PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe

Reviews of PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe

1.) Turncrafter Pro Variable Speed Lathe
Reviewed by: OkieBart
Rating:

I just recieved my lathe a few days ago and am very pleased with it. Amazon's free shipping is awesome, my lathe came well packaged, packed in styrofoam. Setup took only a couple of minutes, just put the VS control box on the side and insert the hinge pin and you are done. All handles seem to be solid and the finish nice. It also came with a set of safety goggles and a spare drive belt. The only problem I have found is that on the installed drive belt one of the outside "V" grooves is torn causing a clicking noise as the belt goes over the pulley. It isn't making a vibration when it turns so that's pretty minor.
In comparing this one to the Jet units I checked out at a local Woodcrafters store, I don't see any advantages on the Jet that would make me want to pay $125 more. The Turncrafter is every bit as well made and I'm happy as can be with it. I've been turning several pens and some spindles for practice and it works smoothly in all aspects. The price on this one is the best you'll ever see for a midi size lathe with variable speed. It's really nice to be able to start out slowly to make sure the wood doesn't fly off, then bring it up to the desired speed. After doing a lot of research on the web this is BY FAR the best deal going. Hope this gives you some good information and saves you time deciding on which lathe to purchase.....Happy Turning OkieBart

2.) Great value, great quality
Reviewed by: Steve Rockwall, TX
Rating:

Haven't spent a whole lot of time on this lathe yet, but am impressed so far. It was a toss up between Jet VS and PSI VS. I chose PSI as it's built practically the same, others seemed to like it, and at the time of purchase was a much cheaper--about $125 cheaper! Seemed like a great value.

Very smooth, very little vibration, VS works well, fit and finish may be a little worse than the Jet but nothing big. Had to run a file down the inside edges of the bed to free up a slight tight spot when sliding the tailstock. Having used the Jets at a local turning club, I find it hard to recognize much significant difference in quality and useability between these two (granted I'm still a beginner). So far, I'm very pleased with the decision to go PSI.

3.) great value
Reviewed by: tool king lancaster, PA USA
Rating:

This lathe is a great value for the money. I have used many lathes and this one is top-notch. Fit and Finish are above average for a lathe this inexpensive. The veriable speed works great. Overall I am 100% satisfied. I would recommend this machine to anyone. I can't wait to get the Barracuda2 chuck system, that will make this lathe truley complete. P.S. I also purchased the bed extension, defenatly worth the very minimal expense.

4.) Nice lathe
Reviewed by: A plain old GI Kansas
Rating:

I am very happy with this tool. I am an experienced woodworker that finally got around to getting my own lathe and so far I have been impressed with this tool. I was a little worried about the 1/2 hp motor but it seems more than adequate. The variable speed works very well the fit and finish are on par for the price. The only complaint I would even mention is the instruction manual, it is sparse at best. I would recommend this lathe to anyone that wants to take up turning.

5.) Out of the box...
Reviewed by: Newbie Pineville, NC
Rating:

Out of the box this lathe worked great! However, the instruction manual leads a lot to be desired. (Actually, it is poorly designed.) The manual assumes the new owner has had experience with wood lathes and wood turning. In my case, none. Prior to receiving the lathe, I viewed several online training videos and did some research, so I was able to manuever through the set up within thirty minutes or so. (There are still some areas I'm not too clear on, but I have friends who have offered to guide me through them.)

In deciding to buy this Turncrafter VS, I spent several hours reviwing the features and benefits of this lathe and also competitive models such as the comparable Jet lathe. The price was the deciding factor for me. The Turncrafter VS was about $100 less than the Jet model. Including shipping, the Amazon price was $227.00. Best deal I could find. E-bay offered it at about the same price, but I decided on Amazon because of customer support if I needed it.

I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I've read some of the "negative" reviews regarding the "finish" of this lather, but I chalked it up to "nit pickin". This is a fine model for beginners. It does what I want it to!

