Nova DVR XP worth $2000?

[Rickbw]

Currently Woodcraft has the Nova DVR XP on sale for $1999. I am strongly considering purchasing this lathe. I currently have a Jet 1236 which I would like to upgrade from. I do some smaller spindle turning with some larger (12" diameter) segmented bowls. The Jet is a decent machine but I would like a lathe with variable speed and less vibration.

I have read loads of info on the web this far and it seems the tradeoff is weight of the m/c. Most posts seem to recommend the Powermatic in this price range, but I do not anticipate needing the bulk of the machine and have liked what I have seen on the new DVR XP.

Would appreciate any comments from the group. Thanks!

 

[robert davis]

take alook at the 16" jet for about the same price

 

[MichaelMouse]

I have read loads of info on the web this far and it seems the tradeoff is weight of the m/c. Most posts seem to recommend the Powermatic in this price range, but I do not anticipate needing the bulk of the machine and have liked what I have seen on the new DVR XP.

Would appreciate any comments from the group. Thanks!

Weight? It's bolted to something else, right? Bolt as much on as you care to.

Shop footprint is going to be much smaller on the XP with the motor design and no need to keep the end available for the odd monstrosity. OTOH, there's something about proprietary everything that makes me leery of the motor/board combination. Not as trusting as I used to be.

The JET suffers by comparison when comparing fit and finish, don't know if it's only skin deep, however. They call it "Powermatic Lite," and you wonder where the difference lies.

 

[hcbph]

They call it "Powermatic Lite," and you wonder where the difference lies.

I think the difference is the PM weighs a couple hundred pounds additional in weight and 4" more turning diameter between the Jet 1642 & PM 3520b. The flip side is the Jet will do about 4" longer spindles. I have the Jet and though I've only turned a few things with the faceplate & chuck (14" max diameter so far), I have turned an almost 16"x60" leg part on it (I have the 18" bed extension also). Mine isn't bolted down and so far it hasn't moved with the stuff I've turned.

Both the PM & Jet lines are through the same company, so that could also be part of the PM lite reference.

When I bought mine, I looked at quite a few lathes, including the PM. After looking at a lot of lathes and reading quite a few user reviews, plus weighing in the cost and support issues; I selected the Jet. It's done everything I've asked of it. If I had to do it again, unless some deal came along for something I found to be better for some insanely ridiculous price, I'd buy the Jet again in a heartbeat.

Paul

 

[n7bsn]

Rick
I have the Nova DVR-XP, had it since, well, last spring. I bought it after an in-depth search for a new lathe. I looked at the PM, at General, at Jet and at Delta (besides the Nova)

I ended up getting the Nova for a few reasons, one is the smaller foot print, another was the price (I got a good deal, better then the current sale price) and one was the low end torque (the DVR-XP uses a unique system that provides good low end torque). Another was that I could put the Nova directly on the same stand I built for my old Midi-lathe (with some minor height changes).

Another reason I went with the DVR-XP was that at one shop I went to, that sold it, and General and PM and Jet, both of the staff turners had a DVR.

I did have some issues with the Lathe: One was the tool rest hole in the Banjo was too small to hold any tool-rest and I had to hand ream it out. Another was the head-stock did not align with the tail (the box had been bounced soo badly the head stock was knocked out of alignment). The last was the general fit and finish of the lathe shipped to me was not as good as the ones I had seen at (various) stores.
Teknatool talked me through (long distance, their dime) getting the head aligned. The hole I eased with a rasp.

Side Note: The same firm that shipped my Nova shipped another to someone else, his box had been so miss-handled that the shipper had him open and inspect for damage.

