casting on headstock off/ great value, 11.17.2009

Reviewer: Charles Yamchuk (Mount Zion, WV)

Headstock casting was a little off on first lathe. It was promptly replaced. Overall very happy with the new machine. Great tool for the money!

Great lathe package, 10.6.2009

Reviewer: KRISTIE NUNES (CHICO, CA)

Great package put together to get started with wood turning.

Nice Machine, 9.21.2009

Reviewer: Mark Peters (Fraser, CO)

I was quite happy with my purchase. It is a nice running machine. The motor does get hot if you are working a bigger project and have it running for an extended period. Not unusual. Good quality for the dollar.

Pen Making Starter Set, 9.15.2009

Reviewer: Samuel Gillette (Southern Shores, NC)

Excellent lathe, and a great value with the items thrown in with it. I have turned about 20 pens so far, and it is a great piece of equipment. Thanks

Great Product, 9.1.2009

Reviewer: Scott Tyler (Angleton, TX)

Great product for the money.

Wonderful Starter Set, 8.29.2009

Reviewer: Marshall Petrik (Ft. Myers, FL)

This starter set made making pens a breeze! I am now hooked and love making pens in my spare time. The lathe is a true quality tool. No vibration at all, easy to switch speeds also. The video was helpful and the shellawax is my new favorite finish. Great set for any beginner. Best hobby in the world!

I Love my Lathe, 8.22.2009

Reviewer: Jeremy Cecil (Spring, TX)

I am new to woodturning. I ordered the starter kit which included the Lathe and within a week it was in my garage. Just a few days later I had it set up and pens/pencils were being built. It is very fun and the products that are sent seem to be really top grade/quality materials. I am so impressed with what I received and highly recomend all new turners to use PSI. Thanks PSI for your great products.

fantastic, 7.30.2009

Reviewer: kenneth butts (sanantonio, TX)

I was all ready to use and I turned my 5 pen/pencils - Can't wait to start other projects.

Nice Lathe, 7.7.2009

Reviewer: Jim Boughman (Gastonia, NC)

I have used lathes in the past, but have never owned one. This is my first. I read reviews before buying and I am not disappointed. The Turncrafter Pro lathe is a very nice lathe. It is very functional and performs very well. The tools, accessories, and pen kits are just right for those of us new to pen making. This starter set was just right for me. I had it set up and making pens in no time at all.

Making fun projects, 6.3.2009

Reviewer: Rick (Vernon Hills, IL)

I've really enjoyed this lathe and starter kit. I was able to make pens right away. Making a pen was easy, making a really good pen took more practice. Everything worked great. The only drawback I've seen is that the gouges are a little small for bigger projects. Great value and great way to get started with a new lathe.

Great Buy, 5.21.2009

Reviewer: Rusty Sims (Toxey, AL)

I took my lathe out of the box, watched the video ,ten minutes later my first pen was ready, now I make pens every day.

Great way to start, 4.29.2009

Reviewer: Michael (Frederick, MD)

This kit had me making pens that my family and friends were almost fighting over just 2 days after it arrived. Absolutely wonderful.

Great work!, 4.16.2009

Reviewer: Thomas Hart (Mooresville, NC)

I got this set for my birthday, and I was very surprised at how much different it was than our Delta Midi-Lathe (my father's and previously what I worked on.) I was able to assemble everything myself and then start it up, and the first pen I made on it was more beautiful than anything that I've made on my father's Delta. (Using all the same stuff.)

Excellent Lathe, 3.13.2009

Reviewer: Robert Lee (San Diego, CA)

This lathe is my first, and being cheap I was surprised at how well built it is. I was up and running within 45 minutes of receiving the package, and I couldn't be more pleased. PSI made an outstanding lathe, and I am a happy customer

Great kit for the money, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: Jeff Levings (Caledonia, OH)

I looked all over for a lathe to buy to just start turning pens and this is the best for the money. Works great and even my kids use it.

Great stuff!, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: patrick haygood (union city, TN)

I'm a new pen turner. Used the lathe and starter kit for first time with great results. Have already sold some pens. Easy to use and great quality.

