Hegner HDB200XL or Nova DVR

Dear john just check STUBBY lathes they are the best period! ED

They look like the perfect lathe for bowl turning. Its a shame they are over twice the price as the DVR $4300 is a lot of money for a hobby tool!

John, I have a Nova DVR and have been very pleased with it. I run mine off of 120 but hey can be converted to 220 and the low end torque is better. I have turned up to 15" Oak bowls on it as well as wine bottle stoppers. I have not seen the other lathe, but don't imagine how it could be better for the price. Needless to say I am partial to my DVR and would buy another one. I would recomend getting the outside turning attachment. A friend of mine has one and likes it. I am not affiliated with Nova or with any of it's dealers. More Woodturnig has articles on some extensive test and evlauations that were done on the DVR. I did make some of the modifications, but they were minor. You might want to contact More Woodturning and get these back issues before you make your final decision. They helped me decide on the DVR. Bob M.

John I just had the opportunity to turn on a DVR for the second time, at our club's booth at the state fair. My first time on this same machine was a year ago at a 2-day demonstration at our local Woodcraft store. I don't like to say negative things about any lathe but the experiences I had turning on the DVR for 6 days were not that great and I feel obligated to share them with you.

Last year I did not have any problems with the motor. This time we experienced a serious intermittent interruption of the motor. The motor would start to jerk. Slow down, stop, speed up, repeat. It was like watching a seizure. At the same time you could hear what sounded like a ?bucket of bolts' noise coming from inside the headstock. The piece of wood mounted at the time was almost finished being turned. Turning off the lathe completely and waiting a few minutes fixed the problem.

There are other mechanical problems, some that can be fixed by you, the owner, and some that need to be addressed by Nova.

A year ago when I used the lathe I was impressed with its low-end torque. If I remember right, the lowest speed setting was 250. I was able to rough out a large blank for a hat easily. That blank was nicely shaped with a chainsaw and well balanced. This time I noticed that the software had been upgraded and the lowest speed was 100 which was good because the green mulberry blank I was using was way out of balance. The safest speed I could use was around 150 rpms. It was in this speed range that I noticed that I could very easily stop the lathe while cutting. I called a friend who has a DVR (he loves his) and he told me how to program the lathe for low-end torque. I really could not feel a difference and it took me over 30 minutes to round the blank. I was still able to stall the lathe. The shavings were no more than 3/8" wide when this would happen.

Two things bother me about this situation. For a 1 3/4 hp motor, I would expect more low-end torque. Secondly, for a lathe of this price I would expect something a bit more stout that the sheet metal sawhorse style stand. If the DVR was a couple of hundred pounds heavier, I could have increased the speed a bit resulting in a little more torque. This stand is barely more substantial than the one that came with my $500 Delta 701. Another problem is that shavings have no way to pass through the ways and we spent a significant amount of our time clearing the ways so we could slide the banjo and tailstock.

Substantial is not a word I would use to describe the DVR. The locking handles for the banjo and tailstock are very slender and very short. After a few hours of moving these around my hands were sore. The locking handles for the tool rest and the quill are not the ratcheting type, which, sometimes leaves the lever sticking in the way. On the tailstock the quill lever always pointed towards me. Another thing about the quill, the groove for the locking lever is facing up. We managed to get shavings into the groove and the quill would not extend or retract. It was also at that time we found out the small handle on the quill hand wheel is pressed in, not screwed or bolted. It kept coming off with just the slightest pressure. We kept a rubber mallet next to the lathe just to knock the handle back into the hand wheel.

I like the computer concept of the lathe. It offers the ability to upgrade the lathe with just software. However, the controls for the lathe are lacking in some ways. You can't find the stop button (actually, there is no button just a graphic you must push) by touch. This is very dangerous because the area you must hit is less than an inch across. Try finding that in an emergency :^) The ability to adjust your rpms with the keypad is nice until you need to quickly slow the lathe for an out of balance blank (I know you should not get into that situation but it does happen). The computer responds slowly to pressing the button and you have to keep your finger on the button until the desired speed is achieved. All the while your are standing in front of a bucking bull. Turning a dial to zero is a lot faster.

In a nutshell, I think what you are paying for with the DVR is the unique motor and controller. As with all new things, there are a few bugs to work out. I believe that Nova will improve the motor with software upgrades however, the other problems are structural and you will have to fix or modify those. For only a couple of hundred dollars more they could have provided you with beefy handles and stand like you find on the comparably priced Delta 1642 or Jet lathe 1642.

In the end though it boils down to what works for you.

Tim Yoder Woodturners of Northeastern Oklahoma

Hello, Have you considered the Nova 3000 instead of the DVR? Mr. Yoder put up some valid points about the DVR. I have never used one but I do own a 3000. I never bought that stand, just built one, essentially a braced plywood box with 450 pounds of sand in it, raised the lathe up on spacers to take care of clearance problems, bought a DVR tailstock to replace the pathetic one that came with it, turned small extension handles that I slipped on over the short stubby ones, and most importantly I bought a 3 phase motor and controller (1.5 h/p) from Dealers Electric. I had thought about the DVR but I am truly afraid of dedicated, one of a kind electronics. If my motor fries, I can get another most anywhere and the same goes for my controller, I also have many different ways of programming the controller without having a computer science degree. So what I have ended up with is avery user friendly lathe that is totally customized for my needs which I can easily change if I want to (bed extensions, bigger motor, outboard turning attachment) for a pretty decent price and customer service from WoodCraft is excellent so that only sweetens the pot. Have fun and good luck, Guy

A hearty amen Guy, except I think the N3K tailstock is ugly, not pathetic. It does its job for me. Want to sell your old one? Arch

Fortiter,

Hi John

I have had the Hegner for 2-3 yrs now and like it a lot. You will find it a good step forward over the Record (I upgraded from a Record CL1).

I particularly like the speed control which is on a rotary knob (the DVR has up down push buttons). It has provision for a remote foot switch which is desirable for hollow forms.

John (UK)

John,I've had both the Nova 3000 and the DVR.I see the dvr as a much better option, as supplied with dealer configurations.The tailstock on the dvr is substantially better than the 3000 and I've had no problems with the Motor other than dust.When not in use I now keep the head covered with a plastic bag...The previous respondents are correct as far as any current dealer optioned stand goes.I believe it to be inadequate. I tried the weighted wooden version and found this had too much "flex" when subjected to out of balance situations...I've since converted to a shop built,welded up version of the stubby stand, to fit the Nova and it works great for a little more than $50 in materials.Check the stubby site for a picture.I believe the Nova dvr to be a good buy for a person with moderate do it youself skills to allow customization to fit their personal needs.Someone else said the Stubby is best and I agree as I now have both...Good luck in whatever you decide,Rick