WENMini Benchtop Wood Lathe, 8-Inch by 13-Inch with Variable Speed (LA3421)

UPDATE: 20 days in with minimal use and one of the headstock bearings has started going bad, clicking when tail stock puts minimal pressure on workpiece. Removed bearings and cleaned bad one and repacked with grease so I could try using again. It is better but still going bad. Ordered a 10 pack of better grade bearings and not going to deal with Wen. Aside from low grade bearings I am still ok with purchase from the stuff I have made and how well it turned out.Nice entry level lathe.For me as a cnc machinist this lathe is super basic which I like. No G&M codes/programs, just a wonderful tactile hobby.Within 20 minutes of box hitting my front step I had wood chips flying.Unit is solid and works as expected with only one disappointment and that is the motor being more underpowered than I expected. Not a huge issue as this is a smaller inexpensive lathe.Overall I am pleased.

Great for the price. It’s a good starter lathe for small projects.

I used to love lathework back in middle school, 20 years ago, always told myself I would get one one day. Finally decided to for my ship modeling hobby, but boy the "good" ones are quite an investment required.That's when I found this model. Built in variable speed, MT1 (mortise taper 1") or 1x8tpi chucking, and at a third the cost of a comparable jet? Since it's been a long time, I decided to start small with this machine.It surprised me with its versatility. I bought it with the drill chuck, knowing I would start with pens, and so far, I'm having a great time. Easy to set up, but make sure to buy 8mmx1.25 machine screws for mounting (from the bottom).My cautions towards those looking at lathes. 1: there is not an easy way to access the belt for the inevitable replacement. I have not tried yet. 2: the lathe itself is only one of many investments you will need to make to begin your hobby. 3: this lathe struggles with anything over 5" diameter. The bowl i show started as a 5" x 3" round red oak, and it was tough going at first.Chisels: buy middling ones until you learn how to sharpen correctly. You will need a bench grinder if you opt for the high speed steel chisels, and learn how to sharpen. You will need pen just and a pen mandrel if you want to make pens, and you will need 4-jaw chucks if you want to make bowls. This kit only comes with a live center and a flat faceplate, which I'm using in the picture above.All in all, this is a GREAT buy if you are just getting in to, or returning to the hobby.

Good lathe for anybody who wants to just turn small projects. I've made a bunch of stuff on this thing so here are the pros and cons.Pro: It's cheapCon: If you try to take off too much wood at once, the lathe slows down and stops.Pro: Because it slows down whenever you try and work too fast, it sort of teaches you to take your time and not rush your projects.Con: It's not as fast as a big lathe, and catches are usually really big. At one point my tool kicked back so badly it broke my nose. Just a reminder to go slow and take your time.Pro: It's under 200 dollars so if it only lasts a year or so, it's not as big a deal as it would be if a big lathe didn't last that long.Conclusion: it's a good little machine, but it's not meant to last forever. It's expendable. It's a learning lathe, hence the low price and performance issues. All in all, if you are just starting out, this is perfect for you. But maybe if you want to professionally turn wood, maybe upgrade sooner rather than later.

It’s a really solid first lathe for entry into the craft. One of the pins did fall out of the tightening handle but it was a very easy fix. I’ve already turned dozens of things and it runs great. The variable power knob makes it super easy to adjust speed. Some people will tell you a display for rpms is a must have. It’s not. Speed is a feel thing, finding the max speed for minimal wobble for odd shaped pieces. I love it and so far Wen hasn’t let me down.

I started turning pens a few years ago, but using my large lathe seemed to be a waste of electricity and unnecessary wear and tear on an expensive piece of equipment! I saw the WEN LA3421 lathe was on sale for $135 during Prime Day, so I ordered one. It was shipped via USPS and arrived a little later than the "Order now to arrive by..." date, but that was Amazon's fault. Seems like that is happening more and more :-( Anyway, the package was only a little scuffed, which surprised me since the lathe weighs about 50 pounds! After opening the box I was relieved that there was zero damage to the contents. I cleaned off the oily protective coating and then applied a coat of paste wax to the bare metal bed. Other reviewers pointed out how "rough" the tool rests are, so right away I took a flat mill file to the top edges and removed the thick layer of paint. The tool shanks now glide smoothly over the rests. My wood turning club is getting ready for a show, so I rough-turned over 100 wood pen blanks on the WEN, and was impressed how quiet and smooth running it is. I don't expect to turn anything larger than pens and bottle stoppers, so I'm happy with the power and speed range. If you plan on turning larger bowls, chair legs, etc., this is NOT the lathe for you! I wouldn't even try putting a scroll chuck on it unless it was very lightweight. At $135, I have no problem relegating this to just small items. If you're not sure you want to get into woodturning, this would be an inexpensive first lathe. One caution, though, it takes #1 Morse taper tooling (Google Morse taper #1 verses #2), so if you plan to upgrade to a larger lathe in the future, you'll probably need to buy more tooling since it will take MT2. This WEN is light enough I might take it to my son's house and teach my grandchildren how to turn! And yes, I would buy it again, even at the regular price of $170 it's at now.