SHOP FOX W1704 1/3-Horsepower Benchtop Lathe & D4103 Mini Lathe Chuck with Arbors

Tail stock hand knob was not drilled concentric to the tail stock shaft, made it very sticky. Got a new one from Grizzly Tools and now its working good.

I got this for a great price. I see that the price has went up but still worth it.

This lathe performs good. All the parts are tight and balanced. It produces good smooth work. The price is great. Durability is still wait and see since I do not use it all thectime.

If you are looking for an inexpensive lathe to putter around on, this one will do that. It has some good points and some not-so-good points. The faceplate is excellent, IHMO. The motor adjustment is also good - RPMs are spot on. The bed had some issues out of the box - a thin layer of corrosion on the bare metal - easily fixed with some scotchbright and WD-40. The tailstock didn't move smoothly along the bed at first, I had to sand down a few rough spots. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the two tool rests. It seems like they were dipped in sand and rocks and then painted. Very rough and bumpy. The tailstock and toolrest slide on the bed and are locked down via an eccentric rod and a locking plate. I found that the locking nuts that hold the locking plate to the bed come loose easily and require frequent tightening. Annoying, but not a show stopper. I will probably replace them at some point in time. I would have preferred a wheel style handwheel, but the one included isn't bad.I have turned a few projects on it and they came out good. My kids have have made a few projects on it and really enjoyed it. It's not a very intimidating tool - simple adjustments, operation is easy to understand - so the kids gravitated towards it.If you are looking for a big, beefy monster to turn giant salad bowls or table legs...this isn't it. It does excell at turning small pieces.

This lathe possesses many of the features of the 4-500 dollar mini-lathes. Full variable speed without having the change belts, #1 Morse Taper head and tail-stocks, and everything you need to start a hobby that will last a lifetime. The quality is much better than I expected, and while some of the features of the more expensive varieties are not there (like a head-stock wheel or tail-stock auto-eject), you learn quickly how convinces are not really needed if you just want to turn. This lathe was my start, I have since picked up a Jet midi as well. Now my wife and I both turn pens, bottle stoppers, goblets, tops, and are starting on bowls. We both use both lathes, and have found that while this one was a quarter of the price of it's nearest competitors, it's not due to a lack of quality or features. We've managed to turn out fine quality woodworking on it. It's solid, feels like it's well built, stays in alignment, and by all indication will last as long as the more expensive lathes. I've had no issues finding #1 MT attachments like pen mandrels, live centers, drive centers, or even nuts to fit any of our chucks, all at my local woodworking store and for the most part all in stock. This lathe allows me to go from 400 to 3200 RPM with just a dial (on my jet I have a dial PLUS I have to change a belt to one of three pulleys). It even has a child lockout on the switch, something missing from the 500 dollar lathes. I can see myself using this to make pens and bowls for years, and I have recommended this exact model to several of my friends that are thinking about getting into woodturning.Worth every penny and then some, a great investment.

I got the lathe 3 days ago and i dont belive i am going to turn anything very large but i have already made 6 pens with it so far and it made it incredibly easy. All pens came out great and i didnt have a single stall even when turning harder woods like cocobolo. At the low speeds i can slow it but with a high amount of pressure and at full speed i can barely even slow it when using friction polish. I do hate the tail stock though it is a bit week and kinda annoying to reach around and push to lock and unlock it, as well if their is anything aginst the point it will not extend no matter how much you turn the wheel. And my last complaint is the little bars with balls screwed on. When turning they have a frequency to turn and fall off wheli the machine is on. Other than those few complaints i am loving this lathe. It is quiet and strong considering it is a 1/3 power and i would easy recommend it for pens or wands and maybe small bowls or cups

The lathe is solid quality and easy to use.

If your just starting wood turning this is a perfect little lathe. Having the ability to control your speed range is a great feature. It has just the right amount of weight to it to very unbalanced projects........ The down side is......... Your going to get hooked and want to up grade...... I do wish they had made the head stock large enough to do a 10 or 12 inch diameter........ Very good quality but not the price of a Jet.... I mostly use a Grizzly Midi but still like turning smaller stuff on this lathe...... Remember that tooling for a machine is always 3x the cost of your lathe. crappy 50$ tools wont do this lathe justice

Bought this for my daughter for Christmas. Wasn't quite sure how to wrap a 50 lb box, so I just wrapped the instruction booklet. Lots of tears upon opening.

Excelente relación calidad-precio, algunos materiales son de baja calidad, pero me funcionó bien, la potencia es buena para trabajos pequeños, espero que siga funcionando de manera óptima

Los primeros dias de uso el torno esta centrado, parece buena compra, pero después de dos semanas se desalinea. La arreglas lubricando y limpiando, pero después tiene juego, ahi es cuando ya ningún trabajo puede alinearse a menos que metas trabajo en el acero, el cual se abolla (baja calidad). esto afecta el trabajo, pues una vez alineada, se desalinea a medio el trabajo ya que el Contracabezal tiene juego en la Cama y no es posible arreglar. Fallas de producción pero parecen mas de diseño.No la recomiendo, por el mismo precio hay mucho mejores marcas.

My husband purchased this machine twice.First one did have a motor issue and died only after a few weeks. (Returned)Second one has been working fine, he said he wish the motor is stronger, but overall he is happy with the product and worth the money.

Good looking solid mini lathe, sufficient power, but speed control board blew up on second use. Lasted about 2 hours.