Newbie ? Turncrafter Commander 10 VS Rikon 70-105

[zorkman]

Hi I am new to the forum. I am a fairly experienced woodworker and do most of my own home remodels. Now finally going to start my turning hobby as I near retirement. I have read a lot of the posts on buying lathes. My question is this. Penn State is offering the Commander 10 with sale price minus an additional 10% off. Also -including a set of wizard carbide chisels and and a drill chuck as a gift with purchase. The Rikon 70-105 is on sale at woodcraft with free shipping. The bottom line is my total outlay between the two would be almost exactly the same.

My quandary lies in that the Rikon is probably a better quality machine (not saying the commander is bad), but I think it has a smaller 1/2 HP motor and is not VS. Meanwhile the commander is a 3/4 HP with VS. They both have the swing and distance. My thinking is the commander is the better option. Just want to make sure that I am not missing something with Rikon.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[Brandy]

I don't know anything about the Commander but I've ben very happy with my Rikon 70-105. I don't believe the 1/2 horsepower is a problem

 

[studioseven]

First welcome to our community. I really can't answer your question because I don't know anything about either lathe. However, from experience at some point you're going to wish you had a VS lathe. If you look below this page, there are links under similar threads that may answer your question. Also Penn State has a 5 minute You Tube video on selecting a mini/midi lathe. That may help you. By the way, I just looked and all of Penn States mini lathes with starter packages are sold out. I'm not sure when they will be back in stock. The lathe without the package is available. Good luck.

Seven

 

[mnerland]

Phil, I have been using the Turncrafter 10" for about 2 years. I like the machine, even though I know it is made elsewhere. You will get alot of opinions on this site, from alot of professionals. For me to choose it had to do with features and financial. I did some research and found the Commander a better choice for me "as a beginning pen turner". In time , I may want to upgrade, but for now I am happy with my purchase. I too was not a beginning woodworker, just new to the Midi-Lathe thing. Enjoy your new hobby!

 

[Alan Morrison]

I think that variable speed would be the deal clincher. I cannot comment on either machine as they are foreign to me.

 

[henry1164]

My wife presented me with a Turncrafter Commander 12" for Christmas. To date I have only turned pens and bottle stoppers. I can say that this lathe is EVERYTHING that I needed or wanted in a high quality precision machine. For the future, I'm sure that when I want to turn small bowls, etc. in the future that I will be pleased with this unit to give excellent results. As stated above.....VARIABLE SPEED should be the "must have" on your list.

 

[monophoto]

You're comparing two machines:
A. Variable speed, 3/4 Hp motor, that comes with a set of carbide tools and a Jacobs chuck
B. Fixed speed (adjustments by changing belt pulleys), 1/2 Hp motor

To me, the choice is clear: A. More horsepower means that it is easier to drill holes and you are less likely to stall the motor when turning larger diameters. That's a biggie. Most people would consider variable speed a real convenience and a significant differentiator, but in reality, after you gain experience, you will find that you change speeds less often, and the main advantage of variable speed will be to slow down for sanding. Even so, it's really nice to have.

I'm not personally familiar with the Rikon, but I own a Turncrafter (12", 1Hp) and like it very much. It has its quirks, and I suspect that the Rikon does also. You can't know what peculiarities a particular lathe has until you have worked with it for a while, and you either learn to live with them, or else you sell it and buy something else (and deal with a new set of quirks). Turning is often referred to as 'the vortex' because it pulls you in deeper, and most people outgrow their first lathe (and also the second, and perhaps the third - - -); I suspect that point would come sooner with the Rikon than it would with the Turncrafter because the larger horsepower and variable speed make it possible to do more.

Having a Jacobs chuck is convenient, and you likely will want one sooner rather than later. I don't know which chuck PSI is offering as part of the package, but my advice would be to skip the 3/8" version and get the 1/2" chuck. Be aware that personal safety is a major consideration whenever you are using a lathe. There is a choice between keyed and keyless chucks - a keyless chuck is theoretically safer because you can inadvertently leave the key in a keyed chuck, and when you start the lathe, it will be ejected, possibly into your face. So always wear a face mask. (And to be totally correct, a keyed chuck is a 'Jacobs chuck', while a keyless chuck has a different name that I don't remember.)

When I bought my first lathe (the 1/3 Hp machine) it came with three tools - a skew, a parting tool, and a spindle gouge. I'm still using them but have expanded my arsenal quite a bit over the years. All part of the vortex. I do have some carbide tools, but I find that I prefer conventional tools and don't use carbide all that often. That's purely a matter of personal choice. But obviously getting them as part of the package would help you get started.

 

[zorkman]

Thanks Monophoto. That kind of expertise is what I was looking for. I also felt the HP was a bigger deal than anything else. The drill chuck was included and not any real reason to choose one machine over another. The carbide bits will certainly start me off but of course I understand that will expand over time. The VS is just added bonus as am sure I could deal with belt changes if necessary.

Thanks again.

 

[JimB]

The Rikon is a better 'quality' but I would go with the Commander for the simple reason of the VS and the HP. You will want the VS for many reasons and you will want the extra HP if you plan on turning any bowls or even large spindles. I don't own either but I have turned on both.

 

[JimB]

BTW, if you have a slightly bigger budget take a look at the Laguna 1216.

 

[penicillin]

I do not know anything about the two lathes, but variable speed is a must-have feature for any lathe that I would buy. It would be worth the wait to save up additional funds to pay for it.

Most variable speed lathes have multi-step pulleys to choose between different variable speed ranges, but that electronic knob adjustment is the essential feature.

 

[Bermudapenturner]

I don't know about the Rikon, as I started on a VS Turncrafter (12", 1Hp) about 6 years ago. It's a great machine that has served me well and is still going. Only had to change the belt once. I recently moved on to the 12" VS Jet with the same general specs, but with the reverse feature. You definitely can't go wrong with the Turncrafter - highly recommend the 12" with the additional HP.

Carlos

Bermudapenworks.com

 

[monophoto]

I don't know about the Rikon, as I started on a VS Turncrafter (12", 1Hp) about 6 years ago. It's a great machine that has served me well and is still going. Only had to change the belt once. I recently moved on to the 12" VS Jet with the same general specs, but with the reverse feature. You definitely can't go wrong with the Turncrafter - highly recommend the 12" with the additional HP.

Carlos

Bermudapenworks.com

There is a thread on this board (https://www.penturners.org/threads/reversible-lathe-worth-the-effort.157054/) that discusses a relatively simple/inexpensive aftermarket hack to add reversing capability to Turncrafter VS lathes.

Also, in the frozen North, King Canada sells what appears to be the same lathe with reversing built in - the only obvious difference is that it is painted blue.

 

[zorkman]

Thanks everybody. I decided to go ahead and order the Turncrafter. The VS and extra HP was the deciding factor. Unfortunately this was at the top of my budget so stepping up to a bigger machine wasn't in the cards. But thanks for the suggestions. I can't wait to get started. Thanks again.

 

[pshrynk]

I think you'll like it. I have one and am pleased with it. I am wanting to see if I can branch out into bowls and platters, so I'm looking for an upgrade. The only thing to be aware of idiosyncrasy wise is that the tailstock needs to be carefully aligned all the time.