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

I use this to start a woodworking business... so cool

This was my first lathe, I had been interested in woodturning for a while but didn't want to drop several hundred on a nicer lathe if I wasn't going to stick with the hobby. This is a good entry level machine for someone who wants to try it out but isn't sure if they want to fully commit. If you're OK being limited to small projects for a bit, this lathe is fine. But I would caution against buying a bunch of accessories for it, the MT1 taper is uncommon and you will not be able to use these accessories on other lathes if/when you upgrade. I turned some pens on this lathe and considered keeping it just for that purpose after I upgraded to a larger lathe but I got rid of it because once you start turning on a really decent lathe, this one seems like trash. In all, I turned on this lathe for like 2 months before outgrowing it - bear this in mind, if you think you're going to like the hobby, just spend that money on a real lathe. Pros - Price - Works as advertised - Good option for someone who is just wanting to see if they like woodturning Cons - MT1 is uncommon and largely not available in accessories - Size of the tool rest base is also uncommon, so you can't buy replacement tool rests - Turning mechanism on the tailstock is trash - Tightening down the tailstock doesn't do much to keep it in place - Doesn't offer lower speed RPMS - Tailstock doesn't slide off at all if you want more clearance when turning unsupported - Small swing, can't turn much larger than maybe 6" realistically - Lightweight... comparatively

Tgis is a good small lather for the price. It isn't a mini-lathe in the sense of the old Dremel moto-lathes or the newer little Chinees aluminum ones, but is bigger and more heavily made. I'd call it mid-sized. It seems well made and performs well. I can find only one downside right now, and that is the motor, which is a Chinese DC unit which has low torque at the lower rpms. With that in mind it's a good buy.

This machine was everything that I hoped it would be. Easy to use and does everything that Amazon said it would do. Excellent piece of machinery for the price and it's not a weak machine. Very happy with this and now it's time to buy some chucks! I am addicted to wood turning now. The only very minor problem was that one of the screws for the large lockdown handles was still filled with metal. Had to take my metal cutting wheel and put a groove in it for a flat head screwdriver. Update: Had a resister burn out on the control board after 2 monthes of use. Called WEN after ordering a replacement and they credited me the cost of the replacement with no problem!

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 have had this lathe for 2+ years but only used it 2 months of that time. I bought it initially to do wood rings made from veneers as well as pens. It work fine for those 2 things. However, I recently got back into wood turning small pieces and after 1 week it is shot. It is NOT any good for wood turning at all. Sure you'll get a week of somewhat acceptable use if you turn the RPM way up but the motor has no power and it soon burns out. Anything beyond rings or pens and you are wasting your money, time, and last nerve. By the way, the tailstock is frustrating to use and doesn't really lock down.

I thought this would be great for starting back up into woodturning. While it has been able to do the job for the most part it does have a fair amount of drawbacks. The variable speed is decent enough for beginners. The biggest drawbacks are that the tension you need cannot be achieved because the adjuster cams over, which means you can't tighten down onto the piece enough. That makes it so the material will stop if you get a little bit of resistance. You have to predrill each piece. I also had both of the cotter pins break for the handles to tighten the tailstock and the rest in a matter of weeks. It has been great for making pens and small items, but bigger things like cups have been a challenge. The swing of the rest doesn't quite work well when the tailstock is in the way and not easily removed. If you need to use a drill attachment, you are extremely limited on size being it is a smaller lathe. Plus you need to pay attention to what size attachments you get, being this has the smaller MT.

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.