Lathe question???

[matt dumney]

Hi all!

I have question regarding a lathe package. First, let me say that I have very little knowledge of this subject. My son (14) is interested in getting into turning pens and I stumbled across the lathe at http://www.pennstateind.com/store/getting-started.html

One package is 475 and one is 550, but I'm not sure what the difference is.
Can this machine turn bowls?

Does anyone have any opinions on this lathe or setup or price?:confused::confused::confused:
Thanks!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Matt it looks to me like the second on for $550 is a variable speed lathe. So you would be paying it looks like $75 more for variable speed rather than changing the belt for different speeds on the one for $475. Is it worth $75 for variable speed yes but it may not be to you. You can turn probably 9" to 9 1/2" bowls on this one. I have a couple of friends who have these lathes and both like them a lot. Both do a lot of pen turning, mini birdhouses and lidded boxes. Both have the variable speed and are extremely happy with them. I turned on one and it turns really well. I have the Rikon which is a belt change and will turn a 11 1/2" bowl. Belt changing doesn't bother me because it takes all of 30 seconds.

I would say these kits would be fine because you get the basic tools needed for turning pens.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Matt,

The difference between the two packages is that the more expensive package has a variable speed lathe. Typically what this means is that the speed can be adjusted electronically within a given range. You set the range by positioning a belt on one of the pulleys and then vary the speed within that range by turning a pot...potentiometer to "fine tune" the speed.

I'm not familiar with that particular lathe. In the same price range two lathes that are very popular with members here are the Jet Mini series including the VS model and the Rikon. Both are owned by a lot of members here. I was given a Jet VS Mini by the inmates here and worked the daylights out of it. I have since bought a PowerMatic (PM) 3520B. The Rikon has pretty good reputation also.

All of these Minis or Midis ....same thing small lathes...will turn bowls usually in the 10-12" diameter range depending on manufacturer and specific model. Anything you can turn on a big lathe can be turned on a smaller lathe but it's going to be smaller in size and weight. Vice-versa, anything you can turn on a small lathe can be turned on a larger lathe.

Are the ones you listed a good deal? They are kitted and do give you all the basic tools you need to start turning pens.

I'm just not sure about the lathe. Hopefully someone with some experience with that lathe will respond.

Good luck in you decision making!

[John W. Willis]

Hello Matt,

I have the TCPRO non-vs from Penn State which I bought a few years ago in a package. I was brand new to woodturning at the time like you. The lathe is a very good lathe for it's size. When compared to the Jet of the same size they are very close to identical. It's a good place to start and get used to turning technique and tools.

There are pros and cons to getting the package rather than buying the lathe and then TRYING to figure out what else you need. For me being brand new it was a good choice. It had everything that I needed to get started and learn with. It was all right there and I was anxious to get started. As I went along and learned it became obvious that there were some good accessories and some that I would have changed had I been more experienced.

There are many good opinions on here about whether to go with the package or try and figure out what is needed and not. For me it was a good choice to go with the package since I didn't have a mentor locally. (actually I had several thousand virtual mentors to whom I owe a great deal)

[matt dumney]

Thank you, I appreciate the information.

[Neal Addy]

One thing you'll need to have that's not included in the kit is a sharpening system of some kind. A decent 6" or 8" grinder with Aluminum Oxide wheels would be recommended. Woodcraft makes a good 8" slow-speed grinder. It's good value for the money.

This does get you started but you can make $550 stretch much farther than this kit takes you if you buy the right components. And you'll end up with much better quality parts.

[John Schumer]

Hi Matt,
I am by no means a pro at this turning stuff!!

My son started with a Rockler mini lathe (m power) about a year ago, he was 15 at the time.
It looks like the same exact lathe just a different color.
It has served us well for the year we have had it.
He has made a ton of pens.
We are now upgrading to a larger JET lathe.
We bought all our pieces separately, not in a package, and I think we did better on price, and quality of tools.
Lathe was $150.00 on sale
Tools were $55.00 with coupon
You don't really need an assembly jig, a drill press or vise works fine.
Just my 2 cents
HTH
John

[David Gunn]

You can buy the exact same lathes on Amazon for less money. Also you get free shipping. You could do that and shop around for the accesorries you want. It should save you some money that way.

[Neal Addy]

My suggested pen-turning solution would be the following:

Jet 1014 lathe - $250
WC 8" grinder - $80 (on sale now)
Wolverine jig - $80
HF 8-piece tool set - $50

This gets you all the tools you need to start general turning for ~$460 (my prices are ballparks). To save a few bucks you could skip the Wolverine and sharpen by hand.

Then add the following for pen turning:

WC Pro Mandrel - $20
Pen mill - $20ish (depending on what you get)

I assume you already have a drill press.

That's a total of $500 for everything you need not counting pen kits, drill bits, and bushings. Those should be researched and purchased separately from a good supplier whose kits you like. Sand paper, CA, and finish are also needed, of course, but those count as normal supplies.

This would be a much better quality "starter kit" than the PSI, and it gives you a sharpening solution which PSI does not.

Just my $.02.

[John Shuk]

This is a link to a review my friend did for our turning club on the Turncrafter Pro.

Look around his site their is a bunch of good stuff.
http://carlford.info/assets/jigs_tools/Great_Little_Lathe/Great_Little_Lathe.pdf

This IS NOT a link to another public forum.

[Paul Stroik]

Very good information on that site. And turning only 6 years - Wow.

[Chris Stolicky]

My suggested pen-turning solution would be the following:

Jet 1014 lathe - $250
WC 8" grinder - $80 (on sale now)
Wolverine jig - $80
HF 8-piece tool set - $50

This gets you all the tools you need to start general turning for ~$460 (my prices are ballparks). To save a few bucks you could skip the Wolverine and sharpen by hand.

Then add the following for pen turning:

WC Pro Mandrel - $20
Pen mill - $20ish (depending on what you get)

I assume you already have a drill press.

That's a total of $500 for everything you need not counting pen kits, drill bits, and bushings. Those should be researched and purchased separately from a good supplier whose kits you like. Sand paper, CA, and finish are also needed, of course, but those count as normal supplies.

This would be a much better quality "starter kit" than the PSI, and it gives you a sharpening solution which PSI does not.

Just my $.02.

I 2nd most of this. I went through the process last fall and ended up buying the Jet 1014i.

I ended up buying a Delta vs grinder because I wanted something I could use for more than sharpening turning tools. I bought the PSI sharpening jig and PSI basic pen turning tools from Amazon. The Wolverine jig is supposed to be better, but all of the pieces added up to be more. The WC grinder is a good deal. I would recommend buying the pen mandrels and kits from the Web rather than WC because the prices are quite a bit higher there.

PSI does sell a lot of decent to cheap pens kits, but I would recommend starting there for pen making supplies. Nice kits can get expensive quickly! Another Web site to check out is woodturningz.com or woodnwhimsies.com for pen basic supplies. They actually sell the PSI products and claim to be cheaper. I haven't compared prices yet. Eventually you will be looking at CSUSA and Arizona Silhouette for nice pen kits.

Good luck.

[Thomas Canfield]

If you can go back several issues, WOOD Magazine had a pretty good article on how to get started turning for less than $600 for lathe, tools, and sharpening system. I don't remember the issue, but it would be a good starting point to try to get set up for all the different tools. A sharpening system is very important, and often overlooked. Also check out any turning clubs in your area and a mentor program to help get started.