Just looked at a Nova Galaxi DVR 1644 Lathe

[EvilTwin]

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I've been using an older Delta 12" floor lathe for a few years now.  It's a good machine, but it does have its limitations.  I'd like a machine that can turn a larger blank, a bit more hp (mine is driven with a 1hp motor) and runs a bit smoother than mine does with the reeves drive.  I'd also like to keep the costs down, maybe somewhere between 1500 and 2000.

The local woodcraft has two Nova lathes on the floor, a Nova Galaxi 1644 DVR lathe and a 1624 II.   The 1624 is the smaller of the two and uses an 8 step pulley for speed changes.  It has a pivoting head, and a fairly short bed.  The asking price is 999.

The Galaxi lathe is a new model and is full sized.  The bed looks longer than my floor model Delta.  We were able to power up the headstock and it does run very smoothly.  Construction looks to be very good, heavy castings.  The tailstock moves smoothly, not as nice as the Powermatic sitting next to it, but better than the 1624.  This model is on sale for 1999 till March 23.  I was impressed by what I saw.

From what I read, Teknatool has offshored their production to China, though I couldn't find any tag on the lathe that showed the country of origin.   If it is Asian made, than it's no better or worse than Griz which is also under consideration.  I did a quick search of the forum and found a few comments about their quality suffering a bit, but if it's like any new product, it has growing pains.  I like the 999 price better than the 1999 price, but I am spoiled by VS, even if it is mechanical.  The Galaxi is much more substantial which is also a big plus.  I have only seen the Grizzly lathes online, I would love to play with one firsthand, but that may not be possible.

I'm open to comments and opinions.  Tell me what you think.

[n7bsn]

We own a Grizzly G0766 and a Nova DVR-XP. I've also looked at the new Galaxi

Teknatool has had their factory in China for nearly a decade. It may be in China but Teknatool retains enough control there has not been a any visible "clones" appear. In fact my DVR-XP was one of the early production Chinese made lathes.

Teknatool has had some QA issues with the Chinese factory, as an example the complete recall of the first production run of Infinity Chucks.

I like the new features of the Galaxi over the older Nova, I like the sliding head-stock, the speed control, etc.

I love how much quieter the Galaxi is vrs the G0766, the Grizzly has a constant whine

I also love the additional power the Grizzly has vrs the Galaxi

Some points to consider, you will need many new tool rests with the Grizzly, it's simply too tall for the many tool posts. Some simply may never fit, the stock tool post for the McNaughton bowl saver is simply too short, period.

If you have any comparative real user questions between the two, just ask.

Me, I would simply not consider the other Teknatool lathe, period.

[AHill]

I can't speak for the Galaxy DVR, but I do own one of they early Nova DVR's made in China.  I had one that was packaged poorly and had to return it due to damage suffered in shipment, but the replacement has been a champ.  No issues at all.  I recently (like 2 days ago) received one of the new Infinity chucks.  I'm impressed.  Packaged well, perfect fit and finish, and everything works like it should.  And, it comes with a 6 year warranty.

[iclark]

I would expect to have to take the 1624 off of those spindly feet and build a base for it if I was going to use it as a 16" lathe.

I have heard lots of good things about the DVR drive system but I do not have any experience with them.

I really like having a sliding headstock and I use that feature a lot on my Jet 1642.

If I was in the market for another lathe in the 16" size range, the Galaxi would definitely be on my short list.

From your comments, your Woodcraft has not sold one of the Galaxies yet. If they have, then they could ask their customer(s) who bought one if they would consider letting you come over and try it.

Woodcrafts do demos on Saturday. You might ask the owner of your local WC if they would consider doing a Nova demo one Saturday in the near future to show off the lathe and to let a few people try it.

[Arlin Eastman]

Maybe Ralph can help here with this Grizzly since he has the 766

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Du...-47-/G0733

$1755

[*]Motor: 2 HP, 220V, 3-phase with single-phase frequency drive
[*]Power requirement: 220V, single-phase
[*]Swing over bed: 18"
[*]Distance between centers: 47"
[*]Heavy-duty, precision-machined cast-iron bed and cast-iron legs ensure stability and minimal vibration
[*]1-1/4" x 8 TPI RH headstock spindle
[*]Variable spindle speed control with digital readout
[*]Speed range: high: 330–3200 RPM, low: 100–1200 RPM
[*]MT #2 spindle & tailstock tapers
[*]Spindle bore: 0.393"
[*]Overall dimensions: 80-3/4" long x 19-1/16" wide x 48-1/16" high
[*]Approximate shipping weight: 550 lbs.