Don, Pineville, NC

6.) Great lathe!
Reviewed by: prodigalmike Nashville, TN
Rating:

Fantastic lathe. Using it in my personal shop in my basement. Nothing to setting up. Just plug in the cords and start turning. Only about 16" beteen centers without the bed extension. (I have one) That makes it 39" between centers. I turned my first peice and was more than staisfied. I am now building a Heavy stand from ShopNotes Issue no. 10. It fits perfectly. I would like to have a longer rest and may change that. But all in all I got more than I paid for.

You have to change the belt setting for some of the speeds but I have found that the middle speed on the belt gives me a lot of variable speed on the electronic speed control box.

A+ Thanks Amazon! I love shopping online!!! NO GAS NEEDED!!!

7.) PSI TCI Pro VS wood lathe
Reviewed by: James H. Walters jacksonville,NC USA
Rating:

I am a beginner on the lathe, even though I have used some in the past,
I am very satisfied with this lathe. It has alot of power and the variable
speed is great. I wanted a lathe for my hobby of building model railroad
buildings etc. I bought another lathe from Sears but you could stop the
motor with your hands at any speed. I sent it back. I know that I will
use this lathe for along time.

James Walters

8.) Very pleased with the performance
Reviewed by: J. Ogden RI
Rating:

I researched many midi-lathes and happy I made the right choice. The unit is everything as advertised. I also bought the PSI chuck system and this has proved to be a necessity. I also like the 3 year warranty.

Jeff

9.) PSI TCLPROVS Turncraft VArible speed wood lathe
Reviewed by: Paul W. Mitchell Central Kentucky
Rating:

Right out of the box the lathe centers were right on the button... Every thing worked great, it is a little light on instructions for setting up all the electronics, but any one with half a brain can figure it out...
all projects attempted so far finished with minimum effort... Very pleased with the purchase.... Would suggest that the user make some baffles to divert the wood chips from building up on the motor which is located between the bed ways.. small strip of metal or cardboard should take care of this easily.....

10.) PSI Turncrafter Pro VS
Reviewed by: Roger
Rating:

I find this to be a really good tool for a good price. For anyone who wants to learn to turn, or for the experienced turner, I would recommend this lathe. Out of the box (which was packaged very nicely), it went together with a snap. A little mineral spirits to wipe off the shipping oil, and attaching the extended bed, and the Barracuda 2 chuck set, (both great additional accessories (sold seperately) PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe & good prices), the variable speed was purring like a kitten. I'm sure this lathe will "turn" out some really nice projects, and yours will too.

11.) I'm liking it a lot
Reviewed by: Dave H Portsmouth, NH USA
Rating:

I'm not too easy to please - and I'll return anything that isn't exactly right for me (one reason I like dealing with Amazon) This lathe has passed the test as a 'keeper' -- I've had it about a month, turned about 10 different things - mostly smallish diameter (pens, handles, etc) but the power, the speed adjustability, smoothness of operation are all great. I'm just back to order the extension table so I can do even more with it.
Quite a good value, I'd say.

12.) very pleased with lathe
Reviewed by: L. L. Williams Columbia City,IN
Rating:

I'm very pleased with the lathe.just got it today and set it up as fast as i could get the box open.to my surprise nothing was broken and set-up went smooth,just had one part extra,I'm sure I'll find a use for the extra part later(chrome piece with a screw going through it 3in. long?).a few paint chips but nothing was bent or broken and all my adjustment knobs where alright as the other reviews had said their adjustment knobs where broken.one surprise was they sent a set of goggles, i was not expecting them at all,but a nice surprise.over all i am very pleased with this lathe as it is my first lathe and i hope to use the heck out of it. i bought it with the extension,i haven't put that on yet, maybe day 2 I'll put it on.the lathe has some weight to it,shipping was a 81 lbs.,and yes it did take two people to move it around.shipping was right on,i ordered it Saturday and got the extension first Wednesday and the rest of the order Thursday and the extension was a back order but i got it first? less then a week and i got my lathe,I'm real happy now

13.) Great little lathe
Reviewed by: bass bone
Rating:

i bought this lathe used but looked like new.
i am new to wood turning and it has been a great lathe to learn on.

the only problem i have had is sort of a big one, but i believe i caused the problem.