 

[David Somers]

Rick,

For what it is worth, I looked at the Nova DVR versus the Jet 1642 when I bought my lathe about a year and a half ago. At first I was leaning to the Nova, but then had a chance to play with one during a 1 day class at the Honolulu Woodcraft. I was not impressed with the way it was holding up to classes. Keep in mind lathe classes and demos and woodturning club functions were not that common in this store. The owner and his staff did not seem really pleased with the way they were holding up either. The issues stemmed around bearing wear, alignment of the head and tailstock (both at setup where they were not aligned, and losing alignment over time when the headstock was rotated and then returned to center), and pulley wheel/spindle wear from what I could see. The owner did not seem very happy with Technatool's response to warantee issues either. Sounded like they dealt with issues eventually, but it took effort to get there.

After that I chose the Jet 1642 with the 220V motor and the cast iron legs for slightly less money at the time. It is not fancy, but it has been rock solid. Quite heavy by itself, though I chose to add a shelf with 480lbs of sand on it for added stability. Plenty long for my needs, though there is a bed extension available. The 16 inch clearance over the bed is fine for most of my needs, and if I need more I simply push the headstock to the end of the lathe and use an outboard stand for the toolrest. I do like being able to run the headstock down to the end of the lathe for hollowing and sanding any size piece though. That has been more comfortable for me than rotating the headstock or straddling the lathe like some folks do.

I hope this helps. I am sure the NOVA is a good unit, and there were features about it that attracted me at first, but just seeing how it held up to fairly light use by students turned me off.

Hope you get great enjoyment from whichever unit you choose!!!

Dave

 

[Greg Stanford]

I believe Jet has the 1642 for 1595.00 after a 200.00 rebate. I've gone back & forth between the Jet & the Nova & keep coming back to the Jet.

 

[john lucas]

I had the Nova 3000 bolted to a very heavy wooden stand filled with sand. I know have the powermatic 2035. There isn't even a comparison in the rigidity of the two. I think the weak point was the joint between the wood and the lathe. I assume the wood was compressing slightly as the Nova vibrated from large loads. The powermatic doesn't with it's cast iron legs.
I think the new DVR is a good lathe. I turned on one for 2 days during the Tennessee Symposium. It is probably better than the jet in some ways but is definitely more expensive. The Jet 1642 would be my choice in it's price range over any other lathe.

 

[n7bsn]

Rick,....... The issues stemmed around bearing wear, alignment of the head and tailstock (both at setup where they were not aligned, and losing alignment over time when the headstock was rotated and then returned to center)

The correct tension on the "lock" actually effects the alignment, part of what I learned in the phone call with the factory

and pulley wheel/spindle wear from what I could see.

Except there is no pulley in the DVR-XP

 

[Rickbw]

Great Input

Wow! Lots of great input. I guess my best bet is to attempt to check out both units at Woodcraft. After looking I will need to decide what works best for me.

Thanks for all of the input! 🙂

 

[David Somers]

The correct tension on the "lock" actually effects the alignment, part of what I learned in the phone call with the factory



Except there is no pulley in the DVR-XP

Good point. I should have mentioned that at the time I saw this it was still just the DVR 3000 model, not the XP. And I also assumed there was a pulley in it. The owner was talking about looseness in the drive and fittings and I assumed he meant pulleys and shaft. I believe even the previous DVR 3000 was direct drive, as is the XP. No pulleys. Sorry for that! Point being, he was complaining about looseness in the drive system.

Dave

 

[MichaelMouse]

Strange words. I've got the same rotating/locking mechanism, and apparently I'm just lucky, because it's working fine. Don't rotate all the time, which is perhaps the reason, but wedges are pretty good ways to reference things. On the poor relation the bearings are top-of-the-line sealed, so I'm not sure how you get better than the top of the NTN line.

As to school lathes, having learned on one and tended one for a while, I'm here to tell you that the finest old Delta and Powermatic iron can be ruined by students trying to show off. Sometimes it seemed like all the advanced class did was tune equipment.

 

[hockenbery]

Rick,
Where are you located?

I know a used dvr in great conditon.

I think the 16" jet is a better lathe for bowls.

The DVR is just not as heavy as the jet.

happy Turining
Al

 

[DMcIvor]

Nova v. Jet

As a Nova owner I'll throw in my 2 cents. I did a lot of research before settling on the DVR 3000, predecessor to the XP. I built my own stand for the lathe, a rather massive table which is weighted down with a few hundred pounds of cement plus some blanks, a vacuum pump, and all the sawdust I haven't bothered to vacuum up in a while.

