You may recall my question last week, as to any owners of this lathe
and how they like it, and the resulting thoughts and links. Thought I
would try and give something back to the group as a thank you, and
perhaps to help the next person looking at this unit.

Disclaimer - I have only been turning for 9 months, have only owned a
Busybee Craftx lathe and have no intention (or ability) to match the
verbosity of Greg G.!

I purchased the Craftsman 15" Pro Kit from sears Canada that is
currently on sale for 799. The kit included the lathe, stand, 3 tools,
duplicator and bowl turning kit. Altho I live close to 4 sears stores,
I decided to pay the 50 bucks to have the unit delivered.
Package arrived on time and was taken to my basement shop. All boxes
were in good shape with no apparant damage. The stand is painted to
match the lathe, using what I would guess is a powder coat to simulate
cast, and all holes lined up with no problems. The lathe has the head
not attached to the bed - this was great as it makes it quite easy for
one person to place the bed on the stand, then add the head ( different
from my craftx, as it was one big piece). The one issue I did encounter
was with one of the locknuts that attaches the swivel head to the bed -
threads were bad and I had to tap the nut to clean it up.

The unit has a curious mix of metal and plastic - the tail stock locks
to the bed with a metal handle, but then they went and put a plastic
handle on the lock for the live center. As well, the tool rest uses a
metal handle for the bed lock, but again uses a plastic handle for the
tool rest lock. There were 2 toolrests included and I can see the use
for the smaller one when doing pens with the larger one being the same
size as the one that came with the craftx. I mention the plastic
handles as I have a tendency to Overtighten things, and broke both on
my old craftx. Both rests appear to be cast, and I am still unsure if
they are strong enough.

I brought the tailstock up to the head, to see how close the 2 points
are. Holy! I was so impressed - they matched perfectly! (remember I am
coming from a craftx where I had to "adjust" the tailstock anytime I
used it).

I chucked up an old piece of acacia I had laying around, making certain
the 10" piece was off center, as I was curious how the lathe would
perform. The lathe stayed solidly on the floor and swung the wood
around with no problem. Once I brought the wood to round I cranked up
the speed to start shaping the bowl. Well, let me tell you, I always
wondered what the big deal about a catch was, since my experiece with
the craftx was that in the case of a bad catch the lathe would just
stop. Not this puppy! What an absolute pleasure working with a strong
piece of equipment! It claims to be able to make 2hp, and from this
newbies viewpoint, it certainly can!

While I was turning, my mind started thinking of this large piece of
silver maple I have been wanting to turn, and thinking about outboard
turning I suddenly realized that I did not see the bowl turning kit
that was suppossed to be included with the lathe. I went back to the
website to see if indeed the kit included this, and sure enough, the
picture showed the bowl kit as well as the description calling it out.
I called sears and was told that it is a mistake, the kit is not
included - however they would send me the kit no charge. This bodes
well for any future dealing I may have! And Darrell, I do recall you
saying this kit was not worth the money, but since it was listed as
included, a fellow has to have it!

By the way, the 2 gouges and parting tool included are simply marked as
craftsman, and my assumption is that they are not hss - not certain
here as I just stuck them aside....
I have yet to try the duplicator, as spindle turning is not something I
do much of, but expect to use it over the winter to replace an iron
railing in my home.

Oh, the lathe also has the ability to do indexing, believe its 24
points, using a cam lock located inside the back head cover.

All said and done, at this early stage, I am very impressed with the
unit, and have ordered a burl pack from Bow River Crafts in BC to
really give the lathe a workout!

Xcaper
I think you will like this lathe. Get the bowl attachment. The tool rest is
worth it but I would use a separate stand for it. Besides, it is paid for.
______
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS, Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com
"xcaper" wrote in message
ups.com...
You may recall my question last week, as to any owners of this lathe
and how they like it, and the resulting thoughts and links. Thought I
would try and give something back to the group as a thank you, and
perhaps to help the next person looking at this unit.

Disclaimer - I have only been turning for 9 months, have only owned a
Busybee Craftx lathe and have no intention (or ability) to match the
verbosity of Greg G.!