I was turning a large (for this small of lathe and motor) heavy stump with some tools that were badly sharpened (new to sharpening also) and caused the motor to overheat (and speed control circuits) .
eventually the speed control went out and stopped working.
again i believe i caused the circuits to overheat from using dull tools and turning too large of diameter of wood blank.

when i called Penn State and talked to their tech, he thought it was the speed control pot, so i bought one and tried it.

It didn't work, so a called him again and he found me a re-built speed control box and sold it to me for about 1/2 cost of a new box.

when i emailed Penn State, I received return mail within a day.

the lathe is great. the delayed and slow start up is a really nice feature to have on such a inexpensive lathe.

note that if you bought this little lathe without a speed control, you can buy a kit that includes a new CD motor and speed control box for about $110.00.

14.) Very good quality for the Money
Reviewed by: S. Wagner
Rating:

PLUSES:

Almost NO vibration noticed. I'm not sure that I can stand a nickel on its edge, but I may give it a try.

Nicely finished. Yea, there is one little chip on the paint at the bottom of one of the rails, but you almost have to get upside down to see it. In any case, it's a tool, and tools tend to get used. (Besides, I'm thinking of getting out the old airbrush and doing a flame job on it anyhow)

VS and the soft start is a very nice feature. Makes it easy to get the sweet spot for turning, sanding, finishing.

I didn't have any roughness on the tool rest surface, in fact mine had a very nice smooth surface.

Everything moves smoothly, fits right, locks solid.

MINUSES:

Tool rest is a bit short. Could really use an extra couple of inches, but that is a matter of adjusting.

Directions are really light on content, how to attach the Power Controller, a general guide to suggested speeds to turn at. If you are new to turning I'd HIGHLY recommend getting a book to help you out.

OVERALL:
All in all, I have NO regrets about buying this lathe. It may not be quite as slick as a Jet or RIKON, but it's more than capable and well made. I got it with SuperSaver Shipping, it was cheaper than getting it direct from PSI.

15.) "Turning" out great to be a great lathe for me!
Reviewed by: AM Volk Granite Bay, CA, USA
Rating:

I haven't done any turning in almost 30 years since using an old lathe of my father's. I've been wanting to get back to it recently without a big investment in money or shop space. I looked at the comments here and picked the PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter. Amazon offered free shipping and a good price relative to the competition. It sits nicely on the bench. The variable speed is great. The included accessories, plus a set of chisels from my dad, allowed me to get right at my first turning project. So far, it is working well for what I need.

16.) more than pleased
Reviewed by: Rebeca Pawloski virginia beach, V.A
Rating:

PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood LatheI have not found anything that I could complain about. My lathe works like a dream for small projects. I cant understand why folks pay for the expensive jet lathes. Thank you very much for a wonderful product.

17.) Control and Strength
Reviewed by: Chain228 Andrews AFB, MD
Rating:

Since the Lathe arived I have had no problems. Construction is very solid without being overly heavy. So far the only times I have noticed the spindel slowing down or stopping have been when a tool gets caught between the tool rest and wood, but once the tool was removed no damage was found on lathe or tool. So far the only problem I have is not having enough room to get rid of the saw dust. Happy crafting...

18.) Larger than expected.
Reviewed by: M. MacKenzie Southern Indiana
Rating:

We purchased this for my dad whose hobby is to make pens. It was much larger than we expected, but my dad is totally enjoying it. He can even do larger things now if he chooses. The box was slightly crumpled when we got it, but I attribute that to it being so heavy. It was not damaged, and made a great gift!

19.) Great Midi Lathe
Reviewed by: Frederick D. Zagurski Edmonds, WA, USA
Rating:

Having evolved from larger woodworking project into small items such as winebottle stoppers and pens, I decided to move from my Shopsmith to a smaller specialty lathe. Having done extensive research on the Internet, the Turncrafter Pro with Variable Speed by Penn State Industries was the obvious choice. It is by far, the best value for the price. It operates very smoothly. Having a #2 Morse taper on both the headstock & tailstock makes it very versatile. I would give it 5 stars except for three minor items:
1. The ½ hp motor makes it slightly underpowered for larger pieces.
2. Even though it has a variable speed control, there are also 3 belt settings (this was never mentioned in any ads).
3. Moving from a Shopsmith to any convential lathe is a giant leep in operation and the instrctions for set-up were very minimal and for operation were not-existant.
But overall, it's a great lathe for smaller projects. I highly recommend it for any woodturner.