I had a lot of criteria I evaluated when I shopped for a lathe. Two key ones were the fact that I don't have a lot of space, and I knew I'd be moving so I didn't want something that would require a crane and its own truck to move.

I've really enjoyed the lathe and have absolutely no complaints. It has been 100% reliable and the features very useful. I had some minor questions for tech support when I first got the lathe and they were responsive and helpful, and the interaction was hampered only by their being on the other side of the planet (time difference).

I've never turned on a Jet, so I can't comment about that machine. The PMs have great reputations and the people who have them love them.

As much as I like the Nova, someday I will have a Oneway!

 

[David Somers]

Strange words. I've got the same rotating/locking mechanism, and apparently I'm just lucky, because it's working fine. Don't rotate all the time, which is perhaps the reason, but wedges are pretty good ways to reference things. On the poor relation the bearings are top-of-the-line sealed, so I'm not sure how you get better than the top of the NTN line.

As to school lathes, having learned on one and tended one for a while, I'm here to tell you that the finest old Delta and Powermatic iron can be ruined by students trying to show off. Sometimes it seemed like all the advanced class did was tune equipment.

MichaelMouse,

I agree with you that lathes in classrooms have a hard life. These don't appear to be used much though given the wear I could see and the problems the store owner was describing. There may be a 1/2 dozen lathe classes a year (8 hours total each) that I see listed for the store, and a monthly woodturning club that uses them for demos sometimes. As near as I can tell, that is all the use they get.

In fairness to Technatool though those were a model or two back and they would certainly have improved things since.

Dave

 

[Brodie Brickey]

DVR vs. Powermatic

Two years ago, I had a Delta 46-715 at the time with 14" swing and wanted to gain more swing. I spent a great deal of time researching everything and settled on a DVR 3000. I didn't want another Delta, and felt the DVR was a better choice than the Jet. I didn't think I could afford a Powermatic and went to Woodcraft and purchased the DVR. I got it home, and got it into the garage. I had planned to build a stand for it, and I purchased the outboard turning post. With tax and the post I was at $2400.

That night I was flipping through a catalog and saw the Powermatic for the same price with free shipping and no tax over the net. I returned the DVR and ordered the Powermatic.

The only issues I've ever had with the Powermatic was their idea of packaging. The lathe is on a pallette and then covered (sheathed) with a cardboard box. The converter took a bad blow in shipping and I ended up returning the entire lathe for a replacement. Powermatic stood by their product, but it was still a pain and hassle to take care of.

The DVR 3000 (not exactly the model you're looking at now) is a lot lighter than the Powermatic. The extra weight in the legs alone, has made my turning very enjoyable.

I'm very happy with the Powermatic, but if you are going to purchase coring tools you will need to verify that they work on a 20" swing lathe or you will need a special post. The McNaughton is that way, some of the other ones don't clearly specify if you need to get a different post.

Which ever choice you make, I sincerely hope you enjoy your new lathe. You may also be able to pick up a refurbished lathe cheaper. I'm not sure where you're located, but I've seen postings here and woodcentral for a couple sellers that re-sell the damaged units after they've replaced the controllers and other items that get damage in transit for 2-500 less than retail.

Brodie

 

[Rickbw]

Response to Al

Al,

I live north of Charlotte, NC. Would definitely be interested in a used lathe!

 

[hockenbery]

Rick,

The lathe I know of is in Central Florida. It probaly would not be worth the trip unless you are coming for another purpose like visiting M Mouse or

The Florida Syposium in January.

Did I mention the Florida Symposium is in January with a great line up of demonstrations.

Last week Ron CInquanti in our club had two used latehs for sale a DVR and Woodfast. I'm guessing he still has them.
You could contact Ron directly (AAW directory) or send me your E-mail and phone number and I'll pass them on to Ron.

