The smooth running midi turncrafter wood lathe, 11.14.2009

Reviewer: Curtiss Bawden (Wauwatosa, WI)

A nice compact smooth running wood lathe.

Value and versatility - gotta love it!, 11.2.2009

Reviewer: Deon Van der Merwe (Manhattan, KS)

I've had this lathe now for over a year. I make pens (of which I've done over 150 on the Turncrafter) and the variable speed is ideal for this purpose. You can do the whole job without having to change the drive belt position. An important factor is having a heavy table to give the machine some extra weight. I bolted mine to 4 layers of heavy MDF board, which took care of vibration when starting on heavy blanks that are a bit out of round. It also helps to keep the bed and the grooves lubricated so that the tool rest and tail stock will slide easily. I use a spray-on dry lubricant for this. After adding a Barracuda2 chuck the only limitation is the 10" turn diameter. With sharp tools it turns even the toughest woods without a problem. I've now made many small bowls, goblets, vases and a bunch of gadgets (hooks and guages) used by weavers. It was even used to make ornamental railings for my daughter's doll house. My only gripe is that the speed controller has had to be replaced twice (I have to admit that I make it work hard, but the overload protection is less than perfect). Both times it was replaced for free under warranty, but it meant 2-3 weeks of downtime on both occasions. Now that it is out of warranty it may be an expensive fix if the speed control breaks again. I still rate the Turncrafter at 5 stars though. It is unbeatable value and I have been pleasantly surprised many times by its power and versatility. It has become an often-used and appreciated workhorse. After countless hours of turning I can't imagine my workshop without it. If you are going to turn relatively small objects this lathe will do the job admirably. If you want to turn big bowls you need to buy a bigger lathe (and spend a lot more money).

Great lathe, 10.10.2009

Reviewer: ann Frederick (lumberton, NC)

Already turned 3 pens!! Works great now working on technique!! Too bad Penn State can't improve on that!!

Turncraft ProVS Great Lathe, 8.10.2009

Reviewer: Larry Garvis (Thorp, WI)

I tried a Jet Midi Lathe and wanted one for doing my small work. I just didn't have the price of one. So I decided to try the Turncraft and it does everything the Jet does and for half the price. I have turned several Pens and it really does the job. The only one thing that needs correcting is the booklet on the lathe. It sure doesn't tell you much or show all the parts. It's still a 5 star machine. I would recommend it to anyone.

Turncrafter Pro, 8.8.2009

Reviewer: David Donahoo (Buena Vista, CO)

Had a Mini Lathe before I bought the Turncrafter Pro. The new lathe gives more options for turing projects. Great tool Dave D

Great Product, Skimpy Instructions, 8.5.2009

Reviewer: Norman Dresner (Severn, MD)

After starting with a "toy" lathe, this feels like a professional tool which I'll be able to use for a long time. But the instructions are so skimpy that they don't even mention the circuit breaker reset switch on the control box!

Very good, 7.14.2009

Reviewer: David Steinle (Fritch, TX)

I feel this lathe is very good and fits all my needs.

, 7.14.2009

Reviewer: Robert Hathaway (Raymond, WA)

Runs smooth and quiet. Great lathe for the price. Why doesn't Penn State include a reversing switch on the variable speed control? I would like to reverse rotation to knock off grain curl when sanding. Otherwise a fine little lathe.

Turncrafter ProVS, 5.6.2009

Reviewer: Rick Reynolds (Clyde, NY)

I was sceptical at first of this lathe because for the price it seemed to good to true. I have turned a few dozen pens now and this lathe is whisper quiet and I love it. I highly recommend this lathe for anyone either beginning or a more seasoned veteran.

Turncrafter Pro Variable Midi Lathe, 4.13.2009

Reviewer: Mike Delgado (Vallejo, CA)

I am a Scroll Saw nut. Have been doing it for some time and have all the accs. tools for it. One day I told my wife that I might try my hand at small lathe work, pens and small vases and things. I went to an adult ed. class offering beginning lathe work and really enjoyed it. I purchased the variable speed starter set. I was amazed at the good packing PSI and done and the ease of setting it up. I was turning pens the first day and couldn't be happier. The ease of operation and smoothness of the lathe makes it easy for a starter at all the tasks that I have jumped into. Thank you PSI for offering a great lathe for the new and old turners.

Turncrafter Pro VS Lathe, 3.11.2009

Reviewer: Vinnie DiCioccio (Newington, CT)

Awesome. A lot of machine for the money. Runs like a champ and handles turnings very easily. Would definitely purchase again.

Absolutely wonderful, 11.5.2008

Reviewer: Paul deBruyn (Saint John, New Brunswick)

This lathe is absolutely wonderful. My lathe is my business and this lathe is all business. It's incredibly well built, has infinite speed settings and is very smooth. I was really happy to see a handle for the tailstock knob in the box since the picture doesn't show it. I cannot imagine owning a different lathe now that I own this one. Great job PSI.

Great Quality, 2.20.2008

Reviewer: Paul Pyle (Nampa, ID US, )

My wife and I recently purchased the Turncrafter PRO variable speed lathe for pen making. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of this lathe. We searched local woodworking shops for a lathe but weren't happy with the choices. This lathe is perfect. It's a perfect size, heavy enough to do the most challenging job but does not take up a lot of space. It's simple, easy to use and the option to move the speed control around is a great safety feature. The speed choices are great and the top speed is excellent for pen turning. The only negative was the absence of a good instruction manual, but even without that we were up and running within a half-hour. We look forward to moving on to bigger projects and will purchase the extension bed in the future. We highly recommend the Turncrafter PRO for beginners like us! Thanks Penn State for offering these quality products!

turncrafter pro, 6.20.2007

Reviewer: Mark Bailey (Louisa, VA US, )

The turncrafter pro is undoubtfully the smoothest lathe in it's class. I turn a lot of toys and toy parts. The size, power and ease of use make it a perfect lathe for fine and intricate woodturning. I like the power. The ease of adjustment and operation makes this a lot of fun to "play" with. Friends come over to my workshop just to learn the lathe on my turncrafter pro. I do have a couple of things I wish Penn State could work on. First the bed extension doesn't line up properly. This makes adjusting the tail stock difficult. Secondly the variable speed controle is not really responsive. It acts like it is suffering from jet lag. You speed it up or turn it on and wait for the lathe to turn on and then rev up. I have two Shop Smiths and the turn crafter out performs them both hands down!! Don't spend thousands of dollars on a Big or big name lathe. Buy the Turncrafter pro. Spend some of your savings on quality lathe chisles and chucks and have a lot of fun!!

Great Lathe, 6.15.2007

Reviewer: Byron Baker (29 Palms, CA US, )

I had a different brand before that had a max speed of 2000rpm then I got the TruncrafterPro VS and....wow!!!! Much faster and really to adjust the speed. The variable speed control box mounts in a couple of different places. So far it is an awesome lathe.