpm. This
is because of the space between sensors and the time it takes to get from one
sensor to another. Therefore, the earlier machines and possibly those available
in the United States have a minimum speed at turn on of power of 1500 rpm and
only go down to 250 rpm. I did find this to be a problem. I seldom turned below
300 rpm and the lathe maintains the last speed you had set in until you turn off
the power.

It is an excellent machine and I highly recommend it.

You might want to do a Power Search of the archinves. Go to
http://www.deja.com and select Power Search. Then enter rec.crafts.woodturning
into the forum space and NOVA DVR 3000 into the subject space. You should turn
up a lot of good posts. Especially read Lyn's. He talks both good and bad points
about it but says that he wouldn't want to go back to his Nova 3000.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com/

In article ,
"Franklin says...

I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

Ali T. Borahan wrote:
Alternatively, if you're in the Chesapeake, VA area, let me know
and I'd beappy to let you check out mine.

Speaking of which, if anybody is willing to do the same in the New
York City area, please let me know. I've been toying with the idea of
getting one.

It would be my first lathe, and I don't really know much about what to
look for, so I need to rely on review and recommendations a lot. I'd
rather spend a little extra up front and make sure what I'm getting
will be the right thing.

Fred Holder wrote clip)Lyn wrote a series of articles on his DVR for More
Woodturning (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you do not have access to More Woodturning, check the arcives for this
group. Lyn always posts his articles here as well. His analysis of this
lathe is very thorough, and generally favorable, but not 100% positive. One
of his main criticisms has to do with the bottom speed of the lathe, and the
way it performs it heavily loaded at low speed. However, I think the lower
speed limit has been reduced since his articles were written. I don't know
whether Teknatool sent him the upgrade.

Maybe he will come out of hiding and help us out here. How about it, Lyn.
We miss you.

"Franklin Rasmussen" wrote in message ...
I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

There is an Owners group devoted to Nova Owners. You can take a look
at comments by others. Go to:

http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/

I love my DVR! Only cons are low RPM related. I don't seem to note
this much anymore. My tools are much sharper. My technique is much
improved. The 220 volt mod certainly did not hurt. A little experience
goes a long way toward knowing the limits. I hear there is new program
with a lower low. In some ways it's a comfort that it shuts down
before your trouble. The best thing I ever did was upgrade the
handles per Lyn's reviews.

In the last year Jet & Delta have new lathes in this price & size
class & Oneway in this size class. It's lot harder to choose this
year.



On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:12:03 GMT, "Franklin Rasmussen"
wrote:

I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

Fred, thanks for the help.

I was able to get Lyn's articles from the archives and they were most
helpful. I also visited your More Woodturning site and found some good
general info on turning. I have been turning on a minilath for sometime and
want to moveup to larger bowl turning. It looks like the DVR 3000 wood be
good choice for the money I have to spend.

Doug

"Fred Holder" wrote in message
...
Hello Doug,

There has been a lot of discussion on this machine on this newsgroup over
the
past year. Lyn wrote a series of articles on his DVR for More Woodturning.
I've
owned one for almost a year now. I had a Nova 3000 for three or four years
before acquiring the DVR 3000. I always felt the Nova 3000 was the best
lathe on
the market for under $1500. The Nova DVR 3000 is an even better lathe, but
it
costs a bit more. I would say it is the best lathe under $1800 to $2000
now.

Because of the DVR technology, the lathe is low in power at very slow rpm.
This
is because of the space between sensors and the time it takes to get from
one
sensor to another. Therefore, the earlier machines and possibly those
available
in the United States have a minimum speed at turn on of power of 1500 rpm
and
only go down to 250 rpm. I did find this to be a problem. I seldom turned
below
300 rpm and the lathe maintains the last speed you had set in until you
turn off
the power.

It is an excellent machine and I highly recommend it.

You might want to do a Power Search of the archinves. Go to
http://www.deja.com and select Power Search. Then enter
rec.crafts.woodturning
into the forum space and NOVA DVR 3000 into the subject space. You should
turn
up a lot of good posts. Especially read Lyn's. He talks both good and bad
points
about it but says that he wouldn't want to go back to his Nova 3000.

Fred Holder
http://www.fholder.com/

In article ,
"Franklin says...

I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

Sorry,I missed the part from Lyn's reviews regarding the handle
upgrade..Anyone care to restate this?Lyn is obviously not available
now..Hope all is well with him..Thanks,Rick
"Walt & Jenne Ahlgrim" wrote in message
...
I love my DVR! Only cons are low RPM related. I don't seem to note
this much anymore. My tools are much sharper. My technique is much
improved. The 220 volt mod certainly did not hurt. A little experience
goes a long way toward knowing the limits. I hear there is new program
with a lower low. In some ways it's a comfort that it shuts down
before your trouble. The best thing I ever did was upgrade the
handles per Lyn's reviews.