20.) Great Lathe
Reviewed by: Sampson J. Lejeune
Rating:

I'm new to woodturning. This is my first lathe. So far it has been great. I'm thinking of drilling out the rubber leggs and mounting mine down to the bench. No other problems.

21.) Great tool
Reviewed by: James Lempe Alaska
Rating:

Bought this lathe to turn bowls but have used it for several other projects. Well built, works great!

22.) Excellent value
Reviewed by: Merf Manhattan, KS, USA
Rating:

This lathe may be a little "rough around the edges" compared to higher priced brands, but it works exceedingly well for its intended use as a small bench-top lathe. I do mostly pen-turning and other small items on the lathe with very good results. The variable speed control is convenient, because there is enough speed control to turn pens from start to finish without the need to change the drive belt position. Sliding and positioning the tool rest was not smooth at first, but it was fine after applying dry lubricant to all friction surfaces. The tool rest surface was slightly pitted at the top edge, which caused tools to get stuck while turning enstead of sliding smoothly from side to side. It worked fine, however, after I ground the toolrest's edge smooth with a flat sharpening stone. It is an easy fix. I have no hesitation in recommending this lathe to anybody who is on a budget and needs to get good bang for the buck without compromizing on the usefulness of the product.

23.) Value priced, mini lathe
Reviewed by: YMMV Savannah, GA
Rating:

This has been a good lathe, with just a few shortcomings.

The tool rest, the live center, and the drive center are not the best, and you will probably quickly upgrade them (or at least the tool rest).

It is a great lathe for a beginner, with variable drive at a price other makers charge for their belted/manual speed drives. It is not as high quality a Jet, but it doesn't cost as much either. If price is no concern, then get a better quality lathe. If you're looking for the bargin variable drive mini lathe, this is it.

My lathe hasn't had any problems with the motor, but I'll update after a few months/years.

24.) Wood Lathe Review PSITCLPROVS Turncrafter Variable Speed Review
Reviewed by: Big House Bob Brighton, Michigan USA
Rating:

Received the product much sooner than expected, excellent delivery time. Product was very well packed, but did notice a broken lever that is attached to the tool rest. After several calls to Penn State Industries, received part. They were very good about getting the part once they cleaned up some internal problems with their mailing procedure.

I have used the turncrafter a few times since receiving. I am repairing a high chair that is about 68 years old, and it is working perfectly for such use. The manual that came with the product is OK, but it would be good to get a complete manual on how to operate the lathe, the manual included is a little light on such issues. Such items as to how to center a piece,types of wood for turning, and how to rest your turning tool and use it best,and turning speeds for which use, a more detailed instruction manual would be good. The product so far has worked good, and I can see that I will have a lot of fun with it turning out various items. It seems to be well built, and for small turning projects, (note get the extender for lengthy projects) is good for the home workshop.

25.) Nice product, possible problems ahead though?
Reviewed by: Engineering Geek Orlando FL
Rating:

I ordered this lathe for the purpose of making pens. It is used at my second home since my primary home has a very nice Jet mini-lathe. The PSI lathe is considerably bigger, but seems about the same weight as the Jet. The PSI unit is cast iron and seems to work exceptionally well, considering that it was half the cost of the Jet machine. I have two concerns, however: (1) the drive head makes a "clacking" noise that makes me wonder if there is a bad bearing. I haven't had enough run time on it to find out the answer, but I did note that it has a very long warranty (either 2 or 3 years), so I am not going to worry about it very much. The second problem is that the ball-bearing tailstock squeals. I think this is due to the fact that when you turn a pen, it is on a metal mandrel that only contacts the tailstock on the center spur, and the squealing is from the outside ring being "left behind" as it rotates. I went to Woodcraft and bought a 60-degree cone tailstock which works much better anyway, highly recommended. The tool rest on this one is much better than the one with the Jet lathe, as the former is nice and smooth whil ethe latter seems very rough and will need a little "tuning" with a file. Packaging was OK, but was in pretty bad shape by the time UPS got it to my house. Nothing missing, and the equipment itself was in perfect condition. I rated this a 4-star for the ominous noises, but I feel I can honestly say I would buy it again. I actually like working on it better than the Jet lathe.

