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

This lathe is an awesome little workhorse!!!

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

A nice little hobby tool, great for gifts or smaller projects. The price is great for the function, keep in mind its not a powerhouse, but it does run very smoothly, the lack of strength is made up for somewhat by the speed, but it does take a second to get up to get there. If it had more power it would be nice but with sharp tools its fine. Just about every aspect of it is adjustable, like any power tool it needs to be secured bu the stability is good once its on a good workbench. Starts and runs smooth. Don't plan on making a living with it, but for smaller projects (ornaments, small bowls, handles, etc) its great. There are a lot of compatible accessories to make more specific specialty items as well.

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.

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

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.

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 bought this lathe to replace a much larger, older King lathe. I use it for pens, coffee scoops and other small items. I used it today and I love it. Its quiet and does the job. On my old lathe it was a chore to change the speed since you needed to access the belt and make adjustments. I love having the variable speed on this lathe. My only issue is all my mandrels are MT2 and I need to buy an adapter for MT1. Thats an easy buy on Amazon. I would recommend this lathe to any one doing pens, etc.

Todo muy bien, y trabaja muy bien, perfecto diría yo. Excelente producto 👍

غير مكتوب في الوصف نوع الكهرباء

Update on Wen LA 3421 wood lathe. I just got update info on this product and Wen is shipping the Switch Control Unit out ASAP. Very impressed with this Wen representative.