WEN LA3421 3.2-Amp 8-Inch by 13-Inch Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe, Black & WEN LA136K 1/2-Inch Keyed Drill Chuck with MT1 Arbor Taper

This was bought for me as a gift for Christmas.It was really easy to set up though the instructions were a bit unclear I was able to figure it out. It comes together about 90% already put together.I then checked how the centers lined up and found them extremely accurate, so I was happy about that. No shimming or fiddling with it needed.I got it set up pretty late in the day so the first thing I did was just rough in a dowel rod for fun.The next morning, I got up and got a small 4" bowl blank centered in and went to work and I didn't even get the outside roughed before there was a pop and a bright flash from inside the control box and it wouldn't turn on again. I honestly thought I had blown a fuse. Long story short, I didn't. A week later waiting for more fuses and that not being the issue, I opened the control box to find that one of the circuits was split in half and the other was blown almost completely off the board. Also, the fuse was untouched.That was Sunday, and on that same day I went to Wen website and submitted a Warranty Claim through their "Contact Us" link at the bottom. It stated I would get an e-mail and to provide attachments via the e-mail I have them everything the e-mail asked for then waited. It was Sunday, they don't work on Sunday... fair.Monday came... and went.Tuesday came... and almost went, but I tried to call support and got sent to voicemail without even getting to wait in a queue. This was near 3:30pm and their site states they are available till 5pm. Left a message and waited for a call back.Wednesday came and I grew tired of waiting so I called at 8am when right when their support starts.Gave the gentleman my information and Ticket number from the e-mail on Sunday. Confirmation was made, very few questions were asked and I was told that I would be getting a replacement Control Box.This was about the only enjoyable part of the warranty process.Had to wait till Saturday for the replacement. They did not expedite it or anything. Again, fair.Though at this point I have now had a broken Lathe for 2 weeks.The new control box comes with no instructions on how to replace it. Though it was packaged well.The replacement looked exactly like the one that failed, so I could at least compare and contrast. Take pictures before dismantling etc. Getting the wires out of the old box was a huge pain and I ended up just deciding that breaking the case of the old box to get the wires out was the way to go. I then struggled a bit more getting them into the new one. Actually connecting the wires was easy though.Finally, the lathe is working again.First thing I did was plug it into a power monitor reader to measure amp draw while in use. Here are a bit of my findings for a circuit that uses a 10amp fuseThis draws about 1.5 amp at the lowest speed and no load. Nothing even in the lathe.With no load and full speed it was about 2.4 Amps.I then set up a camera to record while I work on the lathe. Don't want to be messing with it with my attention elsewhere.Even while roughing out yet another bowl (cause if it was going to blow again I would rather have repeatable variables) I could not seem to get it to go above 3.5 amps. And I even stalled it a couple times by taking off to big of a bite at once several times.Which... cool the label on the machine actually says it's a 3.2amp lathe. But here's what gets me. The calculation for a fuse roughly states that the fuse should be 1.25 to 1.5 times more than the maximum amp draw. So even at the rating it says it's fore would only require a 5 amp fuse (3.2*1.5=4.8 rounded up) 6 if you wanted I guess, but even still, the machine never seems to get anywhere near being able to blow the fuse yet it sure was capable of blowing the circuits off the board the first time around which my understanding is that the fuse is supposed to blow first.Anywho... despite all this I now see that this item shows as "Discontinued" now so all of this is probably falling on deaf ears.Now that my lathe is working and the headache appears to be over for now I can at least say I am enjoying my lathe. But if it fails again, I will likely be shopping elsewhere as I do not see that Wen has any other variable speed lathes in stock... and I just can't imagine fighting with adjusting a belt or only having 1 speed.Conclusion - the Lathe machining seems spot on. The engineer/electrician that designed it skipped a few classes. The employees in Customer Support are pleasant to work with, but the software set up in order to get tickets to them is a joke.Really the only thing that saved them from a 1 star review was the fact that I at least have a working lathe now.

My reason for buying a lathe was for tapering the masts on my model ship building kits. This machine does that very well. I do not expect to use this lathe for other purposes, so for its advertised uses, read reviews from other customers. I am most pleased with my purchase.

The tool rest shank is 1/2". The triangular shape of the rest itself makes it impossible to rest your finger on it for the length of the cut. I am trying to find a replacement that is straight but everyone makes a 5/8" shank or larger. Other than that, it seems very usable for small projects. Still practicing and learning but it would be easier if I could find a more conventional tool rest that fit.

Most of the tools I purchase are DeWalt. If I can't get a DeWalt version, or if I don't want to invest much (usually when I think I will only get occasional use out of a tool) I buy Wen. They don't make "cheap" tools, they make "basic" tools - high quality, low price, only the features you need.

The Wen 3421 Mini lathe makes an excellent gift because it is relatively easy to learn with. However, they need something that allows you to mount the lathe on a firm surface because, otherwise, it will move on you. so plan on dedicating a set of clamps to it! The 3421 also has a tail stop knob that is difficult to use. It is hard to turn and easily gets clogged down. It makes an excellent gift for kids or beginners, though, if you help them with the pitfalls and make wood-turning fun for them. I let kids as young as five use mine, and they have made 6-inch bowls on it and honeypots with sticks! Green wood at that size will require you to take breaks and let the lathe cool down. If you don't, it will shut down by itself and come back when it's ready. Together with carbide tools, a great way to get into this rewarding hobby for young and old.

I bought a vevor lathe....and it broke after 3 used and was a joke to put together. I got this and have used it a million times, it was easy to put together and I love it. It's not made for anything bigger than, I'd say 10 or 12 inches, but it's perfect for what I need.

too small . out grew it almost immediately.

My first lathe. I am using it to drill through plastic fishing lures. I have no clue what makes a good lathe but here I go.... Super heavy. Just screams well built. The smaller ones or cheaper products tend to skimp on materials. Quiet, spins fast..... I added the drill chuck. It does what I bought it for. So yay. Contacted tech support and they said they'd get back to me in 5 days. Not sure I believe them. Good news I figured it out on my own.

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.

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 .

Good price for what it is. Be aware that you will need a transformer to make it work anywhere that doesn't run on 11ov. Be patient when using, it bogs down easily. OK for small projects and that is about all. Anything too ambitious will bring much frustration

me gusto

Fast and does not vibrate on the bench all the extras fit and what is important they work. I live in Australia and this size lathe is hard to get, good value.