Fellow Nova 1624 owners, a question for you.

[Adam Petersen]

Hi,

I've had a Nova 1624 for about two months now. I have only had a few chances to use it. I have noticed though that the spindle doesn't just spin easily. I have used two other lathes before and the spindle will rotate easily with the handwheel. Mine does not. Does yours? I fear I have a bad bearing. When I was using it today the spindle was very warm to the touch after turning for a very short time, like 10 minutes. I also noticed a little swarfy oil coming out. It's not making any horrible sounds, but it worries me. Also, the lathe wasn't spinning up to speed for me. I had to rotate it to get it going, which reminds me of a bad capacitor. I would think the headstock spindle should move very freely though so I'm concerned.

Anyone experience this or is this abnormal.

Thanks,

Adam

[Tom Brouillette]

I've had mine for about six weeks, and have not seen (or heard) any of the problems you describe. If you take the belt off does it feel like the spindle is dragging?

[Adam Petersen]

Yes, tensioned or de-tensioned, the spindle will still not spin freely using the handwheel. It is like unscrewing a lid that's already been opened. It isn't hard, but there's definite resistance and it won't spin freely. If I tried to give it a spin it would not go more than an inch or so around.

[Tom Brouillette]

Sounds like a bearing, especially if it's been oozing. Good luck. I love my lathe.

[Lloyd Keniston]

I don't know how mechanical you are but if you can, check to see if the bearings are seated properly. If a bearing is "cocked" a little it will turn hard, causing it to overheat. If it is not cocked then you probably have a bad bearing. Hope this helps.

[Scott Hackler]

IF you have lifted the motor to release tension and th spindle doesn't freely turn easily it is definitely a bad bearing (or two). I can easily rotate mine even with the belt tight.

[Lloyd Butler]

Mine does not have a hand wheel on it. Is there a chance the hand wheel is rubbing the casing at all? You did not mention any scraping sounds so I figure not, but might be worth looking at as well.

[Ben Darrah]

I have a 1624 and love it. The spindle on any lathe should rotate freely with out the motor attached. If it is still new, take it back for service or replacement. If it is used and you can handle it, try replacing the bearings. OOHRAH Devil dog

[Adam Petersen]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I contacted customer service yesterday and they are going to ship me out a new head unit. They thought it sounded like a bad bearing too. I went out yesterday again and slowly turned it and it sounds like the bearing closest to the handwheel is dragging. I don't know, I hope I'm right and not wasting their time and money. It's good to know other folks have the same lathe and it spins freely. CS was good at Teknatool and seemed genuinely concerned. That's a plus in my book. I really like their stuff, especially the Supernova 2 chuck. I'll let you know how it turns out in the end for me. Thanks again.

Adam

[Adam Petersen]

Well the "new" headstock came yesterday and I put it on. The bearings are much smoother. It spins freely like I thought it should. That makes me very happy. I am not happy though for probably silly reasons. The sticker that goes on front of the headstock has no serial number on it and the sticker looks like it was dragged against something and looks worn. Also there are what looks like a series of dents by the spindle in the cast iron. They don't look like casting voids, but actually like dents from a tool. They are painted over though. I wonder if they sent me a refurb'ed headstock? That'd be uncool since I bought a the lathe new. I don't know. It works well, so I guess I won't make a fuss, it is just a little disappointing is all. It's not the looks of the lathe but the looks of what it allows me to make that really counts right? Now to work on that aspect....

[Tom Brouillette]

You should call them and ask if it was new, and that is it was, you need a SN for it. Did you send them your old one? More than likely they need it to refurb and send to someone else.

[Randy Red Bemont]

I would call and find out what's up with this headstock. You did buy a new lathe and I would want a new headstock to replace the bad one. Even if it's refurbed, I would not want that on my lathe.

Red

[Adam Petersen]

It is in the box ready to go back. I thought the same thing Tom 😄!

[Adam Petersen]

Well I decided to hold them accountable. I called and requested a new headstock, not a refurbished one. A third headstock will be en route Monday. They worked with me on it so I'm not too upset. It will all come out in the wash.