I think it's time for an upgrade...

[Jon Finch]

I'm pretty sure you guys are all to blame for this. Perhaps a little history is in order so you can see your culpability (skip to the second paragraph if history doesn't interest you). I've been a hobbyist "flat" woodworker for about 15 yrs now, building mostly cabinets and furniture. About 5 yrs ago my wife wanted a 4 poster bed. I did not own a lathe and had never even touched a gouge. I really thought the bed posts would be a one-off kind of thing and decided to just build a lathe rather then buy one, see pic (I had a friend who owed me a favor who machined the two spindles). A lot of time was spent at the school of hard knocks learning to cut coves and beads before turning the knifes to the bed posts. The bed turned out ok (see pic). This machine actually works pretty good and I later upgraded the motor to EVS using a 3 phase motor and 110 inverter. But I really hated the homemade tool rest and tail stock set-up, so a couple years ago when a 1964 PM45 came available I made it mine. I thought I had bought the lathe that would be my last. It's nice and heavy and although not EVS, the adjustable sheave system on the PM45 works pretty good. I was happy doing spindle work every once in a while. Then I happen upon this forum... and see all the cool bowls and HFs you guys are turning and I decide to give it a go. I also thought the 12" throw would allow plenty of time to hone my skills before needing/wanting anything bigger. Turns out the throw is not the issue, it's the horsepower. I turned a couple larger bowls last weekend (~10" finished) using pretty dry wood and REALLY bogged down the motor (only 3/4 hp). I struggled to shave 1/8" off on a pass. 1/16" shaving was the max and even then I was slowing the motor down. This just won't do.

So I'm looking for lathe advice. The Oneway's are way out of my price range. The PM 3520 is likely priced out of my range too, but close. That leaves the Jet 1642 EVS and Nova DVR as the most likely candidates. Is the 1.5 hp of the Jet enough for a 16" bowl using dried wood? Is 1.75 hp of the Nova enough? Or do I need the 2 hp of the PM? What other features should I be looking at? It seems that there are a lot of Nova owners here... why the Nova over the Jet? What other lathes should I be looking at? There are no wrong answers here... I'm just soliciting advice.

[Tony De Masi]

Jon, all of those lathes you mentioned are time tested machines. I have the PM3520 and love it. But that's just me. I don't think you can go wrong on the others though. Before you determine that the PM is out of your price range, although close, give Sean a call at the ToolNut.

My .02 .

Tony

[Robert McGowen]

Is the 1.5 hp of the Jet enough for a 16" bowl using dried wood?

The Jet also comes with a 220v 2HP motor if you are thinking you need more power.

[Dick Sowa]

I struggled to shave 1/8" off on a pass. 1/16" shaving was the max and even then I was slowing the motor down. This just won't do.

I still use my old Craftsman lathe from time to time, which uses a 3/4 HP motor, and it rarely bogs down. I think the reason is that I keep the speed low, which imparts more mechanical advantage to the spinning blank, and less likely to bog down. The other reason is that I rarely try to hog off 1/8" in a single pass. Usually I use light shearing cuts that take off much less. Even then, it doesn't take long to rough out a bowl.

All that being said, I also own a 3520b, and think it's the cat's meow. If you can even come close to affording it, you won't be sorry. A cheaper alternative, which a lot of folks use and like, is the Jet model you mentioned. Both are backed by excellent service...since they are owned and distributed by the same company.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Torque at low speed is what you need with large turnings, and heavy lathe for less vibration, I used a 1½ HP motor at 73 rpm to turn this bowl (28" after returning and finishing)

[Cliff Holmes]

What the heck do you do with something that big? The bowl, I mean.

[Dennis Ford]

Jon; If you plan to turn a lot of 16" bowls, you will want the larger swing of the PM.
To answer your question about hp, 1-1/2 hp is enough to turn large items but it is certainly possible to bog down a 1-1/2 hp motor (or a 2 hp for that matter). A motor that you can not bog down is somewhat dangerous IMHO.

[Dan Forman]

If the PM is close, I'd say do whatever you can to make it happen, you won't be sorry. By including it in your options as "close", you left the door open, so you might as well just do it. Of course many out there do wonderful things on the Jet 1642, but still...

