help.....jet 1642, nova dvr xp, pm 3520b questions

[tim mathis]

hi , i am looking to purchase a new lathe. i have read a lot of posts on this forum and others and almost all are positive on all three of these. any help would be very appreciated.no store around me has any of these so i can't compare them in person.
the nova has a 2 year warranty on the electronics and a 5 year on everything else.
1. i can't seem to find the warranty info on the jet or pm. i am concerned about the electronics.

2.how does the dvr xp hold up over time with its new technology? how tough would the bearings be to change? ( i think there are 3 )

3. just about everyone loves the pm 3520b. how do the electronics hold up? the bearings can be adjusted easily, how tough would these be to change?

4. the jet 2 horse power seems well built and most are very happy with it. does this have the same motor and electronics as the pm?

i have been turning for over 3 years , i have not done any outboard turning but i plan to.my plan is to order one of these through woodcraft at the 10% off sale at the end of july.
thanks for any help

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have a Nova DVR now for 3 months. I just love it. Can't help you on bearing changes and such. I do know Tim is extremely helpful as the agent for these. It fit my situation as far as size. You can turn 16" inboard and 29" outboard which is big enough for me. I turned on both the Nova and Jet 1642. Didn't get a chance on the PM. Settled with the Nova. I don't think you could go wrong with anyone of the three.

[Cecil Arnold]

I have a 3520a, and would recommend it if you are looking at size over the ways, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three. You shouldn't have to worry about bearings or electronics for years so just relax and buy one.

[Richard Madison]

Unless you're into nanotechnology, bigger (at the same or better quality level) is often better. Just a thought.

[Reed Gray]

I have the PM3520A (for 7 1/2 years). I turn a lot of bowls, and I have used and abused this lathe more than 95% of the people that have them. I just replaced the variable speed control knob, and need to do the same with the on/off button. I did go through one set of headstock bearings about 2 years ago. I took it to a local repair shop to get them replaced, and it is a good thing because they had rusted in place because I turn a lot of wet wood. With the sliding headstock, you don't need to turn outboard. Although I have never used one of the lathes that the headstock rotates for bowl turning, I don't trust that option. Tool rest has to stick too far out away from the bed. Some of them do work fairly well, but as I said, I haven't tried them. The one option that the Nova DVR has is that when you turn it off, the speed automatically goes down to zero so there is no chance that when you turn it back on, you have to worry about what speed it was left running on (or so I heard). I like that idea as I have more than once turned the lathe on when the speed was higher than I wanted. Now on the PM, I use the vs knob to turn the lathe off and on while turning. The PM does require a 220 volt outlet to run on. All will work well, but I think you get more lathe for your money with the PM.
robo hippy

[Fred Floyd]

I have the Jet 1642-2hp. After 2+ years, it has been excellent. I don't turn many spindles and the ones I've done are mainly less than 24 inches, so any lathe is fine for that. The Jet has plenty of power. For practical purposes, the largest thing I've turned is 15-1/2 diameter. My Jumbo Jaws are really limited to a max diameter of 14-1/2.

Heavy blanks require that you start slowly while you get them round -- but that's true with any lathe.

At the time I bought, the Jet was about $1700 and the PM3520 was about 2500. It seemed like a lot of $$$. In retrospect the PM would have been the wiser choice because of the extra weight and the available extension bed that can be set below the ways, thus allowing a swing larger than 24".

In reality, there isn't that much stock available that is larger than 15", so the point may be only in theory.

All three lathes are excellent machines. If money isn't a strong consideration, then PM3520 would be #1, followed by the Jet.

[Montgomery Scott]

Last December I was in the market to upgrade from my old Rockwell. I did not consider the Nova as they did not have any legs with it. I considered the PM 3520 and the Jet 1642. I have used both of the lathes before and both are very nice machines. In the end the cost difference was too great between them and I really don't see myself turning 20" objects.

Currently the 1642-2 sells for $1600 shipped and the 3520 for $2650 shipped.

[Mark Pruitt]

The 1642 is an excellent choice, but I would definitely go with 2hp not 1.5.

That said, I went with a 3520B. What swayed me toward it over the 1642 was, a bed extension is available (which I also ordered) that can be mounted to a lower set of holes on the leg, increasing the swing by an additional 10" or so. There are several other minor features of the 3520B that give it the edge over the 1642, but the major thing was swing.

When considering the amount of swing, it doesn't work to determine the largest bowl you plan to turn and decide based simply on that. You need considerably more swing than the largest planned diameter, to allow for banjo placement as well as the initial unevenness of the workpiece. But here again, the 3520B excels if you have the bed extension mounted as stated above and slide the headstock to the "right" end.

The price difference is a one-time thing. Once you buy a 3520B you forget all about what you spent on it.

I have no experience with the Nova so can't comment on that.