Wilson 99177 vs PSI Turncrafter

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Tn-Steve

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Messages
271
Location
Clarksville, TN
Hey Gang,

I've read a gazillion posts, done all the research I can, now I'm calling on you. I'm looking at either the Wilson 99177 Variable Speed and the Turncrafters Pro (Non VS). I've read very good things on each here, and not overwhelming negatives on either. I'm going to give the key points I've figured out, tell me what I've missed. (Yea a JET would be nice, but not in the cards)

Wilson:
Pluses
  • Variable Speed (seems like a lot of the finishing techniques benefit from that
  • Lower Price, but still well made
Minuses
  • 1MT, so upgrading can be an issue down the road
  • Not QUITE as powerful, but more than enough for pens / stoppers / etc

Turncrafter
Pluses
  • 2MT
  • Seems like it's got a bit higher quality fit and finish
  • Just a bit more power (2/5 vs 1/2 HP)
Minuses
  • Bit more expensive, but not a make-break issue
  • Not VS, and that could be the deciding factor

Right now I'm tending toward the Wilson, I am confident that which ever one I get will be more than suited for the job, and I won't be able to blame any errors on the tool. Would really appreciate any other guidance or analysis you can give.

Thanks In Advance

Steve W
Clarksville, TN
 
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Steve, I can't speak for either of these as I have a Delta midi. However, I did just convert to VS by way of a PSI VS conversion kit, so I can speak about that. VS is nice for pens and such b/c you will want to turn fast, sand slow, and usually finish/polish fast. That's at least 2 belt changes per pen (or more) and it gets old if you turn a lot. I use VS now and I can just crank the dial to change the speed and I never have to touch the belt.

I did start out with a Grizzly VS mini lathe, which was 1MT. It worked okay, but when I upgraded to the Delta, I had to get all new mandrels, etc. It was a pain. Get 2MT if you can. Also, you generally tend to get what you pay for. most of these lathes are made in some factory in Taiwan anyway, so when you're paying more, its generally for better parts/fit/finish/service. Take that into consideration.
 
I don't like either of those lathes, to be honest. Take a look at the Variable Speed Steel City mini-lathe - I think it's got everything on your list at a very fair price.

Marc
 
I started out with the WILTON (not Wilson) 99177. While not a bad little lathe in its own right, you will very soon outgrow it. Will it get you started in penturning? Yes. Will you have fun with it? Yes. Is it well-constructed? Reasonably, especially considering the price. Will it have enough muscle to turn small bowls and things? Probably not. And while there are accessories available for the 1MT, they will be doorstops when (not if--WHEN!) you upgrade. Hate to say it, because I thoroughly enjoyed using my little Wilton, but if I had to do it all again, I would be looking at the Jet 1014, the Rikon mini, or the Steel City mini mentioned above. The 2MT is a big issue, in my opinion--as is the 1"-8tpi spindle thread. Both are simply more common, therefore easier to find accessories that are compatible.
 
LostintheWoods said:
I started out with the WILTON (not Wilson) 99177. While not a bad little lathe in its own right, you will very soon outgrow it. Will it get you started in penturning? Yes. Will you have fun with it? Yes. Is it well-constructed? Reasonably, especially considering the price. Will it have enough muscle to turn small bowls and things? Probably not. And while there are accessories available for the 1MT, they will be doorstops when (not if--WHEN!) you upgrade. Hate to say it, because I thoroughly enjoyed using my little Wilton, but if I had to do it all again, I would be looking at the Jet 1014, the Rikon mini, or the Steel City mini mentioned above. The 2MT is a big issue, in my opinion--as is the 1"-8tpi spindle thread. Both are simply more common, therefore easier to find accessories that are compatible.
Click to expand...

Point well taken. I've encountered that in other hobbies and activities, there is nothing worse than having orphaned equipment, or stuff that uses accessories that simply aren't compatible with newer equipment. That may shift me over to the Turncrafter in that case,

There is a HUGE woodworking show here in Nashville this weekend, and maybe JET will be there with some great deals. (Maybe they will give me one for free based on my wit and charm). Maybe I'll have a better idea then.

