- Best For Hobbyists: Excelsior Mini Lathe
- 👛Best Budget: WEN 3424T Mini Wood Lathe
- ⭐Best Overall: Turncrafter Commander
- Best For Power Users: JET JWL-1015 Mini Wood Lathe
- Best For Beginners: BACHIN Mini Wood Lathe
There’s something really satisfying about taking a piece of wood, spinning it around a pivot point, and shaping it into something else completely. It takes creativity, skill, and patience, which are all awesome attributes for a satisfying hobby.
Although a mini wood lathe operates in a very similar fashion to a full-size lathe, the must-have features can be a little different. So in this article, we take you through the key features to look for when you’re choosing a mini wood lathe and our Top 7 mini wood lathes of 2022.
Why Choose a Mini Wood Lathe?
Mini wood lathes are the perfect choice for someone just starting out in woodturning, as it allows you to work on small projects in a tight space (like your garage or basement!).
However, mini lathes are also an excellent option for experienced craftsmen who want to work on small projects, without needing to fire up a full-size lathe.
With a general over-the-bed swing of 8″ – 10″ and a distance between centers of 12″ – 15″, mini lathes are suitable for turning workpieces like bowls, cups, spindles, pens, toys, and small ornaments. Their usage can be quite versatile.
Choosing a Mini Wood Lathe
When you’re looking to buy a mini wood lathe, you first need to consider what you’re planning to make. The size of your project will determine the distance between the centers that you need, and the swing-over bed measurement on your lathe.
Distance Between Centers (DBC)
The DBC tells you the maximum distance between the headstock and tailstock. Ultimately, this will influence the dimensions of the block of wood that you can work with.
Mini wood lathes typically have a DBC of up to 20″, which makes them ideal for turning small wooden objects such as bowls, chess pieces, or pen billets. If you’re planning to make something bigger like table legs or baseball bats, you may want to consider a midi lathe.
Swing Over Bed (SOB)
The SOB measurements tell you the maximum diameter of the piece of wood that you can turn on the lathe bed. If you’re planning to buy a mini wood lathe, then you’re looking at an SOB up to 12″.
Again, if you’re planning to work on something with a bigger diameter, then you’re looking at midi wood lathes or full-sized wood lathes, rather than a mini lathe, for your project.
Power & Speed Ranges
To achieve a decent outcome on your mini lathe, you need a variable-speed motor with at least 1/2 HP. With a minimum of 1/2 HP power, you’ll be able to overcome the resistance of the lathe and turn small workpieces.
A variable-speed motor is critical for an enjoyable woodturning experience, as it’ll enable you to control the turning speed of the spindle – ultimately, it enables you to slow down or speed up so that you only make the cuts you want, and end up with a smooth finish.
If you’re new to woodturning or looking for maximum convenience, you’ll be looking for a mini lathe with a control knob that allows you to change the spindle speed with a switch.
Other mini lathes may require you to manually adjust the belt drive to change the speed, which takes practice and time.
Available Space
How much space you have in your workspace is going to have an impact on deciding which is the right mini wood lathe for you.
Some mini lathes have a small footprint and are lightweight, which means they won’t take up too much room, which is great news if you’re a bit limited on space. It’ll also mean that your mini lathe is extremely portable, so you can take it out on job sites with you if needed.
Manufacturer Support
There’s nothing worse than buying a power tool, only to find you can’t get decent support if something goes wrong (and inevitably, something’s going to need tweaking sooner or later!).
So, when you’re buying a new mini wood lathe, it’s worth taking a few extra moments to check that the manufacturer supplies you with full instructions, a decent warranty term, and after-sales care.
Forums and the woodworking community are other great sources of help if you do run into problems, so it’s a good idea to invest in a common or popular brand.
For more information on choosing a lathe, see Guide to Best Lathes for Woodworking.
Top 7 Best Mini Wood Lathes
Now that you’ve got an idea of what to look for and consider when you’re shopping around for the best mini wood lathe for you, it’s time to take a look at what’s available.
