Nova Comet II Midi Lathe Review

My review of the Nova Comet II Midi Lathe

[@jerryaccuardi4396]

This was one of the most professional reviews I have seen in a long time. Well done!

[@thomrider]

Thank you so much.

[@AlecWoodworker]

Well done. As a complete novice to turning, you hit all the points that I had questions on. Much appreciated

[@mikenco]

Most of your comments seem to be from 5 years ago, in 2014!! Just a quick note to say that in 2019 your video is still on-point and helpful, thank you!

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching and your comments. This is still a great lathe I use it often.

[@thomrider]

Thanks for watching Hunter, I found the deal at the rockler store so if any stores are in your area they may still be trying to sell off the remaining inventory. And yes the chuck is the reversible one. Good Luck

[@mattmiller9871]

I have had my Nova Comet II for about a week now. I am really enjoying this machine. So easy to use and learn. I have made a bowl and a small cup, as practice. I had an very old craftsman lathe that worked ok. It was great for learning. My Nova, it's like going from a Yugo to a brand new sports car. I would recommend it to anyone interested in turning from beginner on up.

[@thomrider]

That's awesome. I'm glad your enjoying your new lathe. I love mine as well. Keep on turning. Next try making a few pens. A word of warning, they are addictive.

[@Nobilangelo]

Thanks for the very good, detailed review. I am thinking about adding a lathe to my workshop, and was already zeroing in on this one, but your review gave me a very good overview. All those good closeups and explanations. Here in New Zealand they are $NZ999 (about $USD700), which is not too bad considering how much of the planet they have to get round to get here.

[@thomrider]

I enjoy my lathe, I don’t use it everyday but when I need it, it really comes in handy. Good luck with whatever you purchase.

[@thomrider]

Jason thanks for watching to answer your question it's to knock out the drive center from your lathe head stock hollow shaft Hope this helps and happy turning

[@thomrider]

Thanks for the question Michael, I believe it's 5/16 standard bolt thread if I'm not mistaken. I don't have a thread gauge to be certain.

[@Tic-TocCreations]

I'm glad I found your review. I've been wanting to get into turning and didn't want anything that was too cheap or under powered but this looks like a great lathe for what I'm looking for.

[@thomrider]

It’s a great choice. Thank you for watching

[@Jeffrey-oi9fn]

Nice review buddy. I have be trying to decide which lathe to get. The Nova Comet 2 just came back in stock at Home Depot and your review helped immensely with my decision.

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching. It’s been an excellent tool.

[@larryhorkman83]

Thanks for a great review! After surfing the web for many hours for a wood lathe and then seeing this video I ordered a Nova Comet II Midi Lathe from Amazon for $444.00, but with no chuck. Their are many features on this lathe that many lathes didn't have at this price point. Then I ordered a set of wood turning tools from Amazon and a Nova G3 chuck from Home Depot.

[@thomrider]

Nice, you’ll love it. I use mine to make magic wands. I sell them for $20 a piece so I will eventually pay myself back for the lathe. I pick up table and chair legs off the trash for materials. Most are maple or white oak. Just a little tip to help a fellow turner out.

[@michaeltraugott8938]

Nice concise video. Ordered mine 2 days ago before I saw this video.thanks for the tip about running the motor in.

[@thomrider]

You won’t be disappointed in your choice.

[@davidwinch7997]

Thanks Thom. Brilliant review mate and very informative. Am looking seriously at buy t he Nova Comet II Midi Lathe and I think your review has convinced me. Cheers, Dave Winch, Beachmere, Queensland, Australia

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching

[@84bmw325e]

Thank you. I don't usually read manuals. I will mention the breakin period to the staff at KMS where I bought it.

[@alfindigo]

Great review, thanks, I already decided to buy this lathe and your review confirmed my decision. One other negative though is the price they sell for here in the UK. Almost double what you paid!

[@thomrider]

You will be very happy with this lathe. Bummer it’s double the cost. Thank you for watching

[@WorkshopAddict]

Thank you for the review. I do not own a lathe right now and I have never worked with one. I have been doing a lot of research on what I will get when I get one. I want to buy a lathe once and not have to buy a better one in a few years. I want to get this one right the first time. I am looking at either a jet or the nova 1624-44.

[@roynash]

Great video. You covered the most important features and were to the point. Would have liked a bit of a demo (which I thought we were getting when you loaded the wood). Also would have liked to know a bit about the accessory you found for turning the threads on your mallet. But overall a great job!