Dan

[charlie knighton]

Is the 1.5 hp of the Jet enough for a 16" bowl using dried wood?

yes, that hackberry is only 11", but that stuff was like concrete, i tried to turn it on my !st lathe, broke toolrest , bought the jet about year later,
no problemo

if you are hollowing 16" wide, you better have some stout hollowing bars, maybe 2" square

[Bill Bolen]

Jon, I recently faced the same decesion. For me the major points were getting a lathe with aminimum 16" swing and sufficient HP to turn without bogging it down. Space and weight were the main concerns for me. I did not need it to be portable but wanted as light a weight as possible for a future move to a smaller place and diminished shop space. The DVR was the perfect fit in my situation. Had space and weight not been so high on my list the PM or either of the jet 1642's would have won out. I have read many reviews on both the jet's and the owners of the 1 1/2 hp units seem never to complain about bogging down their machines. Now if 220 were avaliable in the shop and the cost within a few hundred bucks for the upgrade the 220 jet would have won out. Nothing wrong with the DVR but I don't believe it to be as heavy duty as the others...Bill...

[Dave Rudy]

IMHO, get the 3520 and don't look back. Every time I bought a tool that might possibly be underpowered, I ended up deciding to do something that I hadn't thought of up front that required more power and couldn't do it.

Instead of buying the same (type of) tool 2 or 3 times, do it once and you will not regret it.

Unfortunately, you just missed a huge powermatic sale with free shipping. But keep at it.

[Chris Stolicky]

I recommend trying and seeing as many lathes in this price range and size as you can. I was saving up for the mustard, but was able to land the Jet 1642 220v at close to half of the mustard price. I think it was a good move. You can easily turn up to 14" bowls (think about how big that is) and you could do outboard with a proper tool rest.

I have never been a huge fan of the Nova's, but they are good machines. I guess the lack of a good stand (building your own) was kind of a turn off. The setting of the speeds was also kind of weird to me. THe pivoting head can be beneficial, but make sure you are able to line it up properly after you turn it.

Like I said, try a few and save for what you really want. Remember, its not just the cost of the lathe, its also everything else you are going to want along with it - chucks, tools, tools, more grinding jigs, tools, chucks, vacuum system, tools, more wood, bugger chainsaw.... you see the theme here?

Good luck.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jon - I have a Jet 1642 2hp lathe and love it! However - if you are serious about turning and not just starting out - then I would suggest the Powermatic 3520B lathe for 2 reasons.

#1 - the 20" swing would make a world of difference when you go to rough out a chunk of wood. I can not even count the number of times that I had to shave down a chainsawed blank just to get it to turn on the 1642! That time and frustration does add up and is one of those things - should I ever upgrade - that will play a major part in determining the next lathe.

#2 - weight! The more your lathe weighs - the less likely it is to walk on you when turning out-of-round blanks. I built a ballast box for my lathe and added 7 bags of quick-crete just to counteract the torque. That makes the weight of my lathe equal with that of a stock 3520B! It does help but not as much as having a lathe that weighs more to begin with - and then adding ballast!

I've had my lathe for 3 years now and it honestly is a great lathe! It is 220 volt, 2 hp and I can guarantee you that I can stop the lathe cold when being aggressive with my cuts. Course, not everyone wants to hog off wood like I do but my next lathe will have more power!

[Greg Bender]

Jon,
I second what everybody has said about the 16/42 since I just bought one.Steve is to blame for convincing me that it was the lathe for me.I would have bought a 3520 but it grew out of my budget.As far as the 16/42 is concerned,look around for a 2 hp quick,I was led to believe that Jet was not making the 2 hp anymore since it cost too much to market the 1.5 and the 2.I got mine for $1605 out the door from a local retail outlet here in NC.I jumped from a 1 hp Woodfast 16" to the jet and there's no comparison.I still do need to add ballast and that will come over the holidays when I finally have time to mess with it.Good Luck either way,
Greg

[Ryan Baker]

I have the Jet 1642-2 and basically agree with what Steve said. It is the best bang for the buck deal out there. If I were starting new now, I would probably pick the 3520b if the price was not the concern. Given that I already have the Jet, I would not upgrade to the PM. The only significant difference between them is a little more swing and a fair amount of price tag. Occasionally I do wish I had more swing (not that often), but if I were to upgrade for more swing, I would upgrade to something more than 20". 1.5 or 2 HP is plenty of power for just about anything you will ever need to turn. Two features of both the Jet and the PM that I consider non-negotiable are the sliding (not rotating) headstock and EVS. The Nova is certainly a good lathe, but I don't personally care for it much. It's much lighter, and I don't like the controls or the rotating headstock.