Question about mini lathes.

[Jason Irwin]

Greetings,

I'm new to both the forum and pen turning. I'm glad to have found this place!

I am thinking of purchasing this http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TCLC10VS-B.html

Does any have any experience with this company?

I have also been reading a lot about both Delta and Jet Mini Lathes. So, I'm confused what to purchase now.

If someone suggests to go with Delta or Jet, what model number? My budget is about $500.00 right now.

Thanks!

 

[NewLondon88]

PSI is pretty well known here, they carry a lot of kits people use.
I don't know that I'd go for a package, as they always seem to
include things I don't want (and don't want to pay for) so the
'discount' really isn't a discount at all. The prices they compare to
are prices most of us wouldn't pay anyway.. so the savings are
really smoke and mirrors when it comes to packages.
But I know several people here have that lathe and do fine with it.
Personally, I'd rather have the Jet or Delta, and I have no problem
with used equipment. Not that much can go wrong with a lathe
that you can't see before you buy it, or that you can't fix for short
money. (otherwise, don't buy it!) You can find used lathes on most
forums, CraigsList, Ebay etc. They're out there.

 

[jimship15]

I am very happy with my Jet, sorry I don't know the model #. You have to change the speed by moving the belt which is not that big of a deal if you are only doing pens. I now have a larger lathe for other than pens.

 

[monophoto]

The December 2010 issue of Fine Woodworking had a review of benchtop lathes. They rated the 12" Turncrafter Commander as "Best Buy". The model in this package is 10".

There's nothing wrong with buying a start-up kit. The picture implies that the kit includes three tools (spindle gouge, parting tool, and skew), pen mandrel, a stack of blanks, some pen kits, a pen mill, some CA glue, and a jar of Shellawax. You can price up the components from the PSI website to see how the numbers work, but it's probably a pretty good deal.

The ad doesn't say what kind of tools are provided. The PSI housebrand HSS tools (Benjamin's Best) are pretty decent and reasonably priced, but the tools in this kit could be carbon steel instead of high speed steel. If so, they will require more frequent sharpening, and won't last as long, compared with HSS, but that's OK - as a new turner you need to learn how to sharpen your tools.

PSI gets a lot of flak on this site. The main complaint appears to be that their shipment times are longer than posters believe is appropriate. I've placed quite a few orders with them, and the turnaround time for me has been less than a week in every case. But I live in Upstate NY - a five hour drive from Philadelphia. Your delivery in Northern California will take longer.

 

[Lenny]

Delta 46-460 ... It's worth saving up $$ for!

Read the review by Rangertrek here ...
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58041

 

[Lincoln Street]

I have a Jet now and works fine, but, I too am saving for a Delta 46-460. Heard some good things about it and really like what I see for the money. Whatever you buy I would spend the extra bucks for variable speed.

 

[Richard Gibson]

I looked at the Penn State package and decided against it. Went with a Jet 12-20. wish I had gotten variable speed but works fine without it.

 

[penmaker1967]

i have a jet 12-20 myself got it at the local woodcraft store about 5 years ago. have hod no problem with it. i didnt know about peen state when i first started if i had i would have gone with the package. i spent alot more on my set up buying the items sold in the package by them selves instead of the package. if i had it to do again i would go with the package. i dont have any trouble getting my order from then in less than a week.

 

[Daniel]

I have a friend that started penturning with this package. He was happy with it. I also think you would be happy with the other alternatives. Penn State is one of the 3 Big suppliers. In my opinion the lowest on the list for overall quality and general reliability but still one of the big boys. I like their dust collector selection by the way. Pen turning they just seem to lag behind the others for whatever reason. Not saying they are bad just not the best.

So where does this leave me in regard to the lathes they offer? I see they fall more in the dust collector category than the pen kit category. You are still going to have to add a lot of items to you set up regardless. My friend managed to get started on a budget of $600 and that was just barely. So shop carefully and make every dollar count.

Best of luck and most of all, Enjoy.

 

[OLDMAN5050]

I have both a RIKON and v/s 1220 jet and do recommend either of them........

 

[ohiococonut]

When I first started out a few months ago I knew nothing about pen turning or this site. I did however hear about PSI so I sent for one of their catalogs. Then I started out on a shopsmith and realized this was something I wanted to do and change overs simply took too much time. I ordered the 10" VS drive lathe from PSI and am more than happy with it. It will do everything "I" want to do. Little by little I started buying accessories I needed from PSI and ebay. Most of my kits still come from PSI simply because I want to keep it simple until I can recognize the different tubes and bushings. At first I thought it was a daunting task trying to distinguish all of the different pieces/parts. Then I found this site and the confusion started all over again. Even now I still see confusion here when someone ask a particular question about a pen kit because there are soooooo many variables. One look in the library at the conversion chart for kits and bushings should prove that.

As a newbie, I'd say buy the kit and stick with one supplier (no matter who it is) until you feel comfortable to branch out. The members here have much to offer in every way because of their experience but you've got a lot to learn. The first rule of thumb should be the KISS rule. If not you'll only end up spending more and end up with pieces/parts you can't use. To often we forget we were once just like you :wink:

 

[Smitty37]

Packag is ok but....

The packages are ok but I go very light on the kits in the package --- they are usually NOT a particularily good buy also the blanks. There a number of sources for kits and blanks that will do better for you than PSI. Ask questions here and the answers will help you decide what is best for you.

 

[PenMan1]

I'd pass on the TurnCrafter and save up a few more dollars for the Delta 46-460 or the Jet 1014 VSI. Both of those are quality lathes.

Every single person I know who bought the TurnCrafter has been disappointed and most have had at least one very time consuming return for repair.

 

[Whaler]

I am a firm believer that when you are buying anything buy the best that you can squeeze into the budget even if you have to save for a bit and kick the budget up.
I now have a Jet 1220VS but worked my way up through a Jet 1014 and then a Jet 1220 before I got here. I would say that I would never go back to a non VS lathe of any size.

 

[bluesguitar]

This probably won't be a popular reply but I bought a Harbor Frieght variable speed mini-lathe about a year ago for under $100 and it's a good place to start if you're trying to figure out whether you'll use it much. I've done dozens of fishing lures and pens on it without any problems. The only issue I've had is using the PSI dedicated pen blank chuck and it doesn't track the bit straight through the blank. I'm not 100% sure that's the lathe but the tailstock has some play so I suspect that's it.

 

[nava1uni]

I recommend a Rikon. The non-variable speed is easy to change belts and it is affordable. I have had mine for almost 5 years and never had anything go wrong with it. I turn all the time and make pens and many other things. It is a very reliable lathe with good manufacturer support. I did something wrong and needed a piece and they sent it to me for nothing, even though it was my fault.

 

[t001xa22]

I started about 1-1/2 years ago, and was able to catch a great sale price at WC on a new Jet 12-20 non V/S. I got it for less than $375. Some said I should have held out for the V/S model, but after using mine for a while now, I can change the belt speeds without having to look at the pulleys; I can feel them and count the grooves. So, I don't have to worry about the V/S controller acting up on me.