Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1598 in Home Improvement
• Brand: PSI Woodworking
• Model: TCLPRO
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 11.50" h x 17.00" w x 32.50" l,

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

From the Manufacturer
PSI TCLPRO Turncrafter PRO Midi 4 Amp 10-Inch Swing by 18-3/4-Inch between Centers 1/2-Horsepower Benchtop Woodworking Lathe

Customer Reviews

Good Quality Lathe for the Money
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.

PSI Turncrafter
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.

JOB WELL DONE
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.