Great Buy for the Price, but Problem with Broken Feet, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: Cathy Gordon (Yukon, OK)

We bought this for my teenage son for Christmas. This is a good buy, the lathe works very well and all the kit parts started him out making pens on Christmas day.

Just what I ordered, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: Mark Lessinger (Brocton, NY)

Being a brand new pen turner, I was really going into this purchase blind. I am very happy to say that I'm completely satisfied with the purchase. The lathe and supplies that I purchased were just what I expected and contained no surprises. I'm very happy.

Pen Making starter kit, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: Gerhard Engels (Oxnard, CA)

The products were outstanding. The lathe was first rate and the kit came with everything I needed to get started. I had never made a pen or pencil in my life and the fist one I made came out great! I am hooked and ready to do more! GE

Great starter kit, 3.10.2009

Reviewer: Wayne King (Hesston, KS)

Your choice of items for this starter set was excellent. I am enjoying making pens and pencils very much. Thanks for making this possible for me.

Great Starter And More, 2.10.2009

Reviewer: Tom (Peekskill, NY)

I have had this lathe for only a couple of months, but I just had to say what a great deal, and what a fine machine. All the previous reviews hit the nail on the head. This is a complete starter set with everything you need to start working right out of the box. The shipping was very quick, and customer service is second to none. The only thing lacking was some sort of finish, like poly or lacquer. The wax gives it a nice shine but wears off too fast. And also some kind of instructions for the lathe. The video supplied is great for turning pens, but it doesn't cover anything about the lathe itself. Just find yourself a good woodworking site that covers turning, and your all set.

Outstanding Value!!, 6.26.2008

Reviewer: Barry Breslow (York, PA)

My family told me to go out and buy what I wanted for Father's Day, so I bought a lathe (my first one). I set it up, started turning a spindle to practice on. After 5 minutes, I was packing it back up for return. It was poorly constructed and noisy. I came in from the shop, got online and ordered the Turncrafter 1/2hp lathe and pen making starter set. The package arrived in great shape the next day. As soon as I opened the box I knew I had made a wise choice. This 18" mini lathe weighed as much as the 40" "commercial" lathe I had just packed up. This is a solid machine. At first I was looking for a way to bolt it to my workbench, but discovered rather quickly that the Turncrafter is perfectly stable on my workbench even at high speed. The lathe does not come with much of an instruction manual, but it really isn't needed. Belt changing is accomplished quite easily and only takes a minute to do. Assembly out of the box just involved moving the headstock over the motor and refastening it. I was very impressed with overall quality of this machine. The toolrest and tailstock assemblies glide freely over the base and lock in very securely with just a small twist of the handle. The feed mechanism in the tailstock works smoothly with no play at all. The only negative I have found after using this lathe for about 4 hours is that the toolrest came with numerous small nicks in the edge. These tend to catch the turning tools on occasion but I should be able to fix the problem with just a light touch off with a file. All in all, if you're looking for a solid, quality built, quiet and affordable small lathe, look no further. This machine is built to last. I also received the pen making starter set with this and feel I should say something about it as well. The components that come with the starter set are not your typical bargain basement giveaway items that seem to be in a lot of starter kits these days. These are all high quality items. The turning tools do not appear to be the top of the line set, but I would not expect that in a starter set. They are however excellent quality, hold an edge very well, and are very comfortable to use. I have only two complaints about the starter kit. I would have loved to see a small sample (about one foot each) of the sanding roll set. It came with the Shellawax, but no way to prep the turning for finish. My only other issue is that I ran out of pen kits to turn in two days! Okay, I guess I should just buy more. Thanks PSI for such quality products. I look forward to years of use out of the lathe, as well as many, many orders for supplies.

Nice machine, 6.23.2008

Reviewer: Jeffrey Martin (Merritt Island, FL)

This is my first lathe. It is very well built. I had to figure some of the stuff out on my own because it came with no instruction manual. The kit is very nice. I wish you had the opportunity to swap carbon steel with HSS tools.

