# Nova 1624-44 lathe



## Aurora North (Jul 28, 2015)

Hey everyone,

I just saw a Craigslist add in my area for a 2 year old, "lightly used" nova 1624-44 for $850. I have zero experience with turning and have put off buying a lathe for a good 4-5 years now. Some other machine has always taken precedent.

Anyway, I was looking at the jet midi for 700 or $800. Something like that... So when I saw this I called the guy and set an appointment to come by and take it off his hands.

I'm worried I might have rushed it... I know nothing about nova lathes as far as quality. Do any of you on here use one of these or have used one that can mention anything worth noting in terms of defects/ ease of use/ quality/ precision/ motor issues/ bearings, etc?

This is going to be my first lathe and $850 is a lot to drop for me right now. I just want to be sure it's going to be a worthwhile investment. From the reviews it seems like it's decent. And looking at the list of add ons it seems like a good deal to me. Or did anyway. I'm almost second guessing it thinking this is a "too good to be true" situation. 

In any case I'll give it a test run before I take it. 

It's coming with

3 : 12" gouges
2 : 22" gouges
Nova 2 chuck
Teknatool chuck
Cole jaw set
Mini cole jaw set
2 flat faceplate connectors
Screw in connector


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## Jerry B (Jul 28, 2015)

I own and use daily the 1624-44 and if I were to replace it, it would be with a Robust lathe, that's how happy I am with it
if in Great shape, $850 would be a top end price for a 2 year old lathe, it's regularly on sale @ Woodcraft for $999 new ......
but, also considering the accessories that come with it, ballpark costs of $500-700, then you're getting a deal 

The Only issue I have with mine is changing the belts as I regularly use different speeds for different applications
other than that, motor is strong (have turned a bowl as big as 32" diameter), headstock is true, headstock swivels for larger vessels
doubt you'd ever need another lathe unless going to a midi for pens and such


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## Aurora North (Jul 28, 2015)

Ah shoot... Well I was actually planning to start using it by making some pens to get the hang of it. I was thinking in my head this might be way too much machine for something small like that. Is this the case or would I be able to still use it on smaller turnings?


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## Schroedc (Jul 28, 2015)

Aurora North said:


> Ah shoot... Well I was actually planning to start using it by making some pens to get the hang of it. I was thinking in my head this might be way too much machine for something small like that. Is this the case or would I be able to still use it on smaller turnings?



Turn pens on it. It's like driving a corvette to the grocery store but gets the job done, I turn pens and small stuff from time to time on a Oneway 2436.


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## barry richardson (Jul 28, 2015)

I think it's a good lathe and you got a good deal considering the extras. Seems most folks that start out turning pens want to move up to bigger things eventually, if only for some variety. You will be ready when that time comes...


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## DKMD (Jul 28, 2015)

It's a lot more versatile than the midi lathes, and it's not a terrible price considering all the extras. I've turned a bunch of little stuff on my PM, so I wouldn't worry about buying too much machine.


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## Jerry B (Jul 28, 2015)

Aurora, I've turned well over 500 pens with mine, it's perfect for everything


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 28, 2015)

Echoing what the others have said, with all the extras it's a good deal in my opinion. A heck of a good lathe to start out on, most of us didn't start on a lathe that good. And you can get parts for it if you ever need to. You can turn small on a big lathe, but you can't turn big on a small lathe.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Aurora North (Jul 29, 2015)

Many thanks guys. I will go forward with it and check off the lathe from the machinery list. I'm excited to finally get to start turning. Time to finally pull the trigger and give myself the access to the projects I've been thinking of.

Reactions: Like 2


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