26.) A Gem & A Pleasure
Reviewed by: Good2Wood Strugis, MI
Rating:

I recently purchased the Turncrafter Pro Variable Speed Lathe. I had an older lathe that I had inherited from my Dad but never got around to using because it was so complex with multiple pulleys and the tail stock was in need of repair. When this came I took it from the box, placed it on the stand my Dad had built, (it fit great), oh by the way I got the bed extension too. Anyway, within minutes I was practicing with the new tools my wife got me for my birthday. This little lathe will do everything I want and then some. For a hobby shop or for a medium serious non-production environment this thing will do the trick.

Everything I could have hoped for at a very reasonable cost. PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe

27.) I got what I paid for...
Reviewed by: bombaman Bloomington, IL United States
Rating:

I'm new to turning and purchased this lathe because of the reviews and the cost. I think in a nutshell the lathe is OK but this one has some problems.
1. it shuts down for no reason after turning it on. I thought maybe it was too hot but it's done it 10 seconds after starting it.
2. Sometimes it looses power and immediately comes back while turning.
3. It's noisy and has a lot of vibration with no wood in it.
4. As others have commented, the fit and finish isn't the best but again for the price it's probably okay.

This one will be returned for refund due the problems. I can't say I don't recommend it because if mine didn't have the problems it does it would be fine for what I wanted.

28.) Lathe:great Shipping: needs improvement
Reviewed by: Randall W. Moore
Rating:

My lathe arrived with holes in its box, lots of tape holding the box together and the packing styrofoam in lots of pieces, so that I was concerned about it's condition. Fortunately, its sturdy construction survived the shipper's handling (except for one mounting foot that I had to straighten)- I'm looking forward to many hours of turning with this machine.

29.) Didn't last long
Reviewed by: hikingdoc Portland,ME USA
Rating:

I bought this lathe to learn the basics of turning, and to make some small projects. At first it performed fairly admirably considering the price. I turned a bunch of soup stirrers and some small spindles for various projects. The lathe worked smoothly. I had to do a small amount of filing to get the extension bed to fit to the main body, and more filing and sanding to get the tailstock to actually slide onto the extension. So the machining left something to be desired. Still, I felt I was getting a good deal for the price I paid. However, after about 2 years of very occasional light use, I was turning my first larger project. I mounted a 6" diameter 10" long maple log between centers and the lathe shook all over the place. I was able to eventually turn down to a cylinder and things smoothed out a bit. I began to turn a goblet, but as I was applying finish with light to medium pressure (enough to melt the wax but not overload the motor) the motor up and quit. Of course, I am turning this goblet for my wedding which is less than 2 weeks away so the timing isn't so convenient! I would say I put less than 50 hours working time into the motor, so that's a pretty poor performance in my book. I plan to contact the company to see if they will honor their 3 year warranty and I will post an addendum to this review. Overall advice: look elsewhere. You may think you're getting a bargain, but you'll probably end up buying another lathe sooner than you planned.

30.) Looked nice, but weak motor and problematic switch on the VS unit
Reviewed by: Andrew Williamson Carmichael, California United States
Rating:

I bought this lathe because most of the reviews were good, and it looked solid. Today, only after a few hours of use, maybe three or four, the motor refused to start. Flicking the switch a few times sometimes gets it going, but otherwise it's an 88 pound paper weight. While it was working I was unimpressed, the motor bogged down with little effort on any stock that was larger than a few inches in diameter. I've emailed PSI, and I'm waiting for a response to see if they can get it going again. I'll update this review when they get back to me.

Edit:
We took apart the VS unit today, and the switch was full of sawdust, so we cleaned it and it works again. My recommendation is to locate it somewhere it won't have sawdust falling in it, and maybe so that the switch isn't on the top. I can't really comment on the customer service from PSI because there hasn't been much time for them to resolve the issue, but I did get an email response from the customer service guy. Bumped it up to three stars because we have used it all afternoon, and it's working fine.

