Opinions on Nova DVR XP

I have both a pivoting head lathe (Poolewood) and a sliding headstock lathe (Powermatic 3520A) and much prefer the sliding headstock feature. The workpiece stays centered over the bed and seems a lot more stable when roughing and turning out of balance pieces. Standing at the end of the lathe for turning bowls and hollow forms is a real blessing for your back, and I have a greater range of body movement when working off the end than with the pivoting head lathe.

As for the stand, I have robust cast iron legs on the Powermatic but still ended up adding a shelf and 350 pounds of sand. I built a sturdy wooden stand for the Poolewood and added a bunch of weight to it. Both seem to work equally well. If you are much of a scrounger you ought to be able to build your own stand for next to nothing. You certainly don't need to invest in maple. Any scrap wood will do if you make your stand massive enough and braced well enough.