Ive been using this lathe for a few weeks now and thought I would offer my impressions. Ive only used a couple of other lathes, so I dont have much to compare it to....
But, compared to my friend's Shopsmith... its much better. More precise, more power and compacity. Compared to my other friend's Powermatic.. well, there is no comparison. But, I will say this friend turned a bowl on the palmgren was "impressed" with the value and functionality.
I built a bench using a modified version of the plan offered on the Nova web site. Cost about 50$. Glued and screwed all the mating surfaces and put a couple bags of cement mix in the box. The lathe and the stand weigh about 500 pounds. Extremely stable. More stable then the floor on the back porch (temporary, the shop is being built in the spring..and yes, I do cover that window when the lathe is running
Out of the box, there was very little to putting it together. I went over everything that was obvious and tightend all the nuts and screws. The banjo and talestock clamps needed some tweaking.
Fit and finish is good and bad. the spindle and guill are pretty good. The ways are rough. I hate the little key that positions the headstock. Its something that will eventually get lost. Access to the spindle lock requires a 3mm key..another pia.
Right off the bat, I forgot to disengage the spindle lock and chewed up the drive belt. Replacements were 23$ from Palmgren. The down time gave me a chance to look at the innards. The Headstock is a one piece of box of machined steel. The box contains the motor and "transmission". The Reeves drive pullies are mounted on the rear of the box. The electrical connections were funky. I replaced the undersized yellow caps (covered with electrical tape) and soldered the wires. The spade connections on the on/off switch were the wrong size..so they were replaced.
Taking the advise of others. I lubed the drive and spindle shafts where the pullies move in and out. I used Honda Moly Lube. I use it on the output splines on my motorcycles. Its amazing stuff. Excellent, doesnt melt and stays in place forever. Noting what has been said about the keys securing the pullies. I removed, cleaned, and secured them using some locktite (soft).
The belt replacement was straightforward...took about 15 mins.
Ive had absolutely no problems since. Ive mounted unbalenced, 30 pound blanks and the 1hp motor kept them going at 400 rpm. The variable speed works well. The top end is rated at 2200 rpm and I dont have any need for anything faster.
The lathe came with a 6 and 12 inch tool rests. They have 7/8" posts and quite sturdy. The banjo works well..though the plastic handles on the clamps are a little flimsy.
The Headstock swivels about 120 degrees. The outboard tool rest is a nice option though I tend to turn the headstock out 45 degrees and use the standard banjo and tool rests.
The lathe is quiet and vibration free.. it passes the nickle test.
All in all, I think I made a good choice for the price. Yes, there were some issues and I suspect more may appear in the future, but compared to the minis I was looking at, this lathe offers a lot and should give me more time before "upgrade fever" strikes.
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