Happy turning
-Al

 

[Old Bolivian]

Well I have both the DVR XP and Powermatic 2540B

Whenever my visas, master cards and other credit bills exceed my gross income, I compensate for it by denying the whole thing and going out and spending more. At the Louisville show, I bought a Nova dvrxp and then called my local dealer and ordered a powermatic 3520B. The first one for my shop in VA, the second for my shop in Columbia.
For the DVR XP, I built a wooden stand out of poplar 4x6's , double braced them, put two sheets of 3/4mdf on top and put stand on a mobile stand for a Delta Jointer. The Wooden stand weighs about 200 lbs without the XP on it.Made several errors but nothing major.
What I like about the DVR XP:
No matter what speed you leave it on, when you turn the machine off it starts at a low (you can change it) speed. The increments are very, very steady; Not only can you turn the spindle head without it losing power, but they make an outboard rig for the machine.
What I don't like:
It vibrates, and needs lots of bags of sand to lower the vibration; while you can get a 240 v kit for it, the manufacturer recommends using a surge protector for the computer and I still haven't found a convenient way to get a 240v surge protector. I do use the 110 and am glad that it is hooked to an individual protector.Tailstock is sometimes hard to put back.

Powermatic-
What I do like: It is extremely heavy. Stand weighs a ton. Tailstock is very heavy but easy to put back. I haven't yet felt the need to put bags of sand on it, but this would be easy to accomplish. It feels more powerful than the DVR. The head slides easily and you can position it in the middle of the stand to give it more stability.
What I don't like:
Got used to the DVR's safety feature of starting automatically at slower speed when power is turned off and watched the powermatic slide almost a foot when I put an out of balance large block of wood on it. Don't know where to get an outboard rig for it.
Conclusion:

I like both. If I absolutely had to choose between the two of them, I'd probably go with the Powermatic where I can take it to a local -GREAT Dealer-in Columbia for repair. I have, on the other hand, had very nice help and product service from Tim Geist, and think that most people would be happy with either of them.

 

[David Somers]

Old Bolivian,

You mentioned needing a 240 Volt Surge Supressor?

You could do a whole house surge suppressor instead. It installs at your power box where your household service enters the service panel. Cost is not high. Under $200 if I remember right. I know Graybar has them, and I thought I saw them in Lowes as well.

Keep in mind though that while this protects you from a surge entering the house from event on the line beyond you, it does not protect you from a surge orginating inside the house.

You also mentioned looking for an external tool rest for a powermatic?

There has been some mention of using the bolt on VicMark tool rest on Jet and Powermatics. I was thinking out it myself. It swings aside when youdon't want it. The message string should be easy to find by searching on VicMark if you are interested.

Good luck!!

Dave

 

[colinsp]

What I don't like:
It vibrates, and needs lots of bags of sand to lower the vibration; while you can get a 240 v kit for it, the manufacturer recommends using a surge protector for the computer and I still haven't found a convenient way to get a 240v surge protector. I do use the 110 and am glad that it is hooked to an individual protector.Tailstock is sometimes hard to put back.

.

I am very happy with my DVR just pre XP. I don't like the XP software but that is a different story. 250kg of sand in a 100kg MDF & wood stand stops the DVR moving even with large chunks of off balance wood. If anyone needs a 240v surge protector I am sure that I or one of the other European members could oblige. These are readily available over here for about $20 but you would need to change to a European plug as well.

 

[MichaelMouse]

What I don't like:
It vibrates, and needs lots of bags of sand to lower the vibration; while you can get a 240 v kit for it, the manufacturer recommends using a surge protector for the computer and I still haven't found a convenient way to get a 240v surge protector. I do use the 110 and am glad that it is hooked to an individual protector.Tailstock is sometimes hard to put back.

Vibration is either from not tightening the wedge that holds the head, or not mounting the whole thing securely on a properly designed stand. The design of the lathe is not the source, it's what the lathe is on or what's on it.

Recheck your mounts before you tear something expensive up at the point of elastic collision.