[@thomrider]

D Myers, if both were the same price then I would choose the Delta based on the way it's built. BUT, I've also read several reviews on how bad Delta customer service has been when you need a part or service for the lathe, so I might choose the Nova based on good customer service. But since the price point on the two lathes is so different, Nova was the front runner for me. Overall I'm very happy with my choice. Hope this helps

[@owen-hw5jc]

Thanks for your great review!

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching

[@thomrider]

The nova would be a good choice and the 1624-44 is on sale at woodcraft right now I'm sure you will find the lathe that fits you best.

[@Island-RC]

i just bought one for pens and small bowls and could not imagine a better pen turning lathe

[@vlastimilhejduk7347]

I have one and I love it.

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching

[@orlandomosquera4784]

Great review thanks.

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching

[@paullasmith4975]

Breaking in the motor is something I would not have considered doing. You think they'd add a tag to bring it to your attention. I'd like something a little better quality than a cheapie "singapor special"---I know what I want to do with it, this one has the features I'd like. Thanks for a good review.

[@thomrider]

Thank you for watching

[@waynee.2856]

I got one of these as a gift this past Christmas. I opened the box, pulled out the accessories, and went to pull the lathe and noticed that the lathe "rail" (not sure of the actual name) was broke all the way through above the motor and the lathe was essentially in two pieces. The thing I don't understand is that there wasn't any damage to the packaging, which tells me that it was broke before it was packaged, poor quality control on Nova's part. This of course meant it was non repairable and had to be sent back. It was picked up last Wednesday and the new one was supposed to be shipped here by Friday. It's now Tuesday and the replacement lathe is now on back order and I have no clue when it will ship. I have all these other accessories and tools that were bought for the lathe and no way to use them. I'm pretty disappointed with this whole thing and was really looking forward to making some new pieces. I guess it's back to carving cups and bowls by hand.

[@thomrider]

Wayne E. Wow I'm really sorry to hear about your gift. I have heard many stories of Nova products having issues, either broken parts or bad bearings. I was lucky. When you get a good one these lathes are really nice I have been Turning magic wands on mine all December long. Hopefully things work out for you. Thanks for watching my video and your comments.

[@waynee.2856]

Yeah I'm hoping it all works out with the replacement lathe. I really enjoy wood working and bushcraft projects. I've been wanting to try a lathe for a while and really looking forward to trying to make some nice pieces with it. I do appreciate you taking the time to talk about the lathe and mentioning about the break in period. The video is helpful. Thanks for the quick reply and I wish you the best of luck.

[@ronperala6377]

Very informative, clinched my thoughts to buy the Nova Comet II

[@thomrider]

Ron, thanks for watching You won't regret the purchase. I love mine. Eventually I'm gonna get the extension

[@bradbyers7505]

Thanks for the review. I like mine but the spindle lock seems unhandy and not well thought out. It is out of sight and, for me, out of mind. Mine rattles when the knob is in the unlocked position, so I leave it between the two detents. I’d like to mount a larger wood disc to the hand wheel, but haven’t been able to get it off. It is reverse threaded as it should be, but mine is on so tight that I’m afraid I’ll damage one of the indexing pawls if I crank too hard on it. It’s got a little WD 40 on it at the moment, so I hope it yields the right of way tomorrow. I might order a new spindle lock since the original one rattles.

[@thomrider]

You might want to contact nova maybe they would be able to help with a good solution. Thank you for watching

[@RickMcQuay]

Great review and awesome shirt!

[@pritchardhall]

Nice job. Thanks. Question: If you were choosing between the Comet 2 and the Delta VS midi, which do you prefer?

[@marcbastarache398]

The opening in the Lathe Head stock, would it be big enough slide a billiards cue tip thru the hand wheel, and clamp it in chuck,, to work on cue tips? that is what i need to do with a mini lathe... THANKS

[@thomrider]

I think the cue stick would be to big.

[@P010010010100101]

I was wondering if you can hear the very high frequency coming from the motor? It's somewhere in the 11khz-13khz range. I can clearly hear it on the video when you turn it on at about 8min in. I just received mine and was scouring the web for others with this issue and working with Teknatool - because it gives me a headache after a few minutes. Anyways, just wondering if you can hear it at all.

[@thomrider]

I don’t really notice it but I might have a bit of hearing loss from years in a press room.