And grizzly has what looks like the exact same as the PM for only $1200 more

$3250

http://www.grizzly.com/products/20-x-48-...athe/G0799

[*]Motor: 2HP, 220V, 3-phase with inverter for single phase power equipment
[*]Swing over bed: 20"
[*]Swing over tool rest base: 16"
[*]Distance between centers: 48"
[*]Maximum distance tool rest to spindle center: 15"
[*]Tool rest width: 14-1/4"
[*]Spindle speeds: Variable, L: 60-1000 RPM, H: 200-3500 RPM
[*]Spindle nose: 1-1/4" x 8 TPI
[*]Spindle taper: MT#2
[*]Spindle bore (dia.):5/8"
[*]Tailstock taper: MT#2
[*]Tailstock quill travel: 4-1/2"
[*]Spindle center height to floor: 44"
[*]Number of spindle indexes: 48, 7-1/2°
[*]Approximate shipping weight: 826 lb.

[*]http://www.grizzly.com/products/24-x-48-...athe/G0800

$3475

[*]Motor: 3HP, 220V, 3-phase with inverter for single phase power equipment
[*]Swing over bed: 24"
[*]Swing over tool rest base: 20"
[*]Distance between centers: 48"
[*]Maximum distance tool rest to spindle center: 15"
[*]Tool rest width: 14-1/4"
[*]Spindle speeds: Variable, L: 60-1000 RPM, H: 200-3500 RPM
[*]Spindle nose: 1-1/4" x 8 TPI
[*]Spindle taper: MT#2
[*]Spindle bore (dia.):5/8"
[*]Tailstock taper: MT#2
[*]Tailstock quill travel: 4-1/2"
[*]Spindle center height to floor: 46"
[*]Number of spindle indexes: 48, 7-1/2°
[*]Approximate shipping weight: 845 lb.


Here is a Jet 1840 at $2999.99


http://www.tools-plus.com/jet-719600.html

[*]The only thing with Jet and Powermatic is they go on sale every so often for 15% off and I think they are still doing it now


Whatever the choice I will be looking forward to seeing you doing some turning buddy.

[MichaelMouse]

As mentioned in the other thread, I own an ancestor of the cheaper lathe.  If you get a sliding headstock you must commit more floor to use it.  If you have space, fine.  If not, better with the swivel. 

Continuously variable motors are amply compensated by variable tool feed rates.  I use the bottom three rpm rates on mine.  Can't move the tool fast enough to justify anything beyond 11 passes/second (680).  So rather than increase danger to pass an already cut area untouched a couple more times a second, I max at 680.

For the price difference you could equip the 16-24 with a set of tools, a chuck and a couple sets of jaws, and enjoy more of the things you turn for. 

If you're basically a furniture guy, you might prefer the convenience of one-piece legs, so get the long bed.

[EvilTwin]

We own a Grizzly G0766 and a Nova DVR-XP. I've also looked at the new Galaxi
Teknatool has had their factory in China for nearly a decade. It may be in China but Teknatool retains enough control there has not been a any visible "clones" appear. In fact my DVR-XP was one of the early production Chinese made lathes.
Teknatool has had some QA issues with the Chinese factory, as an example the complete recall of the first production run of Infinity Chucks.
I like the new features of the Galaxi over the older Nova, I like the sliding head-stock, the speed control, etc.
I love how much quieter the Galaxi is vrs the G0766, the Grizzly has a constant whine
I also love the additional power the Grizzly has vrs the Galaxi
Some points to consider, you will need many new tool rests with the Grizzly, it's simply too tall for the many tool posts. Some simply may never fit, the stock tool post for the McNaughton bowl saver is simply too short, period.

