| | |  | PSI Tools | Home » » » PSI TCLPRO Turncrafter PRO Midi 4 Amp 10-Inch Swing by 18-3/4-Inch between Centers 1/2-Horsepower Benchtop Woodworking Lathe | | | | | | | Description: | | PSI TCLPRO Turncrafter PRO Midi 4 Amp 10-Inch Swing by 18-3/4-Inch between Centers 1/2-Horsepower Benchtop Woodworking Lathe | | | Features: | |
• 1/2-horsepower, 5-speed 500 to 3200 RPM
• 18- to 40-inch turning capacity
• Cast-iron construction
• Includes 6-inch tool rest, spare drive belt, 3-inch faceplate, live tailstock center, #2 Morse taper spur center
• Weighs 78 pounds; 3-year warranty
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 32.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 17.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 11.5 inches | | Package Length:
| 33.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 17.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 12.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 80.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 32 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 32 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
148 of 151 found the following review helpful:
 Good Quality Lathe for the MoneyApr 07, 2006
By Joseph Sacher
"Joe Sacher"
When I was looking at lathes, I talked with many people who had tried and liked either the Jet Mini or the PSI Turncrafter Pro lathe. I could not find many that had used both, to get an idea of the differences between them. Now owning a PSI Turncrafter Pro and having taken a class and used a Jet Mini for 5 hours or so, I decided to summarize the differences.
Both lathes look deceptively similar. The PSI is 4" longer in the bed at 18", vs 14" for the Jet. The Jet also has one higher speed. The first 5 speed ranges seem to be very close. The beds look almost exactly the same, as do the banjo and steadyrest. The tail stock wheel contains a handle (just a steel rod) on the Jet, where the PSI is only a wheel. The handle does make adjusting the tail stock depth faster for far moves. The motor height adjustment is almost exactly the same. (EDIT: After posting this, I found the tailstock handle in the spare belt bag. It actually works a little better than the Jet, so this is definitely not a disadvantage.)
Quality wise, the Jet has a nicer finish and features. By this, I mean the machining is a little better cleaned up and parts are more thought out. The threads on my PSI headstock looked like there were cut and never touched again. There are burrs and sharp edges that I will be dressing down. While the Jet lathe I was using had been in use at the classroom for a while, I haven't noticed this on Jet minis out on display at shops either.
The major difference, which will affect daily use, are the belt access doors. The Jet has a nice flip open door for both top and bottom access. Although the spring handle setup for the bottom door seems a little strange to me, it works fast once you get used to it. The access to the belts are in exactly the same spot, but the PSI has a thumb screw to undo and then a little plastic piece which is lifted and removed. This piece has slits on the bottom that sits on bolts screwed in below the opening. The piece would be set down for the change then replaced. It makes for a piece to lose and takes over twice as long to change the belt speed as on the Jet. I will be replacing my plastic pieces with doors that have a spring clip, similar to the Jet's. Currently my access panels are off, because they are annoying to remove and replace.
The locking handle on the steady rest and the tail stock depth lock are both a plastic handles on the PSI. The operation is the same, both spring loaded handles which can be lifted to change position without rotating the bolt. The plastic handles don't feel flimsy, but I doubt they will last quite as long as the metal handles on the Jet.
Point to point, my PSI is slightly off (1/32" tail is closer to me than the head point). While a thin shim under the tail will fix this, I'm not sure if this is typical with PSI or not. My sample size is 1. I did not see this with the 4 Jet lathes I looked at.
I couldn't find any real difference in power or vibration between the two lathes. Both ran very smooth and had enough power for everything but the largest task. An out of balance, green, hugh bowl blank is a little much for a lathe this small. :)
I am still happy with my PSI purchase. After I spend a little bit of time to polish off some of the rough edges and I will have a nice lathe for about $100 less than the Jet. I don't see the loss of the high end (3800 rpm or so) on the Jet as too much of a problem. 3200 rpm is fast enough and both have the 500 rpm low end. But there is no doubt, the Jet is a better finished machine, with a few "upgrades" over the PSI. If I could have found the Jet on special for within $20-40 of the PSI, I would have paid the difference.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
JOB WELL DONEJul 17, 2007
By Dale Price
FIRST LATHE AND NEW TO TURNING WOOD. BOUGHT THE LATHE AFTER MUCH READING AND SEARCHING. A GREAT PRICE, AND THE LATHE WAS SHIPPED ON TIME AND I RECIEVED IT IN GOOD CONDITION. EASY TO SET UP AND THE HEAD AND TAIL STOCK MATCHED UP. HAVE TURNED TWO BOWLS AND THE MACHINE WORKED BETTER THAT EXPECTED, SPEED IS GREAT AND EASY TO USE. WOULD RECOMMEND THIS LATHE TO ANY WOOD TURNER EXPECIALLY A BEGGINER.
18 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 PSI TurncrafterJul 03, 2006
By W. Dunham
"wood carver"
Lathe arrived in good shape except the lock for the tool rest was broken. I had a metric bolt the correct size to use in its' place. The lathe works well and am having a ball making wood bowls from native Birch. They are beautiful. Also turned a rolling pin from a glue-up lamination of four different hardwoods. Am really enjoying it.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Great productApr 29, 2008
By Rcm
I did a lot of research on this lathe prior to buying one and it payed off, great lathe for turning pool cues and joint protectors which is all I plan on doing with it. I spoke with the guy from PSI before I made my decision and he was very helpful. I went with this model over the variable speed one because as has been pointed out from other users, to achieve variable speed, power is cut throughout the rpm range until it is at top speed.
Mine was finished fine and required no further machining, the extension bed matched perfectly and the 3 jaw chuck I purchased screws right onto the 1 x 8 tpi threads on the head stock. I have turned 1 1/2 x 30 inch stock that was no wheres near square with no vibration.
Only thing bad I can say about the lathe is: You will never find a steady rest that fits this lathe because of its 5 inch spindle center height and 1 1/4 inch distance between rails, I had one made for it. The plastic handle on the tail stock was broken clean off before I ever opened the box.
I would buy this exact set up again, the price and quality can not be matched in this price range anywhere. With the addition of the 3 jaw chuck, steady rest and drill chuck you can bore into your work with precision perfectly centered holes with no vibration because of the heavy cast iron parts.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Best buy for the money!Oct 08, 2008
By R. Nicholls
This is my first lathe. I could have afforded to spend much more, but after reading the reviews decided that this was too good an opportunity to miss as a starter lathe. Have not been sorry! In fact I am more than pleased! Expected from what I had read that the finish would be crude and I might have to get my file to take off the rough edges. Not so. I had taken a class using a Rikon midi lathe and liked the way it worked. Could have bought one for $350 at a local store, but got my Turncrafter for $188 with fast free shipping! Only advantage of the Rikon is the ease of changing belt speeds, a 12 inch swing, and metal handles on the tool-rest and tail-stock locks (instead of plastic). Nice, but not worth another $162 !!
See all 32 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
