Nova 1624 II lathe review: my personal views!

Last Updated on December 21, 2023 by Charles Wilson

Update Nov 2022: The Nova 1624 II has been discontinued. All links in this article will take you to Amazon for similar lathes. Click here to check out similar wood lathes on Amazon. Or click here to see my comprehensive review of the best wood lathes.

Teknatool’s Nova 1624 is an excellent lathe for the tagged price! I saw my mentor using a few great powerful wood lathes ranging from $500 to $2000, and I got a chance to get my hands on them too.

One of them was this version of Nova. Nova 1624 II is more than perfect for the price it takes. It still has groundbreaking features just like the previous version Nova 1624.

The headstock of the lathe features a rotation of 360 degrees, and it gets locked in any position for the outboard turning of more substantial items. It has a powerful 1.5 HP motor, which is comparatively 50% more potent than the conventional midi lathes in the market.

Ultimately, it is a greatly pieced crafting machine. All the features inside the Nova 1624 will fit into your pocket and workplace both with no hassle.

But let me help you guys a little deeper.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases. This means no extra charge to you. I will only promote products that I trusted for years.

NOVA 1624 II 16 x 24″ 8 Speed Wood Lathe Review

"Full black with little red colored lathe Nova-1624-II-8-speed-wood-lathe in a white background"
  • 16″ swing and 24″ between the centers
  • Motor: 1.5 HP AC motor, 115V, 60Hz
  • RPM: 214 – 3,600 RPM (USA/Canada), 178 – 3,000 RPM (rest of world)
  • Variable speed
  • Both forward and reverse
  • Swivel Head 360°
  • Outboard Turning: 29″
  • Spindle and tailstock taper: #2MT
  • Spindle thread: 1-1/4″ X 8 TPI RH
  • Swing over tool rest: 13-1/2″
  • Tool rest: 12″
  • Weight: 276lbs
  • Warranty: 2 years full replacement on motor and 5 years on all other parts

Everything about the Nova 1624 II is pretty handy, according to plenty of users’ feedback. One thing you would like the most is that the option for having 8 different speed variations for precision woodturning.

The powerful motor ranges from 215 to 3600 rotations per minute. Also, the iron cast construction gives a vibration-free woodturning experience.

Construction with Quality Cast Iron

"picture of a red and black wood lathe inside a workshop taken from above"

Do you want an ultimate vibration-free control? It is high time you try out the Nova 1624 II.

As I said, I got lucky to use a few lathes before getting my hands on the Nova 1624 II. One common problem I faced was the vibration issue.

But with the 1624 II model’s Iron Cast build, it felt by far one of the studiest lathes in the market.

Woodturning is one of the jobs that need precision. Therefore, you will find a cam action lever for making adjustments easy and faster with rubber grips.

This offers a better ergonomic feature.

Powerful Motor

The built-in motor of the Nova 1624 II is an outstanding one. It is said to be one of the greatest add-ons of the device that makes the Nova 1624 II stand out in the market.

Also doing small research made me realize 50% of the motors that other lathes have is 1 HP, but the Nova unit has a powerful motor of 1.5 HP.

Moreover, the motor has the capability to have 8 other variable speed controls for more precision with a range of 215 to 3600 revolutions per minute.

It will also lock down the spindle if it finds any sort of issue regarding the lathe.

Intelligent Control

Lathes have never been this better! With the help of the Nova 1624 II’s intelligent computerized control, the handling is now super easy and accurate woodturning is possible.

This intelligent control will help you in various moments, like in turning when you need to weigh the craft that you’re making and performance adjustments according to the style of work that you’re engaged with.

It will also tell me if there is a problem while setting up the lathe and will advise me what to do.

Impressive Torque Power Option

The lathe will give you instant power whenever needed. Its inbuilt motor has a specification of 1.75/115v which is a trait of enormous torque motors.

So, the need for torque can meet the expectation of the user. Not only does the lathe handle the work pretty well but also manages to work with larger bowls

It also extends the spindle capacity that adds on the beds.

Safety Shut Off

You can find a lot of lathes present in the market with features of doing simple woodturning job.

But those are the ones with no safety regulations and are unsafe. The Nova 1624 II is entirely different in this case as it has an intelligent sensing method which ensures that it is 100% fail-safe.

The built-in computer of the lathe instantly shuts down power whenever it senses any problem occurring.

Power Saving

Technology advancements have allowed us to be efficient in every aspect of machines nowadays. Just like that, the 1624’s intelligent computer boosts the efficiency of the motor.

It is to be said that, it will be saving up to 80% of energy compared to the conventional lathes in the market.

It only takes up power as it needs for the project to be worked on.

Plug and Play Remote

Nova 1624 II is a plug and play device. Just if you are in the mood of woodturning, plug it in, and it is ready to use without any hassle.

There are lathes in the market that need proper attention and prior know-how before starting to do the job. Not in the case for Nova 1624.

Once you plug in the device, it magically turns the device on with variable speed control and the ability to have a forward and backward thrust.

Hey just wanted to thank you for reading this. Here is another article that took hours to write about the Jet JWL 1400VSK model! I think it can be helpful before you make your decision!

Frequently Asked Question

Question: Can the Nova 1624 handle small projects like bowls and small cups?
Yes, it can handle small projects because you have 8 different speed types which can help you decide which speed to use for crafting cups and bowls.

Question: Does the Nova 1624 allow you to have reverse thrust capacities?
Yes, the device has reverse thrust capabilities for accurate woodturning.

Question: How much power does the motor of the lathe have?
It has power strength that 50% of the lathes in the market don’t have. Plus, it has a power output of 1.5 HP with an amp rate of 215 to 3600.

My Final Thoughts

Altogether, the Nova 1624 II is an excellent device with so many things to offer. It has future proof technologies that will help woodturning for many years to come.

Woodturning is a crafting art that has been there since the Egyptian Pyramid times when people used woodturning for their daily needs.

It used to be simple, but now that we are technologically advanced, it made our lives easier and effective.

Concluding my Nova 1624 ii lathe review, be sure that it can handle DIY to semi-professional work needs.

I am not giving you any decision, go out read more articles, talk with your local mentor, or watch a bunch of videos then set your mind.

I just wanted to help you to make your research even better!