Turncrafter PRO Midi Lathe

[mikes pens]

Okay, Jet is no longer making their mini lathe (at least in Canada). Has anyone bought the Turncrafter PRO Midi Lathe and if so, how do you like it?

Mike

 

[JimGo]

I have one, as do several of the others here. It's decent, much better than the junky one I got from eBay (similar to the inexpensive HF lathe). It's fine for making pens and other smaller things, but it isn't particularly heavy and mounting it to a work table or the like can be a little difficult (I haven't figured out how to do it yet, but haven't tried too hard, either). It's not as good as many of the more expensive lathes, but at something like $150 (compared to easily 2-3x that amount), it's a good deal.

 

[rderr]

I think it's a great lathe, made many pens and a few bowls on it. I mounted it to a buther block top, by runing bolts from under the top direct threaded into it, I had to add spacers under the mounting holes once i removed the rubber feet so the switch box would clear, you'll see what i mean when you sit it down without the rubber. The treads are metric, got'em at Lowe's.

 

[JimGo]

Thanks Ryan!

 

[Tea Clipper]

I like mine. [] The Pro has a longer bed than the Jet, which came in handy for the salt/pepper grinders I did, but of course the extenstion is only $20 more and worthwile to get. The 1/2hp motor is plenty powerful for the various things I've thrown at it, and while it has 6 speeds, I mainly use only the fastest and slowest. Changeing the belt is a breeze. The price was right with free shipping from Amazon. Unfortunately, the first unit they shipped arrived in pieces, but the replacement they sent (no hassle, quick turnaround) arrived in good condition (still had to replace 2 bent bolts). So my issue is only in shipping - the lathe itself is great!
HTH,

 

[gerberpens]

I also have the Turncrafter Pro lathe. I have had no problems with the lathe. It is my 1st lathe so I can't compare with others. The only thing I wish it had was variable speed. It was considered a "Top Value" in the latest Workbench magazine article as they compared of 6 or 7 lathes(Jet VS was the top rated lathe). But if you are not sure if pen turning is for you, or don't want to spend a lot of money, the the Turncrafter Pro is a good value IMHO.

Just remember, once you start turning pens, you'll be hooked!!

 

[dfurlano]

I have this lathe also. I do pens, ornaments, and other small turnings with no issues. And like gerberpens I wish it had a variable speed control. I ruined one belt changing speeds. Also I snapped off the tool rest (long story) and replaced it with a woodcraft one that I paid a lot of money for. Interesting thing it the new tool rest is far better then the one that comes shipped on the lathe.

 

[alamocdc]

Mike, I don't have it, but it got a great write up in November's (I think) Workbench magazine lathe review. It was awarded Best Value, IIRC. They said the casting quality and machining was just as good as the Jet and the only two things they didn't like about it was 1) the weight (too light) and 2) it was a bit underpowered. They said it bogged down when trying to take deep cuts out of bowl blanks.

 

[Cam]

Since you are in Canada have you looked at the General International Maxi-lathe.
Seems pretty good. King makes an identical model but different colour. It is not a light weight at 106lbs. I picked up the Maxi for $279CAN last summer.

Cam

Originally posted by mikes pens
<br />Okay, Jet is no longer making their mini lathe (at least in Canada). Has anyone bought the Turncrafter PRO Midi Lathe and if so, how do you like it?

Mike<b></b>

 

[Easysport]

I have the turn crafter pro also and so far its worked fine. I do have trouble getting the belt on the upper pully for low speed. There dosen't seem to be much clearance with the houseing. Other than that it's worked fine. I haven't bolted it down to my stand, but haven't had any problems with it moving. Must have a light touch.[][]

 

[mikes pens]

Thanks for the great information. Just curious, does anyone know if it has holes in the legs that a bolt can go through so it can be attached to a bench?

Mike

 

[gerberpens]

It has treaded holes that rubber feet screw into. I'm not sure what the size is, but it's probably a standard size.

If you want to attach it a workbench, you would need to run a threaded bolt up through the workbench and screw into the 4 legs of the lathe. Or something like that.

I have my lathe sitting on a workbench, not attached, and it works fine. But I have only turned pens with the lathe, not bowls.

Gary

 

[randall844]

Did I understand someone to say that the Pro is available through Amazon (therefore shipping for free)rather than just exclusively from Penn?[?]

 

[JHFerrell]

Mike...I have the Turncrafter Plus from PSI and, for the most part, I like it just fine. It does seem to have good weight; at least enough so it doesn't wander around the bench. It can be bolted down...bolts run up from under the table top into threaded holes in the legs. I haven't had any problems with it bogging down or anything so I think the power is ok. I also like the speed control. No belt changes...just turn the knob![] Headstock and tailstock line up just fine. I don't much care for the tool rest that came with it though. Just doesn't work quite right for me, so will probably replace it at some point. All in all, I am very happy with it.

 

[Fred in NC]

I just checked the Amazon site. AMAZINGLY, they offer the Turncrafter PRO lathe for $169.94. It ships from Amazon, and according to the page, it is eligible for free shipping. This is NOT a VS lathe !!!

The Turncrafter PLUS, which is smaller, is VS.

 

[JimGo]

Randall, several TurnCrafter resellers exist, including (in no particular order) PSI, Amazon, Pens of Color, and Woodturningz. Not all of them list the prices on their web sites, so you may need to call them to determine which has the best deal, taking shipping into account. Also, if you want to take a drive to Philly, you can get the lathe from PSI's retail store, which also has a nice selection of other goodies. Another thing to try is Froogle (http://froogle.google.com ); some times you can find really good deals that way.