Dave_M
Member
Wanting to try pen turning, but limited on budget these days, I opted to try out the Turncrafter Plus VS lathe from Penn State. I haven't seen a lot of info regarding this lathe posted anywhere so I thought I would post my 2 cents worth in case anyone is looking. I didn't order the starter kit because I didn't like the chisels that come in the kit. I'll order chisels, mandrel, and pen kits separately.
The lathe arrived yesterday via UPS. For 50 lbs. of tool, they should have packaged it better. Thin walled cardboard with shredded paper for packing material. Needless to say the box took a beating in transit. I opened it up with UPS standing by to inspect the damage. The lathe itself is packaged in molded styrofoam within it's own box. Although the packaging took a beating, the lathe seemed to be fine. IMO, it was lucky that the lathe wasn't damaged so if you order one inspect the packaging before accepting the shipment.
I pulled it out and set it up on the work bench. The lathe requires very little assembly to get it going. After I got it all setup, I powered up the lathe. More vibration than I would have expected but not bad. Also noticed that the head stock didn't turn exactly true. It had about a 1/64 inch (or slightly less) wobble in it measured about three inches out from the bearing. Then I noticed that the mounting bolts holding the motor were very loose and the belt was flopping all over the place. I decided to pull it apart to clean everything up and make sure it was assembled as it should be.
After a good cleaning (comes completely coated in a sticky oil to prevent rust) and proper assembly & adjustment, the head stock turns true and vibration is almost non-existent. It runs very smooth now and the 1/4 hp motor certainly has more than enough power for turning pens or other small projects.
My only complaint at this point is with the large tool rest. The tool rest was made from a poor casting so it's very rough and uneven across the resting edge. It's certainly something I can clean up myself if need be. The small tool rest is fine. I emailed Penn State about the problem with the tool rest so I'll have to see what they do about it. If I hear back from them, I'll post a follow up.
I'm certainly no expert on lathes. Just a weekend wood worker in my limited spare time, but I thought this information might be useful to someone someday.
The lathe arrived yesterday via UPS. For 50 lbs. of tool, they should have packaged it better. Thin walled cardboard with shredded paper for packing material. Needless to say the box took a beating in transit. I opened it up with UPS standing by to inspect the damage. The lathe itself is packaged in molded styrofoam within it's own box. Although the packaging took a beating, the lathe seemed to be fine. IMO, it was lucky that the lathe wasn't damaged so if you order one inspect the packaging before accepting the shipment.
I pulled it out and set it up on the work bench. The lathe requires very little assembly to get it going. After I got it all setup, I powered up the lathe. More vibration than I would have expected but not bad. Also noticed that the head stock didn't turn exactly true. It had about a 1/64 inch (or slightly less) wobble in it measured about three inches out from the bearing. Then I noticed that the mounting bolts holding the motor were very loose and the belt was flopping all over the place. I decided to pull it apart to clean everything up and make sure it was assembled as it should be.
After a good cleaning (comes completely coated in a sticky oil to prevent rust) and proper assembly & adjustment, the head stock turns true and vibration is almost non-existent. It runs very smooth now and the 1/4 hp motor certainly has more than enough power for turning pens or other small projects.
My only complaint at this point is with the large tool rest. The tool rest was made from a poor casting so it's very rough and uneven across the resting edge. It's certainly something I can clean up myself if need be. The small tool rest is fine. I emailed Penn State about the problem with the tool rest so I'll have to see what they do about it. If I hear back from them, I'll post a follow up.
I'm certainly no expert on lathes. Just a weekend wood worker in my limited spare time, but I thought this information might be useful to someone someday.