31.) bad workmanship
Reviewed by: artistwood bloomington, in
Rating:

lathe came in days before i was expecting it. amazon came through as always.
shipping box looked like crap but the lathe was not damaged. the hand wheel on the spindle side is so out of round and crooked that it will have to be replaced. there is rust on the machined surfaces and the pulleys are covered. the belt has a noticeable bad place in it so that will have to be replaced also. i dont like the plastic handles and they will also be replaced with metal ones.
when i started the lathe, it almost walked it's 80 lbs off the table due to the hand wheel vibration.
they say you get what you pay for. i have no doubt that this will be a good lathe. it is bulky and when yo take off the errant handwheel, very smooth. i just have to fix the items that they cut cost on and everything should be ok.

32.) Last Chapter
Reviewed by: wood wizard Hoosierville
Rating:

Get a cup of coffee and sit back in your easychair for a spell and I'll tell you a little story called "The Nightmare Before (and after) Christmas".

My wife bought this lathe for me as a Christmas present, wasn't that nice of her? Quite frankly, I was shocked on Christmas morning, and elated!

30 minutes into it the motor just stopped, didn't overheat. Unplugged the motor from the speed unit and connected power directly to it, still wouldn't work.

Called PSI the next day and spoke to Judy who referred me to Joe Roberts and he told me to send the motor and speed unit to them and they would immediately check it out and send me a new one (cost me $15 to send it back). That was lie 1.

A week later I called them to see whats up and Joe Roberts told me the motor hadn't come in yet but he would call me when it did. Lie 2.

3 days later I called again and Judy told me she couldn't find Joe but she'd have him call me. Lie 3.

At this point I start documenting this stuff.

I called the next day and Joe said he didn't remember talking to me before but would check the motor and call me back but he never did. Lies 4&5.

I called the next day and Judy told me they were having inventory so there was no way my motor had been received by them and transferred me to someones voicemail so I left a message, and no one ever called me back. sigh.

I called back and asked to speak to Joe and he told me because it was Friday he'd send me a new motor the following Monday. So on Tues I called and Joe said he sent the motor on Mon and would call me the next morning (Wed) with the tracking number. He didn't call. Lie 6.

I called the following Tues and Joe said he didn't send the motor and forgot to call me but he had a new motor in hand and would send it to me that day and call me the next morning with the tracking number.

Now we are up to today, Jan 22, and I spoke to Joe this morning and he said he sent the motor yesterday and would call me back with the tracking number which he did, but the tracking number showed (via the UPS website) that what he shipped only weighed 2.3 lbs and was going to a different state than where I lived.

I called back and Joe said there was a mix up and he'd call me back with the correct tracking number. He never did. I don't know how many times he has lied to me at this point.

So here it is, exactly 1 month since this lathe was purchased and paid for and all I have is a heavy piece of metal that doesn't do anything and a severe case of irritation over this whole mess.

If I don't have a new motor and speed unit by close of business on Monday the 26th of Jan I'm going to box the thing up and send it back to Amazon.

I mean really, have you ever heard of anything like this before?

I haven't, and I don't think a customer should have to go through this, especially with a Christmas present. Some gift.

I can't recommend this machine due to the irresponsible performance of the people that work for PSI.

Oh yeah, one more thing, this Joe Roberts has a nasty little laugh he does almost constantly while talking that just drives you up the wall.

If it was up to me he would be standing in the soup line right now.

And all I wanted to do was spin pieces of wood to resemble visions in my mind........

Part Deux:

Its now been about 4 months since this lathe was purchased.
As stated above dealing with Penn State has been a nightmare, specifically the enormous amount of lying by the guy in charge named Joe. He's still there and he's still lying.

Anyway, in frustration I scoured the web and found out there are 2 parts to the Penn Sate industry and up to that point I had been dealing with the part that was mentioned in the User Manual at [...].
Don't call that number unless you are a glutton for abuse.

Instead, call [...] and speak to Mark ( [...] ). When I called he was the one that answered the phone. You can tell instantly that Mark knows what he's doing and he is used to getting stuff done, and solving problems.