I purchased the Craftsman 15" Pro Kit from sears Canada that is
currently on sale for 799. The kit included the lathe, stand, 3 tools,
duplicator and bowl turning kit. Altho I live close to 4 sears stores,
I decided to pay the 50 bucks to have the unit delivered.
Package arrived on time and was taken to my basement shop. All boxes
were in good shape with no apparant damage. The stand is painted to
match the lathe, using what I would guess is a powder coat to simulate
cast, and all holes lined up with no problems. The lathe has the head
not attached to the bed - this was great as it makes it quite easy for
one person to place the bed on the stand, then add the head ( different
from my craftx, as it was one big piece). The one issue I did encounter
was with one of the locknuts that attaches the swivel head to the bed -
threads were bad and I had to tap the nut to clean it up.

The unit has a curious mix of metal and plastic - the tail stock locks
to the bed with a metal handle, but then they went and put a plastic
handle on the lock for the live center. As well, the tool rest uses a
metal handle for the bed lock, but again uses a plastic handle for the
tool rest lock. There were 2 toolrests included and I can see the use
for the smaller one when doing pens with the larger one being the same
size as the one that came with the craftx. I mention the plastic
handles as I have a tendency to Overtighten things, and broke both on
my old craftx. Both rests appear to be cast, and I am still unsure if
they are strong enough.

I brought the tailstock up to the head, to see how close the 2 points
are. Holy! I was so impressed - they matched perfectly! (remember I am
coming from a craftx where I had to "adjust" the tailstock anytime I
used it).

I chucked up an old piece of acacia I had laying around, making certain
the 10" piece was off center, as I was curious how the lathe would
perform. The lathe stayed solidly on the floor and swung the wood
around with no problem. Once I brought the wood to round I cranked up
the speed to start shaping the bowl. Well, let me tell you, I always
wondered what the big deal about a catch was, since my experiece with
the craftx was that in the case of a bad catch the lathe would just
stop. Not this puppy! What an absolute pleasure working with a strong
piece of equipment! It claims to be able to make 2hp, and from this
newbies viewpoint, it certainly can!

While I was turning, my mind started thinking of this large piece of
silver maple I have been wanting to turn, and thinking about outboard
turning I suddenly realized that I did not see the bowl turning kit
that was suppossed to be included with the lathe. I went back to the
website to see if indeed the kit included this, and sure enough, the
picture showed the bowl kit as well as the description calling it out.
I called sears and was told that it is a mistake, the kit is not
included - however they would send me the kit no charge. This bodes
well for any future dealing I may have! And Darrell, I do recall you
saying this kit was not worth the money, but since it was listed as
included, a fellow has to have it!

By the way, the 2 gouges and parting tool included are simply marked as
craftsman, and my assumption is that they are not hss - not certain
here as I just stuck them aside....
I have yet to try the duplicator, as spindle turning is not something I
do much of, but expect to use it over the winter to replace an iron
railing in my home.

Oh, the lathe also has the ability to do indexing, believe its 24
points, using a cam lock located inside the back head cover.

All said and done, at this early stage, I am very impressed with the
unit, and have ordered a burl pack from Bow River Crafts in BC to
really give the lathe a workout!

two hints:
1. beware of "first blood" - be careful until you have used the tool for a
while - I find that I almost always leave some blood on a new tool within
the first month or two - try not to.

2. if the tools are NOT HSS, you will want them for finishing - you can get
a much sharper edge on carbon steel - not as durable, but much sharper.

"xcaper" wrote in message
ups.com...
You may recall my question last week, as to any owners of this lathe
and how they like it, and the resulting thoughts and links. Thought I
would try and give something back to the group as a thank you, and
perhaps to help the next person looking at this unit.

Disclaimer - I have only been turning for 9 months, have only owned a
Busybee Craftx lathe and have no intention (or ability) to match the
verbosity of Greg G.!


snip

By the way, the 2 gouges and parting tool included are simply marked as
craftsman, and my assumption is that they are not hss - not certain
here as I just stuck them aside....
I have yet to try the duplicator, as spindle turning is not something I
do much of, but expect to use it over the winter to replace an iron
railing in my home.

Oh, the lathe also has the ability to do indexing, believe its 24
points, using a cam lock located inside the back head cover.

All said and done, at this early stage, I am very impressed with the
unit, and have ordered a burl pack from Bow River Crafts in BC to
really give the lathe a workout!




--
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