Turncrafter Plus - PSI Wood Lathe Review

For the last few years I have been thinking about buying a wood lathe. I've always been very interested in wood turning, and thought it would make a great hobby, but I'd never really gotten started.

A friend of mine, Chuck, is a very experienced and skilled wood turner, and every so often I get a chance to experiment with his lathe, and I always enjoy the experience. He's always happy to let me use it and willing to teach me anything I want to know, but I feel bad for imposing on him.

I never really got serious and did my research on wood lathes since I always felt that it was too expensive a hobby, and I couldn't really afford it. I knew that Chuck's lathe, a large model from General, cost him several thousand dollars and just figured that was the normal price range. This kept me away from wood turning for several years!

Recently I started looking at Wood Lathe prices, only to discover there's a large market for much smaller less expensive lathes. After looking at several reviews online and finding most of them positive, I decided to invest in A Turncrafter Plus from PSI.

This lathe was marketed as an inexpensive beginner lathe, and that's what really stood out for me. It cost a little over 150$, so I wasn't expecting too much. I was thrilled with the purchase anyway, since I would finally be able to get into wood turning, and if it didn't work out then it wasn't as if I had made a big investment.

When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. The Turncrafter came nicely packaged and looked great out of the box. It was very small, only about two feet long and half a foot deep, but that was perfect since I don't have a lot of room in my shop. I was impressed with how heavy and solid it seamed, since I was worried that for the money I would get something flimsy or easy to break.

I attached a small piece of wood using the included live center and turned it on. It runs very quietly and smoothly, whether you have it on the slowest or fastest speed. I bought a set of lathe tools with it, and they cut into my spindle as smooth as butter!

I've turned a handful of pens and a candle holder on it so far, and I haven't had a single problem. It holds the spindle very well, and spins without slipping or choking. I couldn't be happier with this lathe. There are some limitations, mostly because of the small side, so maybe at some point I will want to upgrade to a bigger lathe, but for now it's perfect.

If you're looking to get into wood turning I highly recommend the PSI Turncrafter as an inexpensive alternative.

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