Opinions on DVR3000, Jet 1642, Oneway 1224, JWL-1442

Tom,

I just went through the same evaluation and ordered a Nova 3000 DVR. I didn't consider the Jet 1442 because I wanted electronic speed control and it has a Reeves drive.

The Oneway is probably one of the best lathes around but it's swing of twelve inches was not that much more than my Delta Midi. But I think the

1224 was my second choice. One plus, it comes with a stand.

The Jet 1642 is a nice lathe and has all of the features that I wanted. I can or could be had on Amazon for under $1800 with free shipping. But, it is just to darn big. I don't turn large things between centers. I turn pens and start bowls between centers but don't make any spindles. It comes with legs and should be a serious contender.

I settled on the DVR because it had everything I wanted and was at a price I could afford. On the downside, the stand is not included. I haven't heard one bad thing about it and Brad at Packard Woodworks said they have had no problems with the ones they have sold. No belts, good speed range, fair distance between centers, 16" swing. Mine is sitting in a trucking terminal not to far from here where I will pick it up tomorrow. Meanwhile I'm building a stand.

Hope this helps.

Got a good workable stand for the plain old 3000 that you can see here.

Two big pluses are the footprint is wider than the swing for stability, and the lathe is elevated for cleanup. Oh yes, the 400mm swing figure is correct, at least for the 3000. Don't cut at 16".

I have owned a Jet 1442 for about two years and I am very satisfied. I am not a "dedicated" woodturner but use the machine to fabricate parts for my woodworking projects. I have, however, made a few of simple vases, etc. The only complaint I had was a sticking speed control and periodic cleaning of the belt mechanism fixes that (I think time has loosened it up too). The machine has plenty of power to do any project I need to do in my shop.

I would buy it again.

RonB

I can't comment on any of these lathes. When I decided to buy a better one I went for the Powermatic. But I can say not to buy any lathe with the Reeves drive. It may be fine for occasional use and many of us have used it for a lot more than that (I had the Delta) but it is old technology and will always result in more vibration and more upkeep. Get an electronic variable speed. You will be far happier in the long run. Earl

If money is no object, (you ARE considering a Oneway), go for the biggest Oneway that you can afford.. *g*

I have the Jet 1442 with the reeves drive and love it... (but having owned shopsmiths for over 30 years, I'm used to them)

It's the best buy for the money that I could find.. 1/2 the price of a 16" lathe and only about $200 more than the 14" Delta... (my research showed that it was MUCH more than a 200 difference in quality)

I looked at the 16" lathes, but they were too expensive, took up too much space and were way too big for our upcoming move to Mexico... I went to 14" because the next step up from my Jet mini was a 12" and I always try to skip a step..

Look up turning clubs in your area, Tom.. and see what they demo on and what some of the members are using.. they might even let you make shavings on a few different lathes so you can get the feel for them.. YMM (and probably will)V

mac

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Arrrgghhh! This is one of those where I would like to respond, but for some reason, my news server does not always get everything in the thread, so I am tagging on to Mac's response here.

I recently put another lathe into my shop to give students who want to spend time with me some more opportunities. Besides, there is no such thing as too many lathes! Because of cost and space considerations, I narrowed my choices down to the Nova DVR and the Jet 1642. I was asking around about these two lathes when a friend of mine suggested that I look at the Vega bowl lathe. To make a long story a little shorter, I did, and there is now one sitting in my shop. It will spin a 26" bowl, but takes up less floor space than my Vicmarc mini (with the tailstock removed). If you are interested in this machine as a possibility, I would be glad to provide some details.

Hello Tom,

I'm sure I'm a bit biased, but I had a Nova 3000 for three years and now have a Nova DVR 3000 for the last three years. I believe the Nova DVR 3000 is the best lathe on the market for under $2,000. Simply getting rid of the drive belt significantly reduced the vibration of the machine. This machine has new motor technology that really makes the lathe perform well. I highly recommend the Teknatool lathe over the Jet. The 16" over the bed and 30" with the headstock swivelled 90 degrees is hard to beat.