[@bf8440]

Made up my mind! Nova Lathe for me! Thanks

[@thomrider]

Brent Fertig, I know you’ll enjoy it.

[@ViralOrgasm]

wanting to get this lathe. Most likely will purchase within the next two months. However I am waiting to see if at all possible I can get the same deal you received through Rockler with the free chuck. Any advice on when they would be having that deal again and is that the reversible one or not?

[@butch5985]

Thanks for the info, good stuff

[@GeekTimLee]

Awesome review!!!

[@georgecurley9686]

nice video subscribed

[@michaelalguire9896]

can you tell me what the thread size of the legs are on the bottom

[@Rocky92585]

Great video...well done

[@woodstermangotwood]

I'm downsizing my shop and was thinking of getting this lathe to replace a Jet Mini (pen turning) and a 14" Delta Lathe (bowl turning). I think you may have sold a lathe.

[@thomrider]

It’s a good midi choice.

[@stadleroux]

It looks a little bit like some ride in a theme park, but I guess looks aren't that important when buying and using a lathe, right!? 🤪 I certainly like all the features it comes with, but wouldn't it also make sense to make available as an accessory a chuck that fits into the Versaturn Coupler to effectively create an outboard facility for face-turning larger stuff, or would such a weight on the outside be too much to handle for a lathe of this size?

[@thomrider]

I suppose they designer of the machine would have included that if it were possible. I am sure the weight of the machine had a lot to do with that.

[@stadleroux]

Yes, I put the same question to Teknatool themselves the other night and their support rep responded the next day with the following: "Weight definitely would be too much for this size midi lathe. It's a good thought though..." I thought that was pretty good PR to respond that promptly to a question from a nonowner!

[@shilo-anndick5243]

Best wood lathe on earth.Service and support are Fantastic.

[@thinlaychoegyal1696]

Can you give some advice for a newbie like me in the wood workings. I wanna start it from wood turning machines along with some other tools. Bcoz the wood turning machine can produce some magical staffs. I like it!

[@thomrider]

A lathe is a great starting tool. You can go from rough lumber to finished piece in a short time.

[@thinlaychoegyal1696]

@@thomrider thank you so much

[@Sludgepump]

Good review. I'm curious if you feel the same way now that it's five years down the road. Any problems with it?

[@thomrider]

Sludgepump I have had no problems with the lathe it works great. I am one of the lucky ones. I have received a lot of comments about issues others have had with this model.

[@robotoole3326]

Great Video, Thanks for Sharing !

[@thomrider]

+Rob O' Toole thank you for watching

[@ScottMcNorton]

Do you know if it is possible to put the Nova G3 chuck on the back of this lathe where the hand turn is? So you may turn larger bowls. this is a great video will informed and very helpful

[@thomrider]

Thanks for the question, Unfortunately the handle side has a completely different thread that only the handle and accessories are designed to fit. Good luck.

[@Jeffrey-oi9fn]

What size bolts did you use to mount your Nova Comet to the bench?

[@thomrider]

I didn’t bolt it down. It is heavy enough to stay put.

[@GIDO74]

I love it and want it, it is on special now so il get it probably. you have answered nearly 10 questions so great video. Only one question, most small midi s have the head turning function to allow for bigger bowls, this doesn't. With Jet you can push the head to the end of the table and turn off the table to bigger sizes, with this you cant. But i do see you showed the hand wheel can be changed with a bigger wooden wheel ans so forth, there is some tapped holes for a rack? Does this lath not maybe have an bed extension for the left side to go bigger on bowls??? Please check if possible? Kind Regards Gido

[@thomrider]

Thanks for watching and the question, unfortunately you are limited in the bowl turning. But other than that it's a fantastic lathe.

[@TheCecil64]

Thanks for sharing.

[@adjhfadjf]

I don't know, I've gotta go with Picard.

[@jeffoldham3466]

I like the mallet you made,,can you give me the dimensions of it and what size tap and die did you use,,,i have some hard rock maple that I was wanting to make one out of,,,

[@thomrider]

Thanks for watching Jeff The mallet head is 3-1/2 in around by 5inches long, the handle is 7-1/4 long by 1-1/2 inches round. The threads on the handle are 2-1/4 inches long making the rest 5 inches. I used a 1-1/2 inch tap and die from woodcraft. Good luck on the mallet.

[@todddruien9236]

i just unboxed mine. when i turn the tailstock handwheel the quill doesn't move in or out. I know how to unlock and it spins but no movement. am i missing something or do i need to take it back to the store?

