Anyone using this beast? How good a unit is it? Any drawbacks?
- posted
16 years ago
Anyone using this beast? How good a unit is it? Any drawbacks?
Yes, reasonable quality, mine had some minor fit and finish issues, quickly resolved. There are some reports that the percentage of poor quality units has increased with the move to China
Hello,
I used a DVR-XP extensively when I was demonstrating woodturning at The Woodworking Shows. I found it to be a very capable lathe, although I would have preferred a dial to change the speed, in lieu of the buttons on the controller (a minor nit pick).
My unit was mounted to a steel stand and I quickly found out that it was difficult to clean under the bedway (in the centre of the rails) because of the amount of clearance under the unit. If you have an air compressor, you could easily just blow it out after each use, but when I was on the road demonstrating it was always a problem (another minor nit pick).
The only other thing I noticed was the bedways... I would have liked to see more mass in the bedways, given the capacity of this lathe and the amount of forces that would be generated when turning items near the capacity of the unit. Although the size and mass of the bedways were increased over the previous Nova lathe model, I still would have liked to have seen some more "beef" in the bedway section.
In turning, the XP had ample power for the pieces I was turning and it performed very well, with very good torque - even when taking large cuts in green wood bowls with an Irish ground bowl gouge. In its price range, it's definitely worth a look. Take care and all the best to you and yours!
Steve.. I've been considering this lathe as a move up from my jet 1442vs.. I like the lathe on paper and appreciate the belt-less drive and all..
My question is on low speed.. the ads all say 100 to 3,000 rpm or whatever and I was wondering why they'd limit it that way, when other digital lathes state low speed at zero??
mac
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There's always the source
Also has the copy from the FWW test
you will only turn it on with the speed too high one or two times, and then you learn to check - if you don't learn to check, a flying piece of wood will teach you
Actually it resets to 500 rpm, which I do love. I can echo much of Steve's other comments though. One thing I am getting ready to do, mine is too low, so I am going to raise it, by putting blocks between the lathe and the (home brew) stand. This will allow me to better clear the chips out of the ways. My stand also has a sand box at the bottom to add weight
Not me, Reed... I've never started the lathe with a bowl blank on it after buffing something at 1,900 rpm.. at least not that I'll admit..
mac
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Hey Mr Hippy, You mentioned something that I've wondered about, ie. leaving my Leeson controller switches on. Does using the speed control as an on-off switch during a turning session do any harm and why does the control need both a run switch and a power switch? I guess to start up where I left off, but wouldn't the power switch do the same since there is no default to zero rpm? Something to do with the electronics?
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter
Not Hippy, but if you stop with the button, it restarts at the same speed. If you turn the switch off, when you turn it back on it beeps a burbles awhile like a computer booting up, then is ready to run at the default second set speed. My second speed is 450(I changed it from
500) the first default set is 250, the third 750. It comes with five default set speeds, but you can use the up and down buttons to change in increments of 5 rpm. I love that on roughing out because I just hold the down button until the shimmy stops. As the piece is evened out rounder I can gradually speed it up to make the cutting faster.
Yep.. the definition of experience is "recognizing your mistakes when you repeat them"
mac
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Hello Mac.
Apologies for the lathe reply... We're shooting a new DVD video and every spare moment is spent in the studio shooting video...
That's a good question... I'm not sure of the answer, but it might have to do with how the Digital Variable Reluctance motor is configured and constructed. Obviously, having the ability to go lower than 100 RPM is desirable when mounting larger imbalanced blanks, but there are ways around this if you have a blank that causes too much vibration at the 100RPM speed limit.
I would not let that particular fact stop me from purchasing this lathe, but it should be factored into your decision if you plan on doing work near the capacity of the lathe and you anticipate routinely mounting imbalanced pieces.
Additional note: Promo material and demo videos note how the electronics continuously monitor the spindle speed to keep it at/near the desired setting. The motor works well in most cutting situations, but it can be easily bogged down when taking heavy cuts with and Irish ground bowl gouge. I did it many times during a demonstration, but it comes back up to speed quickly.
Hello George,
I was actually referring to their latest DVR-XP model, not the earlier Nova
3000 model (that also needed more beef in the bedway, IMHO and a better tailstock) when I mentioned I thought the bedway needed more "beef". :-)While it's true that the latest model benefited from a redesign of the bedways that included a flared out design with increased mass, I still think it could use some more weight in the bedways. Of course, I'm from Texas and we like everything big! :-) Take care and all the best to you and yours!