In the last year Jet & Delta have new lathes in this price & size
class & Oneway in this size class. It's lot harder to choose this
year.



On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:12:03 GMT, "Franklin Rasmussen"
wrote:

I'm thinking about buying a Nova DVR 3000. I'm looking for some comment
from someone who owns one on what they think of it - pro and con.

Doug

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%2...nk.net&rnum=25
from this link I copyed this section


"

The locking handles of the banjo and tailstock have long been a
weakness
of the Teknatool lathes. The manufacturer has made several changes in
these handles over time and model, but they remain somewhat
uncomfortable and awkward to use. The good news is that relatively
cheap
modifications can greatly improved this aspect of the DVR. For around
twenty dollars, you can outfit your DVR with comfortable, effective,
durable handles, greatly easing the day to day use of the lathe.

The banjo is locked using a short metal lever. This 4 inch locking
lever
is the same as that supplied for the tailstock, and in both cases is
over an inch shorter than the one that came on the Nova 3000. This
shorter length is necessary on the tailstock in order to clear the
tailstock hand wheel, and for that purpose is acceptable. However, for
use on the banjo, the lever is both too short and too small in
diameter
to be truly comfortable. Fortunately, you can improve upon the handle
quite easily and cheaply. Reid Tool Supply is a good source for
replacement handles (Reid calls them Gear Levers), and looking through
the pages of their catalog you will find you can obtain several sorts
of
handle styles and lengths (something between 4.5 and 6.5 inches will
work the best). My favorite solution is to scavenge an original Nova
3K
handle, or lacking that, to obtain a basic steel shaft that is
threaded
on one or both ends (e.g., Reid # GLS-170). Over either of those
shafts
I use the Ergostyle soft touch push fit handles (Reid # ESP-85). These
push fit handles are not really push fit for the 10mm metric sized
Nova levers, so you must ream them out with a 10 mm drill bit to get
them to fit putting a little hole in the end will also help release
the
internal air as you push them on. I like these handles so much that I
don t mind going to these extra steps and use them for both the banjo
and the tailstock levers. The firm molded rubber of the Ergostyle
handles gives you a 7/8 inch diameter by 3.35 inch long gripping
surface, rather than the hard 10mm (essentially 3/8 inch) diameter
surface of the steel levers. Regardless of the levers you obtain, make
sure they have the M10 x 1.5 threading that is necessary to screw them
into the Nova mounting holes, and use a good wrap of Teflon tape or
some
thread locking compound to keep these coarse threads tight against
their
mating surfaces.

The locking lever for the tool rest is as much an aggravation as that
for the banjo. It is not infrequent that a hand grasping the banjo
locking lever is squeezed up against the tool rest post locking lever
(or vice versa). I ve found the solution is to use a
ratcheting/adjustable handle, not unlike those found on many
mini-lathes, but much heavier duty. Again, Reid Tool has the KHX-345
metal handle, which has the necessary M12x1.75, one inch stud. This is
one of my favorite modifications to my DVR. This big secure handle
gives
a good solid grip, and can be adjusted to whatever angle is most
conducive to operation or getting the handle out of the way.

Before leaving this area, I want to point out a simple adjustment that
can be made to the banjo locking mechanism. Some find, either upon
receiving the lathe, or after a period of use, that the banjo does not
lock down quite as tightly as might be desired. A simple improvement
can
almost always be attained by sliding the banjo off the bed, turning it
over and tightening the bolt that attaches the locking plate to the
locking mechanism. This bolt is countersunk and has a socket for an 8
mm
Allen wrench. It will already feel tight, but if you apply force, it
will usually tighten about an additional quarter turn. I ve done this
on
two Nova 3ks and my current DVR, and in each case it has improved the
locking action. While you have the banjo upside run a file along the
bottom side of the banjo housing, just enough to smooth over any
variations in paint thickness and remove any casting flash doing so
will
improve how smoothly your banjo will slide, as well as allow it to
lock
down more securely. One last thing while you have the banjo off is to
lightly oil the slide. This can be done from the top side as well, by
removing two plastic caps. Lubricating the locking mechanism is
discussed in the DVR manual and is basic maintenance for these lathes.
If ever you find the banjo is seeming to become difficult to position
freely, it is usually that the slide portion of the locking mechanism
is
due for a little lubrication.

"


n Sun, 13 Jul 2003 08:05:15 -0400, "rickpixley"
wrote:

Sorry,I missed the part from Lyn's reviews regarding the handle
upgrade..Anyone care to restate this?Lyn is obviously not available
now..Hope all is well with him..Thanks,Rick
"Walt & Jenne Ahlgrim" wrote in message
.. .