[@thomrider]

I would take it back and exchange it.

[@JasonReedphotography]

Thanks for posting man! I just unpacked mine and was looking to see what the op bar was for. I'm new to turning. You referred to it as a knock out bar. What is this for?

[@bballrch0225]

Good luck getting parts for this lath never again would deal with these people

[@andrewsfury]

Hi man.i just hot this.can you tell if this is normal? When i remove the belt and spin the hand wheel it wont even make a complete turn ?

[@thomrider]

Did you follow the instructions for the break in period. If so then it sounds like your bearings are bad. I would contact the company.

[@andrewsfury]

BACKYARD WOODSHOP yes i ran it for 45 minutes on high speed. Also the damn tailstock came bad and im waiting on them 3 weeks to send it.havnt even got to use the lathe yet.

[@thomrider]

I would tell them all the issues your having and see if they can solve them to your satisfaction. Hope it works out for you.

[@wizardseye]

Really good review. I am about to purchase my first lathe and having been doing quite a bit of research to decide which one to get. Of all the lathes I've looked at, the Nova Comet II seems to be the best deal for the money. You first posted this video almost two years ago. I am wondering if you have had any additional problems creep up that may have caused you a headache. I was in my local Woodcraft store the other day and they tried to tell me all sorts of horror stories about the Nova, insisting that I should get their Rikon instead. The Rikon looked alright, but was only 1/2 hp, no reversible, not variable speed. And of course a sales person is going to try and push me onto a product that they sell. I just wanted to do my due diligence to see if there was any truth to the horror stories about bearings going out, tailstock misalignment, etc.

[@thomrider]

Thanks for watching Wizardseye. My lathe is still running like new. No problems. The only thing I noticed is if your roughing down larger stock say for a bowl, the belt will slip if you get to aggressive with the tool. This is because the belt if so thin I believe. I would still buy this lathe and I saw where Rockler has it on sale for the $499 and you get the nova G3 chuck free. That's a great deal. I don't think you can go wrong with the Nova. Good Luck.

[@Buckswoodshop]

Did the wood worm screw come along with the free chuck? Good video review.

[@thomrider]

Yes the worm screw was included.

[@Buckswoodshop]

Cool man.

[@richardparkiii8355]

Do you think this lathe can make threads on stainless steel and titanium rods?

[@thomrider]

This is a woodworking lathe and is not intended for metal work.

[@richardparkiii8355]

@@thomrider thanks

[@matt420740]

Do you happen to know the length of the tool rest post? I just ordered one of these and want to weld up some 3" and 12" tool rests before it arrives, but need to know how tall the post is.

[@thomrider]

HI Matt, congratulations on your new lathe. The answer to your question is 2 & 7/8 inches long, and 5/8 inches around.

[@matt420740]

+Thom Rider Thanks so much Thom

[@thuans3235]

Gia bao nhieu vay shop

[@thomrider]

Cửa hàng của tôi là 16 x 24 feet. và giá máy tiện là $ 599 đô la Mỹ.

[@Whyknot80]

I think its a 6” not a 12”

[@thomrider]

It has a 12” capacity for bowls.

[@bspontaneous8645]

bought one, the head stock wobbled, took it back the display had a wobble too, then we opened a new one it had a wobble...i took it back and got this kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3yWo5atfa6Dh6s from king canada and its way better got to keep the g3 chuck too :D

[@thomrider]

I guess I got lucky with mine for sure. I think the one from King Canada looks like the castings are the same but is a better quality than the Nova. I like the rpm readout, and you get more accessories as well. The tool holder is nice also. Enjoy your new lathe. The G3 chuck is excellent.

[@chrishaney9507]

Absolute junk. I have owned my Nova Comet II, since around Thanksgiving 2015 and it only has been run daily for maybe a month (30 - 5 to 6 hour days) now either the controller or the motor is not turning on. I have called John Ford, at Teknatool and they sent me a controller free of charge, but Oh My, they must use the 'pony express' to send their parts. 6 full days, to be shipped from Florida to Pittsburgh, PA. OBTW, Teknatool sent me the wrong Rev controller and now I have to wait, another 6 days, for the right controller! Sorry pals, I wont be replacing my Nova Comet II, with another one of your absolute junk products!

[@thomaslang7634]

That is just a Chinese lathe rebranded. Same thing harbor freight sells.

[@thomrider]

I'm not sure on that one. But I have no proof otherwise. Thanks for watching