For anyone who’s just starting out on their woodturning journey, mini wood lathes are a great option. Some of the big-name manufacturers of mini lathes include Rockler, PSI Woodworking, JET, WEN, and RIKON. Between them, they offer some of the best mini lathes on the market.
So, keep reading for our Top 7 mini wood lathes – there’s bound to be one suited to every need and budget.
Best For Hobbyists: Excelsior Mini Lathe
The Excelsior Mini Lathe is manufactured by Rockler and is built from chrome-plated cast iron, so it’s both sturdy and stable.
It weighs 80.5 lbs and has a compact footprint of 30″ x 8″.
This mini wood lathe has a distance between centers of 17.75″ and can handle workpieces with a diameter of up to 10″. But with an optional bed extension, you can increase the distance between centers to 38.5″.
The Excelsior Mini Lathe offers you a choice of five different speeds: 760, 1100, 1600, 2200, and 3200 RPM, so you have a lot of versatility. You’ll find that you have to manually adjust the belt drive and switch them from one pulley system to another, in order to change speeds. Traditionalists may appreciate the manual speed change, but new hobbyists may find it frustrating that there’s something else they need to learn.
Conveniently, the Excelsior mini wood lathe uses a standard MT2 tapered spindle, which is powered by a 1/2 HP DC motor. You’ll also get a 3″ face plate.
Rockler’s mini lathe comes with a 6″ tool rest as standard, but if you need more support you can upgrade your tool rest with an 8″ or 12″ tool rest kit.
The Excelsior mini lathe ships as a DIY kit. But don’t worry! It comes with the full assembly instructions in the user manual.
By default, your new power tool will come with a full one-year warranty, and you’ll also find some excellent user support through the Rockler Facebook community.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 17.75″
- Swing Over Bed: 10″
- Motor: 1/2 HP, 370W, DC
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 5 speeds (760, 1100, 1600, 2200, 3200 RPM)
- Warranty: 1 year
Conclusion
The Excelsior Mini Lathe is a solid choice for a new hobbyist woodturner. It’s got all the basics to get you started, and a good range of optional extras so you don’t outgrow the tool too quickly.
Best Budget: WEN 3424T Mini Wood Lathe
The Wen 3424T is a robust benchtop lathe, which is made from a sturdy cast iron construction.
Despite being lighter than the Excelsior Mini Lathe, we were impressed that Wen 3424T didn’t wobble around on the workbench too much.
It has a slightly bigger footprint than the Excelsior, at 30.25″ x 8.75″, but this is balanced by the longer DBC and larger SOB. The Wen 3424T can handle workpieces up to 18″ long and diameters up to 12″.
The 3424T also uses a standard MT2 tapered spindle and tailstock, so it’s compatible with a lot of different accessories. This lathe comes with a 3.125″ face plate, which makes it ideal for turning bowls and cups.
Another great feature of the Wen 3424T is the 5-speed range, which offers you a choice of 520, 900, 1400, 2150, or 3400 RPM. Although you need to manually adjust the belt to change the speed, it’s a small price to pay for the rest of the lathe’s features.
You can also read our full review.
The Wen 3424T provides you with a 7.8″ tool rest, which can even be moved across the bed. Adjustments to the tool rest can be made using the easy-to-use lever clamping system.
To get started, you’ll need to unbox your Wen 3424T and assemble it, according to the detailed instructions that you’ll find in the handy user manual.
It also comes with a 2-year warranty, so there’s plenty of support available should you run into any difficulties.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 18″
- Swing Over Bed: 12″
- Motor: 1/2 HP, 4.5 Amp, AC
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 5 speeds (520, 900, 1400, 2150, 3400 RPM)
- Warranty: 2 years
Conclusion
The Wen 3424T is a robust, budget mini wood lathe that enables you to work with reasonably sized workpieces. Its operation is reasonably straightforward, once you’ve got to grips with the user manual.
Best Overall: Turncrafter Commander
PSI Woodworking’s Turncrafter Commander has been designed with portability in mind. This benchtop lathe has a carry handle on each side to make it easy to carry about and relocate.
