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Thread: Turncrafter Commander Lathe???

  1. #1

    Turncrafter Commander Lathe???

    I am strictly a hobbyist. I currently have an old Craftsman mono tube lathe. I would like to update to a newer mini/midi lathe mainly for convenience but don't want to spend a lot of money. I was curious if anyone knew anything about the Truncrafter Commander lathes that Penn State Industries sells. Under $500 for a 12" swing and 18" between centers. Thanks for everyone's time in advance.

  2. #2
    Hi Chris, I have the Turncrafter Commander that you're asking about. Ive had it for a little over a year and have had no issues with it. Tail stock lined up perfectly out of the box with no adjustments needed. I turn small stuff like pens and keychains, so i'm not sure how it would do on larger projects, but i'm sure you'd have no issues.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Northwest Indiana
    Posts
    957
    @Dean Perkins--have you found the minimum speed of 500 rpm to be any problem? Seems pretty fast for sanding or finishing on the lathe. Or drilling a lot of stuff too, for that matter.

    Chris--see my question above, that would be a concern to me. I may be willing to part with my Delta 46-460 if you're in the midwest USA, but i won't know for a few weeks to a month.

    earl

  4. #4
    Chris, i have the belt set to where the lowest speed is around 1000rpm. I do all my regular sanding, my wet sanding, and my CA finish at that speed with no issues. I do all my drilling on my drill press

  5. #5
    Earl - unfortunately I am in the south east USA. Thank you for the offer though. My craftsman lathe's slowest setting is around 875 rpm, so that's what I do all my sanding at. I wouldn't know to try a slower speed for that. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks.

    Dean - Thank you for the info on the Turncrafter Commander.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    1,798
    Chris - The Penn State Turncrafter Commander lathe is a clone of an older Jet design (which Jet may have borrowed from someone else). There are dozens of versions of that lathe sold under many different brand names. With the original, you moved the belt to change speeds. The next iteration added electronic variable speed, which the Penn State has. Then, the swing was increased from 10" to 12". Jet no longer sells this same design, but you can clearly see the lineage in Jet's current offerings. The Penn State version looks to be identical to the Shop Fox lathe with the same swing.

    What are the differences, besides paint color, of the various clones? The quality of the bearings, electronics, quality and finish of the cast iron, and some of the creature comforts. Is the Penn State a good lathe? Let's say its a fair example of these clones. Paying a bit more might get you better fit and finish, better better bearings, etc. Would such things be worth the extra cost? Only you can answer that.
    David Walser
    Mesa, Arizona

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