Nova comet lathe

Built by Nova, I would say it’s a really good lathe. Maybe shop the price to make sure you get the best deal.

I had one and it was good, I liked it. Soon after I got a good deal on a Delta Midi which is a superior lathe if you can swing the extra $150.

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/8402

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

I bought one from Rockler in December. It came with G3 Chuck included. This is my first lathe so my experience Is limited. But I have been quite happy with my purchase. I purchased a bed extension so I could turn a rolling pin for my daughter-in-law that needed to be a bit longer than the lathe could accommodate. For me, the extension is mostly handy so I can slide the tail stock out if the way, since I do very little spindle turning. A big advantage of this lathe over many other entry level machines is that it will go down to 200 rpm. That is very handy on larger pieces, though not so much for spindle turning. I took a turning class where I used a similar sized Jet lathe and the Nova was easier to shift the belts on – a lot easier. I recently tried to rough out a chainsawed 11-inch blank of very wet fir. It was way too heavy for this lathe. Smaller blanks from the same tree were successfully turned. I have done 11 1/2 inch platters and bowls. I think my money was well spent.

-- Dave K.

i would probably refrain from turning bowels….that could get really messy, really quickly!

My daughter has had one for about three years now and no problems.
Moving between similar projects you should not need to move the belt, just use the electronic speed control.
For big bowls or platters the lowest range (250-680), for normal bowls/platters and large sipindle the middle range (530-1480) and for small items the high range (1380-4000).

-- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

Thanks for the answers. I’ve been in hospital for the last few days, had major emergency surgery, so naturally forgot about the question. Now that im out though, I’ll probably wait an find a larger lathe if everything goes right health wise.
Thanks again
Gerald