Great Bargain !! Great Lathe!!, 5.29.2008

Reviewer: William Sparacio (Jim Thorpe, PA)

What can I say , I love my Turncrafter Lathe. I purchased this set last year and have made hundreds of pens since. This was my first Lathe and I was a bit unsure when purchasing it because I knew nothing about them. I have to say I was very impressed with the affordability and quality. Since then I have purchased the Variable speed motor and it just made my Turncrafter that much better. If your looking for a good starter kit then this is the one for you. The Lathe is just as good as a Jet for a lot less $$$

Great starter set! Making pens in no time, 2.13.2008

Reviewer: Timothy Dennis (Woodstock, GA US, )

I did a lot of research before choosing the Turncrafter starter set. As someone who was just getting started I wanted to get everything as quickly and cost-effectively as possible and found this to be a great deal that gave me everything I needed to start turning pens. The lathe runs smoothly and my pens come out great - unless I mess them up! The only suggetion I would have is to improve the manual that comes with this lathe. Since it is marketed to beginners it needs to have more detailed setup instructions, if you get this you will need some familiarity with lathes to get it up and going, very poor setup instructions. I still have one part that I don't know what to do with! All-in-all, the lathe is fantastic, an excellent purchase.

Turncrafter Pro Review, 6.19.2007

Reviewer: David Rayle (Troy, IL US, )

I received my Turncrafter Pro lathe and pen making starter kit for Christmas. I had no previous turning experience and was able to make a pen worth keeping on my first try. I have turned about fifteen pens since then and have been practicing spindle turning to get more familiar with how different lathe chisels work. On the negative side, the tail stock locking mechanism did not work properly out of the box, but a rep in customer support told me how to adjust it and it has been fine since. Additonally, the chisels that come with the starter kit appear to be low quality, but are adequate enough to get acquainted with turning. If you are considering buying a lathe and have no turning experience make sure you read up on sharpening as this is a little talked about area for beginners that goes hand in hand with turning. You will have to sharpen your tools on a very regular basis, sometimes during a single project. Make sure if you get the lathe that you also have a way to sharpen your tools.

Thanks for this product, 5.3.2007

Reviewer: Joel Ackerman (Rock Hill, SC, )

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been turning wood for many years, and own two large lathes. I recently started turning a lot of small pieces for friends and decided to get a small lathe and play with some pens.I settled on your Turncrafter Pro, because I really didn't want to make a large investment and it seemed to have the features I required.The lathe arrived in only 3 days and when I opened it,I was pleasantly pleased.This was no toy, it was solid and well built. The alignment between headstock and tailstock was "perfect", something that I have not found on more expensive units.It ran quiet and true, with virtually no vibration.I set in a small hickory block and it showed enough power to work with easily and quickly.I also purchased a pen starter kit and again found everything complete and of good quality, especially the mandrel which I was afraid might be one of those cheap ones. I enjoyed the very informative video that came with it. I will highly recommend this unit for both novice and experienced turners and look forward to doing additional business with Penn State Ind.

Great Order, 3.17.2007

Reviewer: Harold Stewart (Granbury, TX US, )

Received my Procrafter lathe and starter kit in a very timely manner. Have never had a lathe or done wood turning, but shortly after receiving my order and watching the DVD, I made my first pencil for my Grandson and it came out very nice. Will be making pen and pencil sets for my kids and Grandkids for Christmas. Great service and great product. Will be ordering all my supplies from PSI.

Great Experience, 2.16.2007

Reviewer: Ken Kingery (Shreveport, Louisiana, )

I just wanted to let you know, that yesterday I received my lathe & starter combo I had ordered last week. I just finished my first pen & pencil kits, and I am ecstatic at how they turned out! Since this is all new to me, I was'nt sure what to expect.I must say - Thank You - everything has far exceeded my expectations. The materials and equipment are top notch, and your customer service and help desk people were quick to reply to my questions. I will definitely be ordering all of my supplies from you! Please pass along my best wishes to everyone for having a great company.