Possible purchase... Info needed

[Adam Pinson]

This lathe has come up for sale near me, does anyone here have any knowledge about its reliability? Any info would be great, cheers...

 

[Doug B]

I've had one for 15 years & it's not missed a beat, the only problem I've really come across with other users is two folks who've had problems with the circuit board, both members of the forum.
The last one who posted about it found a place that mends circuit boards so it wasn't the end of the world, genuine boards can be expensive.
I really like mine & have never seen another lathe I've thought I'd prefer.

 

[Lazurus]

Is it a direct drive? if so you may loose torque compared to changing belt locations to ensure motor is delivering peak torque at all speeds. But if the price is right.............

 

[Doug B]

Is it a direct drive? if so you may loose torque compared to changing belt locations to ensure motor is delivering peak torque at all speeds. But if the price is right.............

One of their selling points was although it is direct drive it never loses more than 5rpm regardless of how deep a cut you are taking.

 

[Inspector]

It looks to be a Nova lathe with Record selling it in the UK. They are good lathes and the outboard attachment on it here is about $400Can (240 pounds) on it's own.

Pete

 

[Blister]

I had one of the early troublesome models , Cut a very long story short I ended up dumping it in the scrap pile at the local council tip , NEVER again

 

[Adam Pinson]

I had one of the early troublesome models , Cut a very long story short I ended up dumping it in the scrap pile at the local council tip , NEVER again

What year was that? When did they cease to be troublesome?

 

[Adam Pinson]

I've had one for 15 years & it's not missed a beat, the only problem I've really come across with other users is two folks who've had problems with the circuit board, both members of the forum.
The last one who posted about it found a place that mends circuit boards so it wasn't the end of the world, genuine boards can be expensive.
I really like mine & have never seen another lathe I've thought I'd prefer.

Thanks for the info...

 

[Adam Pinson]

Is it a direct drive? if so you may loose torque compared to changing belt locations to ensure motor is delivering peak torque at all speeds. But if the price is right.............

They want 1000 euros for it, including the outrig, a Nova Chuck, bed extension and a set of chisels....I'm not sure of the year yet....I need to find out when the 'troublesome' ones were made.

 

[Inspector]

That bed extension runs around $300Can and the chuck about $150Can. What the extras cost in your neck of the woods is something for you to chase down.

 

[Blister]

What year was that? When did they cease to be troublesome?

When they first come out around 10 years ago ,

 

[Doug B]

Looking again at your photo Adam the plastic hasn’t been removed from the display, has it ever been used? I can’t imagine that piece of film would be intact if the lathe had done any amount of work as it’s also partly over the control buttons.

 

[Adam Pinson]

Looking again at your photo Adam the plastic hasn’t been removed from the display, has it ever been used? I can’t imagine that piece of film would be intact if the lathe had done any amount of work as it’s also partly over the control buttons.

You're right Doug, the lady did say it was new, i'm just hoping i can raise the funds, would be a shame to miss this chance !

 

[Droogs]

Among the things I am trying to save up for and there's lots

The wood lathe on my wish list is the Nova. I would say if you can get it do it

 

[Jonzjob]

If this is the same then it sounds as if you have a bargain there Adam.

https://www.earlswoodinteriors.co.u...-variable-speed-lathe---nova-dvr-xp-929-p.asp
If I had one then the only thing missing would be an intelligent turner

 

[Adam Pinson]

If this is the same then it sounds as if you have a bargain there Adam.

https://www.earlswoodinteriors.co.u...-variable-speed-lathe---nova-dvr-xp-929-p.asp
If I had one then the only thing missing would be an intelligent turner

It is this very one yes.... i'm a bit gutted though as our home boiler just broke! Life can be cruel i tell ya !!

 

[Inspector]

I hate borrowing money but this is one of those occasions where I might have as long as knew I could pay it off quickly. If you aren't going for it you might want to let the members close by know so they could take a shot at it. I'm a touch too far away.

Pete

 

[pryere]

That is a great lathe, Record Power is a decent brand. If they throw in that attached chuck, tear their arm off.

 

[Adam Pinson]

Going to see the lathe today, i suppose my biggest concern is all the electronics on board especially as it probably has no warranty and a new circuit board would cost a fortune i imagine, perhaps i'll be able to barter a little because of this concern.

 

[Yorkieguy]

I'm secretary of East Yorkshire Woodturners Cub based in Skidby to the west of Hull. The Nova DVR-XP lathe came out in 2005 and we purchased one (with lottery funding) in 2008, We meet once a month and until the pandemic stopped us in our tracks, we had a programme of professional demonstrators each month. Hence, over the 11 years the lathe has been in use for 130 3-hr demonstrations - about 400 hours of use. Probably less than an enthusiastic hobbyist would use it for over that time. Nevertheless, it's been used by many demonstrators, some of whom own one themselves. Additionally, several members own them. Over the years, I've heard no adverse comments about reliability.

A few points to mention: Nova is a brand of a New Zealand company 'Teknatool', founded in 1956, whose products were originally made in NZ. However, in 2005, shortly after the DVR-XP lathe was introduce, they bought a New Zealand owned factory in Qindao in China, where they do their own quality control. Record Power became their UK distributor - I guess trading on its reputation as a household name in the UK, but had no part in the manufacture of the lathe.

COMPANY TIMELINE - NOVA

Though the lathe operates on AC mains, the 'direct drive' motor is 3-phase with an inverter and speed controller built into the headstock. Our initial concerns were that once out of warranty, if the motor or electronics failed, it could effectively make the lathe beyond economic repair. In reality, we know of no failures. The direct drive motor is described as having 'variable speed reluctance motor technology, with superior performance over AC or DC motors. No power loss due to belt drives and no belts changes needed. Speed variable from 100 - 3,500 RPM'. The motor is maintenance free, brushless and has no rotor windings - the rotor is solid steel. The spindle in the headstock is supported by three bearings. A safety feature is that if you have a dig-in' the electronics will stop the lathe instantly, then it can be re-set.

The swing over bed is 16 inches (400mm) and the head can be swivelled to use and 'outrigger' for larger turning diameters using the outrigger accessory. A point to bear in mind is that for the UK, the spindle thread was 1.1/4 " x 8TPI,, for Europe was M33 x 3.5. A point to bear in mind if you already have chucks. The tailstock and headstock are 2MT. 1,000 Euros if it comes with accessories and has had little use sounds about right. A club member recently bought one that had had quite a lot of use for £600.

The DVR-XP was superseded some time ago by the Galaxi DVR-XP 1624-44, which costs about £2,300:

Nova GALAXI DVR 1624-44 Variable Speed Lathe : Stiles & Bates

Hope that helps.