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WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,562 ratings

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3.2-Amp Lathe
Lathe

Purchase options and add-ons

  • Perfect for pens, bowls, cups, chess pieces, and other small workpieces
  • Fits workpieces up to 12 inches long and 8 inches wide
  • 3.2-Amp motor provides over 50% more power than most 8-inch wood lathes
  • Adjust the soft start variable speed motor anywhere from 750 to 3200 RPM
  • Features a 2.3-Inch face plate, an MT1 spindle and tailstock taper, and two interchangeable tool rests
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Customer ratings by feature

For beginners
4.2 4.2
Easy to use
4.2 4.2
Value for money
3.7 3.7
Tech Support
3.6 3.6

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$238.48
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WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe
WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe
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Price$238.48$198.91$636.92$318.82$59.99$1,619.99
Delivery
Get it Mar 27 - 29
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26
Get it Tuesday, Apr 2
Customer Ratings
For beginners
4.2
4.2
4.2
4.4
4.1
4.2
Value for money
3.7
3.7
4.3
4.6
4.1
4.4
Tech Support
3.6
3.6
3.6
4.3
4.5
Easy to use
4.2
4.2
4.7
4.2
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WEN Products
Amazon.com
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From the manufacturer

WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe

Maximize the Ability of Your Existing Wood Lathe

You will now easily be able to fit work pieces up to 12 inches long and 8 inches wide with the WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe. The minimal design is ideal for pens, bowls, cups, chess pieces, and other small work pieces. You will be able to take on larger projects around your home with this tool.

Straightforward, Sturdy and Easy to Operate

With a stunning build quality, the WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe provides sturdy frame for various work pieces. Made from cast iron, features a 2.3 inch face plate, an MT1 spindle and tailstock taper and two interchangeable tool rests for added versatility.

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Technical Details

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Warranty & Support

Amazon.com Return Policy:Amazon.com Voluntary 30-Day Return Guarantee: You can return many items you have purchased within 30 days following delivery of the item to you. Our Voluntary 30-Day Return Guarantee does not affect your legal right of withdrawal in any way. You can find out more about the exceptions and conditions here.
Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here

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WEN 3421 3.2-Amp 8" by 12" Variable Speed Mini Benchtop Wood Lathe


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Product Description

Remember when you could turn your own pens? Fill your house with as many pens as you can with the WEN 8-inch by 12-inch variable speed mini wood Lathe. Adjust the variable speed anywhere from 750 to 3200 rotations per minute. The WEN 8-inch by 12-inch variable speed Benchtop wood Lathe features an MT1 spindle and Tailstock taper to tightly grip workpieces, two tool rests (4-1/2 inch and 7 inch) to provide needed support for chisels and tools during operation, and a 3.2-Amp motor to keep things turning. The easy-to-use Lever clamping system makes adjustments to both the tool rest and the Tailstock simple and precise. The WEN wood Lathe also includes a flat wrench, a headstock spur center, A Tailstock cup center, A knockout rod and a 2.3-Inch faceplate for non-spindle work pieces. And, because its a WEN product. a nationwide network of skilled service technicians and a friendly customer help line. Remember when you could turn pens, chess pieces and more? Remember WEN.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,562 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the performance and ease of use of the woodworking lathe. They mention that it works well in wood and plastics, and is relatively easy to learn with. That said, some complain about the power. Opinions are mixed on quality, value, and speed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

77 customers mention62 positive15 negative

Customers like the performance of the tool. For example, they mention it works well for small projects, is great for beginners, and is capable of making some great things. Some say the machine runs fine.

"...Other than that, it seems very usable for small projects...." Read more

"...Setup was easy, and it has proven to be a very capable machine for small items like pens, salt and pepper shakers, and projects of that size...." Read more

"Not a bad bench top lathe, runs fine, and probably good for a beginner, but it is quite underpowered, not nearly enough torque in the motor, and..." Read more

"...This machine does that very well...." Read more

76 customers mention68 positive8 negative

Customers find the tool relatively easy to learn with, set up, and use. They also say the instructions are adequate. Customers also say it's perfect for beginner woodworkers and the best value for money. They mention that it'll go on the lathe with no issue.

"This machine was everything that I hoped it would be. Easy to use and does everything that Amazon said it would do...." Read more

"...so far for gifts, they came out really nice and the lathe was super easy to setup and use...." Read more

"...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-..." Read more

"This is an ideal lathe for a beginner...." Read more

103 customers mention54 positive49 negative

Customers are mixed about the quality of the tools. Some mention that it's well built, reliable, and not a weak machine. They also say it'll be excellent for beginners. However, others say they've had issues with parts of the machine breaking for no apparent reason. Some customers say the knockout rod completely broke and the output shaft broke off at the motor.