Mark told me their lathes are made in China and recently they have been having alot of problems with them as I outlined above and he had no solution for me but he said he would send me a new motor and speed controller which he did and they arrived in a few days. The same problem occurred. The lathe initially worked fine then out of nowhere it stopped and wouldn't come on again. A few days later it would come on but would then go off again. I called Mark and he sent me a 3rd motor. That motor has worked fine to this day. However, there have been a few times when it would stop for no apparent reason and after pushing the reset button on the speed control unit it would run again.

I still don't know the reason why this thing acts like it does nor does Mark, however I now have 2 extra motors and 1 extra speed control for backup.

Here's what I think.
I think the issue is in the speed control unit, specifically, the reset switch. It doesn't has a positive feel to it when you press it. You can't tell if its been pressed or not when you press it. The button itself seems loose in the housing and its just a matter of luck if it makes a connection or not. One of these days I'll get around to purchasing an after market push button switch and see if that clears the problem up.

Having said all of that, in the past 3 months I have turned over 300 pens and various other things and am very happy with the quality of the unit except as indicated above.

Last week I decided to turn a small bowl which means using the included faceplate. After turning the bowl I went to remove the faceplate from the lathe and realized that a special tool is necessary to do so and it was not included with the stuff that came with the lathe. The main shaft in the headstock has 2 small holes drilled into it and I inserted a cylindrical drift pin into it while turning the faceplate with a 1" open end wrench and it came undone.

I called the original Penn State number and requested the special wrench that was missing and that idiot Joe said no problem, he'll send me one, then he asked if I purchased the lathe from them. I had already given him the serial number and he looked me up in the database. I told him I purchased it from amazon and he said, "Well thats a whole different story, you're gonna have to send me a copy of your receipt so I can verify it." So now I have to find the receipt and go somehere and make a copy of it and snail mail it to him in order to fix a problem THEY created by not including the wrench in the first place. Well, Monday morning I'm calling Mark and see what he says and if he says he'll send me a new wrench I'm gonna tell him he needs to fire that idiot Joe.

I hope no one else has to go through what I have and if you do have problems I hope the info above helps out.
It really is a decent lathe but unfortunately the support is horrendous and its up to pure luck how your history will be with it.

Epilogue

Here it is a little more than a year later and I have no good news to add to this review.
In the past year this lathe has brought me ecstasy and agony (kinda like being married) but mainly the latter.
It is very unpredictable and that is frustrating. If I knew what was wrong I'd fix it, but I don't so I can't.

Just this morning I turned a pen, then stopped to eat lunch. When I came back to finish the pen the motor would not come on. I pressed the reset switch a gazillion times and still nothing. I tried 2 different motors and 3 different variable speed switches and still the thing does not work. Irritating. So I just fired off another email to Mark at Penn State ( [...] ), I doubt anything will get done about it.

In the past year, while dealing with an at times severly handicapped lathe, I have managed to turn about 300 pens and 30 bowls up to 9.5" dia x 5" deep and various other things like gavels, mallets, candle sticks, finials, etc., maybe 500 items all said and done. But because of the way this lathe works or doesn't work it took 10 times longer to do all those things. You see, my problem was that I quickly became severly addicted to turning stuff. I can take a piece of raw material, say a piece of hickory from a tree that blew down in our yard, and then in the magical realm of the corner of my office convert that old chunk of wood into something everybody just drools over. Serious. Its easy to make bad stuff look good on a lathe if you pay attention, settle for nothing but the best and never quit. My 3 rules for life. Because the lathe is inherently dangerous you MUST pay attention and stay focused. I've had a few minor mishaps, while wiping the shaving off the toolrest my finger got caught against the spinning material and yes I was rewarded with a nice blood blister for that infraction. I was holding a piece of 4/0 steel wool against a piece of wood and it caught and exploded, blowing the flotsam all up in my face and the whole area - what a mess. And I even had a few items fly clean off the lathe, over my shoulder and hit the wall on the otherside of the room. I also have a few scars on the backs of my knuckles from rubbing against the edge of spinning bowls. Did I mention how much sawdust these things create? Jayziss. I have 3 60gallon trashcans full of that stuff and I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Just one bowl will generate about 5 gallons of shavings. Funny, you put a $20 piece of walnut on the lathe and then about $15 worth of it ends up on the floor.

