WEN 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.

Works well ,I use it a lot.

This seemed like the perfect size for smaller work and the price point was in line with what I wanted to spend. It has nice weight to it so it’s really sturdy and won’t vibrate around even without being anchored which I suggest you do anyway. It worked fine for the first month or so and then I noticed the motor started getting hotter and hotter after each use as time went on. It’s now 3 months since I purchased it and it’s completely useless. It was used routinely no more than12 times and the last time it got so hot after a few minutes I smelled it burning. The smell a motor has when it’s overheating. It’s too late for me to return it so it’s a lesson learned that you get what you pay for with tools. Buyer beware

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.

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.

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

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