"...Excellent piece of machinery for the price and it's not a weak machine. Very happy with this and now it's time to buy some chucks!..." Read more

"...TL/DR****It is a lathe, it does spin wood. But material quality is lacking...." Read more

"...it was more than adequate for the job I needed it for... it's a pretty capable unit." Read more

"...And the 'knockout rod' completely broke. But we're adaptable tinkerers and we find a way. I use a 5/16 wrench to tighten the tool rest down...." Read more

53 customers mention35 positive18 negative

Customers are mixed about the value of the tool. Some mention it's absolutely amazing value for the money, surprisingly well made for the cost, and doesn't take up much bench space. However, others say that it'll not worth the money. They mention that the product is cheap, with a cheap plastic cover where the switch and wires are.

"...Excellent piece of machinery for the price and it's not a weak machine. Very happy with this and now it's time to buy some chucks!..." Read more

"...This definitely seems affordable, but when you consider you will end up having to buy replacement parts that will probably give out soon as well,..." Read more

"The lathe is cheap, but it punches slightly above its weight for that price...." Read more

"...don't make "cheap" tools, they make "basic" tools - high quality, low price, only the features you need." Read more

36 customers mention23 positive13 negative

Customers are mixed about the speed of the tool. Some mention that the variable speed is awesome, smooth, and true, while others say that the motor would just slow down to speeds not capable of doing any turning work. Some say that it stalls if they try to take too deep of a cut, and that the spindle doesn't turn fast enough.

"...By far the nicest feature is the adjustable speed and overall size. If you have a small worksurface this is a great option...." Read more

"...Yes, the reviews are right- the motor stalls on aggressive cuts. I'm a beginner and that's why I decided to buy THIS lathe...." Read more

"...The action is smooth, the ways seem flat and parallel, and the variable speed control is a delight to use...." Read more

"...Quiet, spins fast..... I added the drill chuck. It does what I bought it for. So yay...." Read more

60 customers mention4 positive56 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the power of the tool. They mention that the motor is underpowered, weak, and does not work well. Some say that the tool is great for surface removal but not for hollowing out items.

"...Obviously the motor isn't a stong as a commercial unit but it was more than adequate for the job I needed it for... it's a pretty capable unit." Read more

"...This late does not have the power have a forstner bit on the tailstock, even at the lowest speeds on any sort of hardwoods...." Read more

"...Its not that powerful, the working area is very narrow, and the tailstock effectively moves less than an inch...." Read more

"...lathe, runs fine, and probably good for a beginner, but it is quite underpowered, not nearly enough torque in the motor, and really only good for..." Read more

Pros and Cons
3 Stars
Pros and Cons
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.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023
Style: 2022 ModelPattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2023
Style: 2022 ModelPattern Name: Lathe + Pen-Turning MT1Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
Style: 2022 ModelPattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2022
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
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5.0 out of 5 stars One year later review: Great for a first lathe
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2022
This is an ideal lathe for a beginner.

Yes, the reviews are right- the motor stalls on aggressive cuts. I'm a beginner and that's why I decided to buy THIS lathe. Aggressive/bad cuts happen when learning this skill. I found it was much safer to have the motor stall on me rather than have a bad catch or a tool ripped out of my hand!

I did buy the additional 4" chuck that makes life easier. It was about another $50. (See attached picture)

1-year later

And it's been just over a year since I bought this lathe. It's not a lathe built to last. The metal is soft so the tighteners have rounded quite a bit. And the 'knockout rod' completely broke. But we're adaptable tinkerers and we find a way. I use a 5/16 wrench to tighten the tool rest down. I also found a metal rod in a similar diameter to the broken 'knockout rod' that was provided. The lathe also started to rust very early after purchase even covered with a canvas tarp. But rust can be managed.

I recommend this lathe to any beginner. It's great for your starter needs. You'll want to upgrade to other lathes if you stick with wood turning.

Have fun creating!
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27 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2023
Style: 2022 ModelPattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2022
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Adriana Manzano
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente relación calidad-precio
Reviewed in Mexico on February 18, 2021
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
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Adriana Manzano
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente relación calidad-precio
Reviewed in Mexico on February 18, 2021
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
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2 people found this helpful
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peter beuzeville
5.0 out of 5 stars great value for money
Reviewed in Australia on May 24, 2021
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
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peter beuzeville
5.0 out of 5 stars great value for money
Reviewed in Australia on May 24, 2021
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 .
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Eugenio Hernández
5.0 out of 5 stars no coms
Reviewed in Mexico on June 24, 2022
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
Sid
5.0 out of 5 stars Great deal
Reviewed in Australia on July 19, 2021
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase
Alejandro
3.0 out of 5 stars Precio/funcionalidad
Reviewed in Mexico on February 26, 2023
Style: 3.2-Amp LathePattern Name: LatheVerified Purchase