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VFD on Nova 1624

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Dec 2, 2006
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www.tri-colorturners.com
Hello,

Has anyone attempted to put a VFD and appropriate motor on a Nova 1624? If so, please provide some details. Seems to me that for the price of the lathe (on sale) and the additional components one could have a decent mid-sized lathe with a small footprint for not so much. Looking for another data point in my quest for an appropriate lathe upgrade given space limitations. I am not so keen on the cost of the DVR given the proprietary components and the Jet 1642 may be just a little long.

Thanks,

Matt
 
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I added VFD to my Nova 3000 which I think is the same lathe. It was very easy and makes all the difference in the world. There are many places to purchase the equipment but I went with
http://www.dealerselectric.com/ for the motor and VFD. I would go with 2hp which should be all you every need with the 1642.

I did find it was best to call them rather than ask questions using email.
 

john lucas

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I did the same thing on a Nova 3000. The guy I sold it too is still using it. In fact he made an extension cord and runs his 3phase bandsaw off the same VFD. Not at the same time of course. You can't always do that. The controller needs to match the motor. It's best to buy both from a reputable dealer then you know they will work together.
I used Dealerelectric mentioned above.
 
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Not sure what continuously variable rpm actually does for you, but I believe that the motor on the 1624 has a beefed-up shaft, therefore a non-standard pulley bore. The original 3000 was sold with the optional infamous Leeson variable with the snap-off 5/8 shaft, and the 1624 has an optional DC motor as well.

Did you know that the maximum recommended speed for Nova chucks is 680? Brings the same spot past the tool eleven times per second. of course it's much greater velocity on the rim of a 16" bowl than near the center, as if that made any difference other than there being exponentially more energy available to whack the tool from your hand or jerk the piece from the chuck. I can't feed the gouge fast enough to make a good shaving at 1000 rpm, and I hate chips and flakes, so it makes sense to keep things rotating at 11/second and feeding under control.
 
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I converted my 1624 to VFD earlier in 2010 - and I'm totally satisfied with the results. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Links to my article on Nova 1624 variable speed.
http://www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/1624_vs/index.html

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=134952
http://www.woodturnersresource.com/c...num=1268097435

And a link to article on Remote Box
http://www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/1624remote/index.html

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=135179
 
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Vfd

Thanks to all for the comments! This certainly makes it worth considering. The additional $400 price tag is about what I was thinking. I have about as much space as a JeT mini with extension on their stand takes up - not much to play with, but I am starting to get the itch for a beefer lathe. Thanks again!

Best regards,

Matt
 
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I have about as much space as a JeT mini with extension on their stand takes up - not much to play with, but I am starting to get the itch for a beefer lathe.Matt

Matt - I also have a small shop - I just don't have the footprint for a long lathe - so the swivel headstock leaves open the door for somewhat larger turnings.

The Nova 1642 isn't in the same class as a Powermatic or Oneway (I've turned on both) but certainly is as capable as the Jet 1642.

The only change I made to my original VFD install was moving the VFD off the motor location - wood chips got into the fan - put it above the lathe on a ceiling beam where I can still glance at the rpm display.
 

john lucas

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The 16/24 has all of the improvements that I thought the Nova 3000 needed except for variable speed. It is a really sweet lathe and if you added the VFD you would have a really nice lathe. I'm not a fan of the DVR because of the proprietary motor. It does get a lot of very good reviews and is an excellent lathe. I just worry about how available the motor will be 10 years from now.
I turned without variable speed for a long time but now that I have it I find it extremely useful. I can slow the lathe down to apply finish and then speed it up to buff it out. changing speeds is just a quick twist of a dial rather than changing pulleys. This is especially handy when going from rough to smooth on bowls. I can find just the right speed for safety sake or turning efficiency. If you get too much vibration you can either increase or decrease the speed until you find that sweet spot that takes away the vibration. That makes for a cleaner cut.
 
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Vfd

John,

Yes. The vibration is my problem right now. Although capable of 10" pieces, it is almost impossible to stop the vibration on a Jet mini mounted on the Jet stand. Especially if the wood is not close to homogeneous. Just a chuck alone presents a slight vibration. Even the slightest vibration can result in a bad catch when making delicate detail cuts. The stand is weighted, but the headstock just isn't robust/heavy enough and it is all on a suspended wooden floor that I am sure reflects some of the movement. Anyway...

Regards,
 

john lucas

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Been there done that. My first real lathe was a Delta 46-700. Although it was mostly cast iron and weight more than the Jet mini it's lowest speed of 500 rpm made it walk all over the shop when I tried to turn a larger bowl. I had built a heavy stand out of pressed wood and it worked fine for spindles I literally had to chase it across the room when turning bowls. Of course once you got them round and reduced in weight that wasn't a bad speed.
 
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Yes. The vibration is my problem right now. Although capable of 10" pieces, it is almost impossible to stop the vibration on a Jet mini mounted on the Jet stand. Especially if the wood is not close to homogeneous. Just a chuck alone presents a slight vibration. Even the slightest vibration can result in a bad catch when making delicate detail cuts. The stand is weighted, but the headstock just isn't robust/heavy enough and it is all on a suspended wooden floor that I am sure reflects some of the movement. Anyway...

A tool in constant contact with the work cannot "catch" due to vibration. A tool held steady to the rest as the piece revolves is what makes an out-of-round piece into a round one, and will not catch unless grossly overfed. A tool cavalierly held or pushed underneath a rotating piece of wood is what causes a catch. Further, in spite of a consistently-repeated myth, a half inch of steel is much more resistant to vibration than a half inch thick piece of wood, even if both are supported poorly at some length. If you hold the tool firmly to the rest and feed slowly with consistency, you can eliminate almost all vibration in the wood except that caused by differential friction.

So why not try the old method of toolrest high on convex shapes so there is a vector which pushes the tool away from contact and a "catch" if there's a lump or a hole? Inside a bowl you go low with the rest and cut so there's air over the tool if you lose your grip a bit, and flute facing inward so if you lose your grip big time the curve of the work wedges the curve of the tool to the center - the area you've already cleared. Might make you feel better about that mini. Now if the headstock/bed/toolrest combination does not move as a unit, you have real problems.

Turning the rpm up when a piece vibrates merely adds more energy to a possible catch and potential for damage to the piece or the turner. Turning it down will also change thefrequency, but if you hold the tool steady and rotate slowly into the work you will trim off the tops of any ridges without finding enough wood to "catch" before regaining round.

Look and listen to this where the round rim transitions to the severely out-of-round uncut interior. The tool is held firm, and the cut made even with two opposing high spots of 1/4" plus. http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/?action=view&current=Inside.mp4 The semifinal trim sounds entirely different, as the tool skims the surface taking off the wisps you see bouncing back onto my hand. It's a bowl gouge with a narrow sweet spot, which is not my preference for the job, because it can't be skewed properly. I like the last couple of passes with a broad sweep gouge.
 
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I, too, added a VFD to my Nova 3000. I got the VFD from Dealers Electric and a 1.5 HP, 3-phase motor locally. I don't know about the 1624, but the 3000 is designed to bolt on a motor with a C-face housing, so I bought one of those. And, yes, I managed to snap off a shaft.

I also spent a little time studying the manual that came with the VFD and wired my own external On/Off, Fwd/Rev and speed control - all low voltage using 7-conductor furnace wire, 2 DPDT switches and a potentiometer from Radio Shack.

Ron Williams
 
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