There are two versions of the Turncrafter Commander, so you have some options depending on your available space and project plans.
The KWL-1018VS offers you a 10″ swing, has a 31″ x 7.25″ footprint, and weighs in at 82 lbs. Alternatively, the KWL-1218VS is the slightly larger model, so you’ll get a 12″ swing and 31″ x 9.5″ footprint. This version weighs in at around 106 lbs.
Both versions are reasonably powerful, as far as mini wood lathes go. The 10″ Turncrafter Commander is powered by a 3/4″ HP motor, whereas the 12″ version has a full 1 HP motor.
The Turncrafter Commander is packed full of convenient features. It has an SBC microprocessor, which allows you to vary the speed quickly and easily. On the 10″ lathe, the speed range is between 500-3800 RPM, whereas the 12″ lathe can cope with speeds between 150-3800 RPM.
Both lathes come with a digital readout on the headstock, so you can read the speed quickly and accurately.
The Turncrafter Commander mini lathe is an excellent choice for a beginner turner. as everything can be adjusted quickly and easily. So you’ll be up and working in no time at all. Both lathes have 24 indexing positions and you can lock the spindle in your desired position with just a simple press of a button.
Both the headstock and tailstock are MT2 tapered. You also get a 3″ faceplate and spur center. The tailstock uses ball bearings to reduce the risk of splitting.
Both versions come with a choice of 6″ and 12″ tool rests, so you can adjust the tool rest to suit your workpiece. You also get an 18″ flux-cabled work light which is perfect for clearing shadows and ensuring you can see your workpiece more clearly.
Like many of the mini-lathes in our review, you’ll need to assemble the Turncrafter Commander yourself, when it arrives, but with the detailed user manual, you should be able to make short work of it.
As your skills develop and your needs change, you’ll find the Turncrafter Commander can grow with you. The machine can be customized with an extension kit, so the original 18″ distance between centers can be expanded to a huge 42″ – all without needing to invest in a midi lathe or full-sized lathe, which can save you a significant chunk of change.
This robust mini lathe comes with a three-year warranty, which should give you peace of mind that you’ll have access to support when you need it.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 18″
- Swing Over Bed: 10″ or 12″
- Motor: 3/4 HP or 1 HP
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 500-3800 RPM or 150-3800 RPM
- Warranty: 3 years
Conclusion
The Turncrafter Commander is one of the best mini wood lathes for woodturners looking to invest in a tool for life. It’s reasonably small and portable, but with the optional bed extension, this tool can grow to meet your changing needs. Other mini wood lathes just can’t measure up!
Best For Power Users: JET JWL-1015 Mini Wood Lathe
The Jet JWL-1015 benchtop mini wood lathe has a fairly large footprint in comparison with some of the other mini wood lathes in our review. Its overall footprint is 35″ x 18.1″, but it only weighs 77 lbs. It can safely house wood up to 15.5″ long and 10″ wide.
The cast-iron construction is solid and the JWL-1015 also uses an MT2 tapered headstock and tailstock. The tool rest is a reasonable length at 7.32″ and provides you with ample support.
This JET mini wood lathe uses a belt tensioning system to adjust the spindle speeds, but you do get six different speed settings between 500, 840, 1240, 1800, 2630, or 3975 RPM. You’ll find a 1/2 HP motor powering the spindle, which is ample power for most small projects.
A handy feature of the JET JWL-1015 is the 24 indexing positions for the spindle, which allow you to scribe lines on the workpiece for post-carving or designing tasks.
The JET JWL-1015 mini wood lathe is another one of the best mini wood lathes for growing with your needs. You have the option of purchasing a bed extension, which will expand your distance between centers from 15.5″ to 36.5″. There’s also an optional stand, which is a useful feature for setting up your mini lathe conveniently in your workspace.
The JWL-1015 also requires some assembly when you receive it, and again, the user manual can help with that. A feature that’s unique to the JWL-1015 mini lathe is the paddle-style on-off safety key, located near the tailstock. This safety key enables you to conveniently and safely turn the machine on and off.