Fred Holder

Earl,

I would concur with your opinion on the Reeves drive. It is old technology, and the maintenance will certainly be more intensive than with an electronic VS drive.

However, where cost is an object, or for new turners who may be unsure if turning will be a lifetime commitment, the Reeves drive is cost effective and eminently usable. Modern Reeves drives tend to be smoother than some of those on older model lathes. And unless someone is using their lathe on a daily 8-hour+ duty cycle, such as a production turner, it will probably suffice--at least until the turner is convinced that wood turning is for him, or until that time when he becomes a "heavy user." Buying a less expensive lathe--but a quality one--is probably not an entirely bad idea for the newcomer. Such lathes tend to be quite marketable when the turner gains some experience and wishes to move up, or when he decides that turning just isn't his thing. When that time arrives, the loss from selling a modestly-priced lathe vs. that from selling an expensive one is substantially less.

I tend to believe that springing for a rather expensive lathe from the get-go is probably not wise, at least until one knows for sure that turning is in his blood and something worth continuing.

Jeff

Hmmm, no Reeves drive, huh? Well, for the lathe I built back in 1987-88 I built a compound Reeves drive (7-1 speed ratio). In the thousands of hours that I have run it since, I have replaced the belts once, and a couple of bearings. If anything goes wrong, I can fix it. Admittedly, the electronic variable speed drives are quieter and smoother, but if they go bad, you are out of business for a while. Just my 2 cents worth.

Regards, James R. Johnson Hill Country Texas Turner (for many more than 20 years)

Old = bad is a silly argument.

Is EVS better? I've never used it but I'll bet it is.

Entry level EVS is roughly twice the price. It's simply not a fair comparison

I have a Jet 1442... it is so much better than my old craftsman monotube unit. I looked at EVS lathes but decided that they were simply out of my budget. I find the 1442 excellent in terms of beef, fit, finish and overall quality. An excellent value for the money. The real limitation if the 1442 minimum speed (that is you will likely be limitted by that factor before any other).

I am not a bowl turner, although I have dabbled. My turning is primarily to support general woodworking (table legs, spindles, knobs). Bed length > 24" was a "must have". I can do bowls, this unit is simply not *optomized* for that type of work.

1444 was the right choice for me.

It depends on you budget and your focus.

Admittedly, the electronic

And I suspect the belts are cheaper that repair of the electronic speed control. Just and opinion.

RonB

Buy the Jet 1442 !

You will spend a lot less money and have a much heavier lathe...and it comes with a stand.

LB

I think that the more we turn, the less we change speed... at least while working on a bowl or such.. I find that I change the speed before I turn, mostly depending on the diameter of the turning, and don't change speeds much once the piece is trued, etc... Anyway, for me, the reeves on the 1442 is great, once you get the feel of it.. it's just a step up from stopping the lathe and moving a belt, but that step gets old after a while...

A drawback of the reeves, IMO, is that you can't change pulley sizes... I'd love to cut all my speeds by 1/2....YMMV

mac

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I tend to agree. Two speeds roughing, 350 slow until it's round, then 700 inside are about all I use. Still changing belt positions though. For dry stuff, 700 is the start and end.

I would love to turn at 350!!

For an average bowl (8" - 10") I pretty much rough at 450, turn at 600 and sand at 450... I'd love to cut my speeds in half, starting at 225 and going to 1,500... I can't imagine turning anything at 1,500 or especially at 3,000!

mac

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I don't disagree with you that Reeves drive cannot work. In my Delta 14" x

40" there were a number of shortcomings compared to commercial lathes with EVS drives.

1. The Reeves drive is overhung beyond the inner bearing resulting in

With my DVR when I put on a new chunk I start out at 100 rpm (unless I'm sure of the ballance). Then I slowly crank up the rpm. If I reach a point where I'm seeing too much vibration I crank it back and start rounding.

PS very > >

Durnin's jusd fine ad doe-s speeds; I don'd hab any prodlems. Ebryding I durn is ad 1800 doo 2500 rpms. Pardon my drooling - hab had prodlems since lasd week 'cause I gawd no frawn teed lefd!