Still remember the sign in a greasy spoon in Anchorage which proclaimed "Pie $2.50. Texas size $1.00."
The non-beefed rails have plenty rigidity for me, but I don't hack at rough pieces and strain the system, I peel wood. Those prone to mounting severely out-of-balance and out-of-round pieces and stuffing a tool into the rotation might find the banjo is weaker than the bed.
Speeds below the 100 rpm rate are almost more trouble than they're worth, because you have to concentrate on steady tool position to keep it from following your push into a low spot and getting whacked by the next high rather than normal swing and pare. I find the 360 setting to be just about the lower limit for "normal" cutting.
Guy with a bandsaw should find little need for anything below 200 cutting over the bed, where the "beef" comes into play.
Fortunately I elevated my bed on 1.5" pads above the tabletop, because I was sick and tired of having to use a hook to drag clumps of shavings out from underneath. I have to be really lazy about cleanout, and be spindle turning or hollowing before I get into a shaving pack situation now. Ol' Blue taught me a lot of things!
Thanks, Steve... I received an email from the manufacturer confirming the 100 low speed..
Nothing I do now requires that low a speed for turning, but some woods like to be sanded slower.. probably not THAT slow, but on a large diameter bowl, the 450 rpm on my Jet seems like 1,000 on the outer edge.. *g*
It's really hard to justify spending that much for a lathe when my 1442 does everything I need.. but the design and such sure make me want to part with the bucks.. OTOH, it's not like there are a bunch of buyers for used lathes here in Baja.. and even if someone was interested, I'm not sure that I'd want to get competition started.. ;-]
mac
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Mac,
FWIW, I pushed my 1442 to about capacity for the first time this weekend. I had 2 black locust crotch blanks almost 15" diameter and about 5" thick, very wet. Since it was a tad greater than the 14" swing, I just rotated the head and 90 degrees and did it all outboard (no tailstock assist) with the banjo on the left of the headstock.
I has careful to get it as balanced as possible at the BS first. I thought that was a lot of wood for a mid-sized lathe but it handled it pretty well.
450rpm was surprisingly unscary. The only thing that was a bit anoying was that the tool rest would not stay locked (it would rotate a bit) when I worked with a downward angle on the interior. I'm sure that I could fix that by tweaking either the tool or my technique if i did that on a regular basis.Anyway, my lathe is a supplement to my flatwork, not the center of my woodworking world. I was pleasantly surprised that the tool could function reasonably well at it's theoretical capacity. If I am limited to 15" or so, that seems pretty reasonable for a less than "pro" lathe.
regards,
Steve
Hello Mac,
I know what you mean about the rim speed... Try roughing a 46" platter at
150 RPM. The rim is *cooking* to say the least. I like to call it NASCAR turning. :-o I did a few 42" bowls not long ago on my outbound side and the air flow coming off them made it seem like I was standing in front of a high-velocity fan...As for your current lathe... Sounds like you can keep it for a while at least. Maybe you can spend the difference on some sweet tools. :-) Also, if you do happen to mount an imbalanced piece on the lathe, you can easily remove some of the weight by using a power carver like the Arbortech, or even an electric chainsaw to lop off a bit here and there.
Since the lathe will automatically rotate the heavy side to the bottom of the spindle, it's a simple matter to perform a rough balance on the piece to help you have an easier time when roughing. If you really get into working near your capacity, there are balancing chucks you can buy (I have the Kel McNaughton Balancer) that will allow you to move weights to specific areas around the spindle to offset for imbalanced loads.
Kel's balancer has 2, (5) pound weights that are independently moveable in a
360 degree radius to balance loads on the chuck/spindle. I use it when working with larger pieces and with off-centre pieces. Works like a charm! If I can ever help you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Take care and all the best to you and yours!Thanks everyone for your input. We just had a wood show up here, and I bought the DVRXP. I got the outrigger, bed extention, and cast iron stand for about $2,700 plus taxes. Now I have to put it all together, hope I have all the nuts and bolts.( There is always one missing :) )
WOW! That would scare the hell out of me, Steve..
Both the idea of something that big hanging off the lathe, and possible side force on the headstock bearings..
I was told here to use the tailstock whenever I could on stuff like that to minimize side thrust of whatever..
Actually, as I remember it now, it was when I posted pictures of a 10" round chunk of plum about a foot long mounted on my poor old Jet mini..
Was the tool rest itself rotating, or the tool rest holder/banjo moving?
I've had to adjust the bolt under the bed rails a few times to keep the banjo locking tight..
You weren't using that POS tool rest extension, were you?
mac
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