Glad to talk to somebody that knows both.  I had read comments about the VFD whine on the griz.  Not sure how bothersome that would be.  The griz is a bigger motor, and would need 220, but it would be sitting next to my big bandsaw, and that is on 220, so no worries.  I hadn't considered the issue with the tool posts.  I do have a small collection from the delta and was going to keep most and use them on the new lathe.  

I would expect to have to take the 1624 off of those spindly feet and build a base for it if I was going to use it as a 16" lathe.
I have heard lots of good things about the DVR drive system but I do not have any experience with them.
I really like having a sliding headstock and I use that feature a lot on my Jet 1642.
If I was in the market for another lathe in the 16" size range, the Galaxi would definitely be on my short list.

I like the sliding headstock feature, and the Galaxi also pivots as well.  I was thinking I would need an outboard tool rest, but the salesguy at woodcraft said it could be pivoted to 45 degrees and the banjo is long enough to get the rest out where it needs to go.   I also have a freestanding tool rest I can use as well.

I thought the same thing about the legs on the 1624, but the machine seemed quite sturdy.  It doesn't weigh nearly as much as the galaxi or grix, both of those are in the 500 lb range.

As mentioned in the other thread, I own an ancestor of the cheaper lathe.  If you get a sliding headstock you must commit more floor to use it.  If you have space, fine.  If not, better with the swivel. 

Continuously variable motors are amply compensated by variable tool feed rates.  I use the bottom three rpm rates on mine.  Can't move the tool fast enough to justify anything beyond 11 passes/second (680).  So rather than increase danger to pass an already cut area untouched a couple more times a second, I max at 680.
For the price difference you could equip the 16-24 with a set of tools, a chuck and a couple sets of jaws, and enjoy more of the things you turn for. 
If you're basically a furniture guy, you might prefer the convenience of one-piece legs, so get the long bed.

The one thing I really like about the 1624 is the price.  I have a set of tools, and a stronghold chuck which I can change the adapter on if need be.   My shop is so crowded, that most of what I do lately is small stuff.  But I will have ample room around this machine if it replaces the delta.



From looking at both the griz and the galaxi, they are sharing a bit of dna.  The bed and legs look to be identical castings.  Im going to guess the tailstocks are more similar than they are different.  The differences between the two would be the headstocks.  One is sliding only, a bit taller and uses a 3 hp, 3 phase motor and built in VFD.  The Galaxi has the sliding swivel head, and some fancier proprietary technology (I'm not an electrical engineer, but I think it is a variation of the VFD technology with some extra computer control).   I'm not a very advanced turner, but not a beginner either.   The limitations of my old girl are starting to show.   I'd love to keep the price down as much as possible, but this has to be the last lathe I buy, unless I hit the lottery...

[SteveK]

FWIW -- I've been learning on and using an old Jet 1014 midi-lathe for a couple of years. 
It's been time to upgrade for a while a (like 2+ years).
  
I've been searching CL for a good used deal (nothing) , hemming & hawing for a year on whether to go Nova DVR or Grizz 0766 or similar or just stay with something that's bigger than the midi but not as pricey. Decided that whatever I get, it will be my final lathe purchase.

Last year around this time, Woodcraft had the Nova DVR XP on sale at a nice price with a free chuck. Almost pulled the trigger, but held off.  

Yesterday I pulled the trigger on the Nova Galaxi. The sale price was not quite as cheap as last year's DVR XP sale price and didn't include a free chuck -- but looking back, I am glad I waited.   The Galaxi is full-size (the XP wasn't), it includes the cast iron legs, and has several improvements in the headstock/motor/computer control that I feel are worth the wait (electronic braking, speed-dial, sliding headstock, etc.).

I haven't fully un-packed, but that and setup will happen during this week.

[seasaw]

I upgraded my Nova DVR-XP to a Galaxi 1644 about 6 months ago. The DVR served me well for 9 years, but I was attracted to the Galaxi by the beefy cast iron legs, and the rotary speed control.  Short answer is I love the Galaxi! it runs smooth as silk, no belts to change and a full 2 hp on 240V. Plenty of power and rock solid. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I had a couple of minor issues (bad remote & sticky quill). Nova customer service was outstanding and replacement parts were fed-x to me after 1 phone call.
Steve

[Arlin Eastman]

After much thinking I thing the Galaxi is the way to go.