Customer Reviews

Fisch TC90-100 Turning Center 6.6 Amp 10-Inch Swing by 15-Inch between Centers 1/2 Horsepower Benchtop Woodworking Lathe, 115-Volt 1 Phase

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great little lathe, very quiet and very easy to use, assembly is minimal,about 10 minutes, is an excellent bowl turning machine and with the purchase of a 3 jaw chuck you will have an extremely versatile turning center.

For the money, this is a good lathe. I particularly recommended it for those who, like me, would like to try wood turning, but do not want to sink alot of money into it at first. I've used it now for a few months now, made several small bowls and other pieces, and am enjoying it.

I would also recommend that a beginning turner get a good instruction book or guideance from someone experienced. I've found that good technique is important both for good results and for safety.

If it was not for shipping and service difficulties, I would have given the product the full 5 star rating. I ordered the lathe in early January, but did not receive it until March (this despite the words that it "usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks" shown continuously on the Amazon.com product page - which was irritating). When it arrived the plastic belt cover was cracked and barely functional. I sent 2 emails to the Fisch customer service department with no response. Finally on the third try, in which I also copied several in management, they did come thru and sent me a replacement part.

I saw that this lathe had some good reviews and was american made so I bought one and had it shipped. I was pretty excited to get started so I cleaned the oil off and such and then I tried to turn the center stock wheel and it was jammed up and took two hands to get it to move. I thought well it must just need an adjustment so I loosened the guide pin a little bit and it unstuck but then the whole center stock was turning in the cylinder. so I tighted the guidepin again and it broke off in the cylinder. Im pretty mechanical so i dont think I over did it. I figured it was no big deal and went to put a piece of wood in the machine anyway just to try it . When I went to tighten the tailstock it wouldnt stay in place, I adujusted the lock nut underneath but It kept moving everytime I clamped down on the wood. It just wouldnt tighten enough to even hold a tool to the wood without going out of center. So I called Fisch and explained this to them and told them I wanted to send it back, and they said I had to send it on my dime, They guy I talk to was being a jerk and also trying to convince me that the problems I was having with the machine were my fault, I was pissed and theaten him and he finally agreed to take it back and give me a refund. I ended up buying a Jet.

I wanted to buy a lathe to turn spindels for some Windsor Chairs I was planning to build. The space in my basement woodshop is limited and I did not want to invest a lot of money in a large machine. The Fisch is a great little lathe. With the bed extension, I was able to turn chair legs and arm spindels. I have built over a dozen chairs and the lathe has been excellent-very quiet and smooth operation with plenty of power. I would highly recommend this lathe as an entry level model or to anyone doing light duty turning.

After considering the other brands, I finally chose the Fisch.

What I like:
1. Access to belts for changing speeds.
2. Heavy unit
3. Price (bought it at the WW show, came with the ext bed)
4. More HP

What I DO NOT like:
1. Customer service is weak.

Nice machine for the price.