WENLA3421 3.2-Amp 8-Inch by 13-Inch Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe, Black & CH11 6-Piece Artisan Chisel Set with 6-Inch High-Speed Steel Blades and 10-Inch England Beech Handles

Perfect starter lathe for small projects. My first lathe. Have made bowls and Christmas ornaments so far. About a seven inch bowl is as big as you can get on this lathe. And it's almost under powdered for that. It works great a+if you want to make bigger stuff you should consider a larger one

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 cheap Con: 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.

Ive had this lathe for a while, I feel like I can make an informed review on it.****TL/DR****It is a lathe, it does spin wood. But material quality is lacking. It'll be alright if you only use it on occasion for very small projects (pens), but nothing larger. Over time you will prob want a different one anyways.The good- I have made around 30 or so pens on it, and for that, it works 100%. Ease of use is pretty good as well. Its not complicated, just go for it and you will figure it out as you go.The negative-I don't recommend doing anything larger than a small pen holder/cup on it. It is really lacking on power and it does not cope with the weight of wood blocks very well, *lots* of vibrations.This late does not have the power have a forstner bit on the tailstock, even at the lowest speeds on any sort of hardwoods. Even smaller ones such as 5/8 struggle and will most likely just burn the wood.The worst-The orange handle things that you use to tighten or loosen are made of a soft metal, even when being gentle they will strip out on you and you will have to figure out some jury-rigged option because you wont be able to actually lock down the tool rest anymore ect.

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.

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 beginners lathe, or for those with limited space, or only looking to turn smaller projects. Surprisingly sturdy and reliable. I use it often.

The first time I tried our my new lathe it worked great and I was really happy with it. That changed on the second use, in the middle of a project the motor automatically went from the low setting I set it on to the fastest speed where it is now stuck. The quick change in extreme speed caused my chisel to catch and sent it flying into my face splitting my lip wide open requiring stitches. That is an extremely dangerous flaw and im beyond angry.

Todo llegó muy bien empacado este torno tiene muy buena relación calidad-precio es pmas para principiantes o para hacer piezas pequeñas pero funciona muy muy bien tengo ya casi 2 meses con el y ni una sola falla ha tenido muy recomendado

The lathe performs as advertised . you will need to purchase a step down transformer for Australia , but that can also be obtained from amazon (Giantz 1000w 240v to 110v ) . I have used this lathe mostly for smaller items but it is capable to perform larger operations . Just remember it is not a 1hp Vicmarc lathe , I have purchased a second unit , to use to set up as a buffing station , and as the transformer has two outlets it will run them both ( probably not at the same time? ) . So for less than $200 you have a good little lathe that takes up a very small space . For the $100 price they are now I might get a third for a backup or for spare parts .

me gusto

Excellent price and just as advertised

El aparato funciona adecuadamente de hecho me gusta su estructura mecánica, le daría 5 estrellas, pero me quedo en 3 porque la empresa (Wen) no ofrece servicio de refacciones a México (pais), solamente a EEUU y Canada, se encuentran algunos accesorios solamente por medio de amazón.Cada quien puede sacar sus conclusiones ante esta actitud.