I found turning to be sort of like therapy. I can stand there for hours working my art and thinking about stuff. You get a certain song going through your head like they do and you start thinking about a certain topic and the next thing you know 6 hours have flown by and you've solved all the worlds problems too, and that dam song is STILL going through your head. I can't tell you how many times in the past year I've been late to supper, late taking the dogs out, late to just about everything. Time seems to fly when I'm turning. Its only when the sun goes down that I'm aware that time has elapsed from day into night, meanwhile I keep staring at this spinning object in front of me and observing the minutest of detail, making sure everything is exactly perfect.

I've made lots of mistakes, some of them major and cannot be repaired, but most of them have been minor and that's where the creative mind comes into play - how to take a damaged thing and change it into a thing of beauty. Sometimes I'll just take it off the lathe and set it aside for a day/week/month before I come back to it, and turn other things in the meantime. Like I said, its addictive.

All in all I am really infatuated with the art / skill of turning materials on a lathe but sadly this is not the lathe to do this on, at least not right now. It won't work.

So, I am out a couple hundred dollars, er my wife is - remember, she bought it for me as a Christmas present and as of right now Its not a working lathe.

I still can't recommend this lathe for the obvious reasons and suggest that if you are interested in a lathe of this size to look elsewhere, maybe a Jet.

Me? I think I'm going to move up to a larger lathe by another manufacturer, not sure who yet, and I'll just set this one in a dark corner of the garage and maybe someone in the distant future can figure out what to do with it.
But when I do get a new lathe rest assured I will come right back here to Amazon and deliver an amazing review for you to enjoy.

PS: I was just over at the Penn State website ( [...] ) and noticed they no longer have any version of this lathe available. It appears they have a new lathe coming out in March of 2010 and in their listings it has better specs all the way around than this series I am writing about. It looks like this old series of lathes are being phased out so I'd have even more reservations about buying one as repair parts and service will most likely be scarce. Caveat Emptor.

Good luck and happy turning.
The Full Time Wood Wizard

33.) Good Lathe Bad PSI Customer Support
Reviewed by: Daryl Jones Roanoke, VA
Rating:

I purchased my PSI Lathe in Dec 2007, found it was damaged during shipping PSI replaced the bend part. But since then they are really weak on support and responding to e-mails, 1st problem motor was stopping and had to turn off for a few minutes to start it back up. 2nd the variable speed is great but don't think it should be speeding up and slowing down while running without touching the dial. Was told to buy new brush's so I did and still have the same problems. I think it is the variable speed unit bad but cannot get PSI to reply to e-mails. I like the Lathe but will not purchased anything else from PSI since I spend over 400.00 dollars buying the extended bed, jaw kit and three set of turning tools with my purchase. Next one will be from some one that will stand behind there product, I'm writing my review after I had time to work with it and do a few turning projects so I could give a good review "not that it worked right out of the box" like others I see, I would hope so work right out of the box.

34.) Very bad problems
Reviewed by: pen turning Woodward, Ok.
Rating:

I had bought one in November, 2007. It worked for about 10 days, and then it got where it would take about 15 minutes to come on, and when it did the speed would very up and down. Then in a few more days it would not come on at all. So I sent it back and got my money back to wait till next year to buy a nother one. I bought the new one in December, 2008. It run for about 14 days and got to ware it would not come on at all. So sent it back. Order the jet 1014vsi, it is a lot nicer lathe and I am not having trouble with it. Buy the Jet.

35.) Poor Machine Fit
Reviewed by: woodpecker SW Virginia
Rating:

The bolts that hold the "headstock" to the "bed" were not machined in the proper location. This condition would not allow (1) of the mounting bolts to be attached.
I returned the lathe for a refund.

Features of PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe

1.) Variable speed wood lathe;
2.) Powered by a 1/2-horsepower motor with variable speed control;
3.) Electronic speed control box and cable easily mounts;
4.) Made from cast iron;
5.) Accessories include 6-inch tool rest, 3-inch face plate, spur center, dead center, and spare drive belt;

Package Height x Length x Width: 34 in. x 34 in. x 20.7 in.
Package Weight: 84.6 lbs.