Looks like 2MT and a standard 1" - 8tpi threading are more important than I had first realized. That's the beauty of a forum like this, I learn from others (Mistakes) Learning Experiences.

Thanks

Steve W
Clarksville, TN
 
Randy_ said:
You ought to look at the Grizzly lathes, too!!
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ARRGH... I was hoping to narrow down the options, not introduce more to the mix. :smile: Actually I appreciate getting the feedback, since I don't mind spending money (well, not too badly), but I hate feeling like I didn't make the optimal choice for my needs.

Maybe I'll see something at the show that will have all the feathers I want and sell at a price that won't have me donating plasma every week to pay for it.

Steve
 
1. One can by adapters to use their MT1 accessories in a MT2 lathe.
2. Most chucks already use a threaded insert so if you have one with a 3/4-16 you can remove it and upgrade to a 1-8 or use an adapter.
3. Albeit you need to be a bit cautious, one can successfully turn bowls and such with the Wilton as seen here with this 4" x 2 1/2" Spalted Maple bowl . . .

2008-08-20_032737_1st-Bowl.jpg



I have a Wilton and it has served me well. If I had to do it all over again, I would at least saved up a bit more and got either a Steel City or Grizzly. A Jet if you wanna spend the $$$.
 
Humm... Lets run the check list on the Steel City VS Mini Lathe
  • 2MT--CHECK
  • 1" - 8tpi -- CHECK
  • Variable Speed -- CHECK
  • 1/2 HP -- CHECK
  • 5 Year Warranty-- CHECK (Better than my car has)
  • Good Value for the Money -- Seems to be. I've heard good things about that line here

I think we have a winner!!!!

Steel City has a distributor here in Nashville, (Woodcraft), the are going to be at the Show this weekend, they offer classes (something I love, since I teach for a living I love to also learn new things), and they say that they will have some great deals at the show. Simply won't get the SUPER JUMBO MEGA LARGE Starter kit, build up the tools and things I need as required.

Thanks for all the tips, I think my mind is made up, at least until something else shiny grabs my attention.

Steve W.
Clarksville, TN
 
Let me try to cement your decision for you just a little. At $99.99 with free shipping a year ago, the wilton was good enough and cheap enough to get somebody like me with a bare minimum of cash into the turning game. But at $155 and up, It's close enough in price to a real minilathe like the steel city or rikon that it's no longer worth the hassles. If you can possibly swing the price go with something you will use indefinitely, rather than something you will be looking to upgrade in a year.
 
I also got my Wilton for $99 and free shipping, which is why I can't fault it at all. As for using adaptors to use MT1 accessories on MT2 equipment, the only problem is that this introduces another variable--another chance of producing an out-of-round condition. Likewise the adaptor for the chuck (the Barracuda2 has inherent 1"-8tpi threads). Greg, while my language may have implied that bowls were out of the question, that surely was not my intent--I made a few myself. Its just that the lathe just doesn't have a lot of muscle, and bowls, candlesticks, and larger turnings are just a bit tougher to accomplish on the Wilton. I still have mine, and will keep it to fall back on, but to be honest, my turnings come out nicer on the Jet (with the help of a Beall Collet Chuck) than they did before. And that, to me, is the bottom line.
 
From the standpoint of owning the Shopfox model. This is the same lathe as the Wilton. It does a decent job of pen turning and small work. Hindsight, wait and get a better lathe. Don't get me wrong, I do like this little thing but if/when you d turn bowls, you will appreciate more power. Also, the VS on this model is VERY undependable. I have had it go out 3 times in 6 months.

Just my .02
 
Tn-Steve said:
There is a HUGE woodworking show here in Nashville this weekend, and maybe JET will be there with some great deals. (Maybe they will give me one for free based on my wit and charm). Maybe I'll have a better idea then.
Click to expand...
Jet isn't listed as an exhibiter, but maybe somebody will be there with deals on these.

Sadly, I'm not going to make it as we have a show this weekend.
 
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