upgrading from rikon mini lathe to full size

[jeff oldham]

I honestly thought the mini lathe would do me,,but after I got into making bowls my wife wanted larger ones and platters,,lol,,,which needless to say,,the rikon I have is only good for about 10 or 12 inches,,and I was wanting the variable speed also,,,and maybe the outrigger option,,i was looking at the nova 16-44 but was wanting some feedback on what lathe I should get or as they say,,more bang for your buck,,i know Powermatic is supposed to be the best but I am trying to work on the cheapest budget possible,,,but I do know,,,,you get what you pay for,,any comments would help,,,thank you

[Jamie Straw]

I honestly thought the mini lathe would do me,,but after I got into making bowls my wife wanted larger ones and platters,,lol,,,which needless to say,,the rikon I have is only good for about 10 or 12 inches,,and I was wanting the variable speed also,,,and maybe the outrigger option,,i was looking at the nova 16-44 but was wanting some feedback on what lathe I should get or as they say,,more bang for your buck,,i know Powermatic is supposed to be the best but I am trying to work on the cheapest budget possible,,,but I do know,,,,you get what you pay for,,any comments would help,,,thank you

Had to laugh about needing a bigger lathe for bowls. I have a Jet 1236, but thought I could get by with a spiffy, smaller lathe similar to the Rikon. I love the Comet II, but quickly decided I had to have both. OK, to your question: I will say that I've had excellent customer support from Nova -- quickly replacing a live center set I wasn't pleased with, helping with a noise on the new Comet II, and answering questions about the chuck that came with it. Hopefully, you'll hear from members who've turned on the 1624-44. When I've asked about the Nova lathes, it's been good reports. Their tool rests kinda suck though, at least the one that came with the Comet.

[William C Rogers]

Jeff, i was at the same point wanting to do larger bowls. My lathe was a 12" swing. The Nova 16-44 was a lathe that I considered. I think it is a very good lathe, but I was unsure if I would be happy with 16" swing. I then considered the Laguna 18-36 that has gotten very good reviews. However "bang for the buck" the Grizzly G0766 has a great following and a 22" swing. I'm sure you will get recommendations here. I would have went withe the Grizzly mainly for value. However there were things about it I didn't like. In the end my best option was to upgrade my existing lathe. I have a PM 90 and I raised it to have a 18" swing several months ago. I'm very happy with my lathe. Old iron is an option, but will likely involve some restoration. However you will end up with a excellent lathe.

[John Keeton]

Laguna Revo 1836 - great lathe, and very competitive against the PM, IMO. With the bed extension, you get 32" swing, and the extension includes the rest extension and riser for the tailstock. Hard to beat the quality and design factors for the price.

[Dale Bonertz]

Ditto what he said ^^^^^^

[Josh Bowman]

I agree with John about the Laguna lathe I saw at a symposium this year. At 6'2", the lathe was a bit close to the ground for me and my buddy, like a lathe that's too tall it's not a show stopper and can be blocked up to a more comfortable height. It was very nicely outfitted and should be considered. I've owned a shopsmith, Jet 1642 and PM 3520b, I do not feel the PM is the "best". It's a very good lathe, but I feel there are better ones, but you'll pay to get that. Look at the Robust and Oneway for example. Look at vendor catalogs and see what they offer for any lathe you consider, this is why Jets and PM's seem popular to me, they have lots of stuff made to fit. Do consider the swing, if anything on a lathe has challenged a project for me, it's the swing. Personally ,the length has not effected my projects. Good luck, look forward to pictures of your choice.

[Roger Chandler]

The Laguna Revo lineup is feature filled, and the 18/36 model has an A/C motor inverter combo to power it, the larger 20" and 24" Revo lathes use a D/C motor controller combo to power them. The Laguna and Grizzly share manufacturing DNA, and look nearly identical, but the Grizzly G0800 and G0799 both use the A/C motor inverter combo to power them.

That difference probably would not matter to most people, but I had a conversation with a couple of electrical engineers and they say that the A/C motor with sensorless vector micro-drive inverter combo is the best available for a lathe. That being said, my former lathe had the D/C motor controller combo on it, and it performed reliably.

My current lathe is the Grizzly G0766 22/42, which has more horsepower, but overall, I do believe one gets more low end torque from the A/C motor/inverter combo, than the D/C motor with controller setup. That being said, I have no actual instruments to measure that defintively, but someone who has turned as much as I have, and on as many different lathes as I have turned on gets a pretty good feel for performance.

As far as value the G0766 is a fine performing and powerful unit, and likely the most lathe for the money on the market, but the design features of the Grizzly G0800, G0799 and the Laguna Revo lineup are better and more refined than the G0766, and about double the price.

[Wade Holloway]

I just received the Nova New Galaxi 16/44 lathe and so far I have been really impressed. I had the old Nova 16/44 and had some problems but they sent me this new one the other day and I have just started playing with it. So far it surpasses my wants and needs greatly.

[jeff oldham]

well I went and got me the nova 16 24 today,,,it seems like it is made very well,,i guess time will tell and I also got the outrigger attachment for it,,lol,,its heavy,,,hope I made the right choice,,,

[Doug Ladendorf]

Congratulations Jeff! These are all fine lathes with and we certainly live in a time of access to nice machines. The most important thing is now you can start turning bigger stuff! Go have fun.

Doug

[Roger Chandler]

Congrats Jeff.....every turner has a progression they go through, and each individuals circumstances/wallet is different and one has to match their choices with their overall situation. Many a nice piece has been turned on that Nova lathe........so as Doug has said....."go have fun!" Best of luck as you explore the capabilities of your new equipment!

[Allan Ferguson]

I have used my Nova 166-24/44 since 2009. It has its short comings, but a good buy and very capable. The out rigger is the best one I seen. Build yourself a solid heavy base to mount it on and you will in be in good shape. Need info help ect, feel free to contact.

[William C Rogers]

Congrats on your new lathe. Have fun turning bigger bowls.