About Nova
Beginning with the introduction of the first Nova lathe in the late 1970s, New Zealand-based Teknatool International has built Nova into a brand renowned for innovative products that help woodturners achieve excellent results more safely and easily.
Nova was the first to develop a chuck-based screw system for holding turning blanks (the Woodworm™) and revolutionized woodturning with the introduction of the first four-jaw scroll-type self-centering lathe chuck in 1988. Other four-jaw Nova chucks have followed, complete with a full line of chuck jaws for handling just about any spindle or bowl-turning project imaginable.
Nova has continued to pursue innovation in its wood lathe designs, as well, particularly with its DVR (Digital Variable Reluctance) motor technology. With no belts or pulleys, this direct-drive motor has an onboard computer that monitors the cutting resistance and adjusts the power to the motor accordingly. It also can detect when a tool "catches" on the blank and will shut off the motor, reducing the chance of damage to tools and, more important, injury to the woodturner.