With a 5-year warranty, you should find that you have plenty of time to resolve any problems with the manufacturer.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 15.5″
- Swing Over Bed: 10″
- Motor: 1/2 HP
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 6-speeds (500, 840, 1240, 1800, 2630, 3975 RPM)
- Warranty: 5 years
Conclusion
The JET JWL-1015 lathe is a good choice if you’re looking for extra features like a stand, or for a tool that will expand as your projects get bigger or more complex. It is a little more expensive than some of the other mini wood lathes that have larger distances between centers, but it has the added benefit of a 5-year warranty.
Shop Fox W1704 Benchtop Lathe
The Shop Fox W1704 is a small, but mighty mini wood lathe. Made from cast iron, it retains all of the sturdiness you expect from a fully functioning lathe, despite its small stature. It weighs around 53 lbs and has a small footprint of 23.37″ x 5.5″.
Of course, the small footprint does mean that you’re more restricted in terms of the size of the project you’ll be able to turn. The Shop Fox w1704 benchtop lathe has a distance between centers of 12″ and a swing over bed of 8″.
The 1/3 HP motor provides you with variable speeds. You can adjust the speed to anything between 700 and 3200 RPM. Unlike quite a few of the models under review, the Shop Fox W1704 mini lathe uses a knob to adjust the spindle speeds, so if this is an important feature for you, then the Shop Fox is well worth a look! This method of changing speeds is much quicker and easier than adjusting the belts.
The Shop Fox W1704 mini lathe uses an MT1 tapered spindle and tailstock. It comes with two tool rests, a 4.25″ and 7″ size. The shorter tool rest is designed for working on smaller workpieces, and the longer tool rest is for larger workpieces. It also comes with a spur center, live center, and 5.75″ faceplate.
Similar to the other mini lathes in our review, you will have to self-assemble your lathe. Just follow the handy instructions to get started.
This mini wood lathe comes with a 2-year warranty, so you’ll have peace of mind when you buy your new lathe. To validate your warranty, you’ll need to register your mini lathe with Woodstock Inc, which is the parent company of Shop Fox.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 12″
- Swing Over Bed: 8″
- Motor: 1/3 HP
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 700-3200 RPM
- Warranty: 2 years
Conclusion
The Shop Fox W1704 is a great starter mini lathe, particularly if you’re only planning on turning small items like pens. It’s been designed with ease and convenience in mind, so it utilizes a speed dial rather than manual belt adjustments to change speeds.
RIKON 70-105 Mini Wood Lathe
The RIKON 70-105 is one of the best mini wood lathes if you’re looking for a good range of accessories.
It’s a robust lathe with a footprint of 35.5″ x 10.5″ and a weight of 75 lbs. It’s made from cast iron, so it’s both strong and sturdy, with minimum vibrations.
You get a good 18″ distance between centers and can safely turn workpieces up to 10″ wide. Interestingly, the RIKON 70-150 mini lathes have been designed as pen turners.
With this mini lathe, you get variable speed. The choices are 500, 1175, 1850, 2225, and 3200 RPM. However, to change speeds, you do need to loosen the belt drive to adjust it between the spindle and the motor pulley system.
The RIKON 70-105 uses an MT2 tapered spindle and tailstock, and also comes with a spur drive and live center.
While the RIKON 70-105 comes with a 7.5″ tool rest, you also have the option to buy additional accessories to ensure you have a good-sized tool rest to suit your project. The options include 4″, 6″, and 8″ tool rests. Plus, you can be confident that you can easily get hold of replacement parts, directly from RIKON’s website.
This versatile mini lathe comes with a Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled (TEFC) 1/2 HP motor, with a rated speed of 1700 RPM driving the spindle. Like the rest of the mini wood lathes under review, the motor can only turn in the forward direction and there will be some assembly needed to get the tool up and running.
RIKON power tools come with a 5-year warranty, so you can have total confidence that your machine will be supported for years to come.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 18″
- Swing Over Bed: 10″
- Motor: 1/2 HP
- Spindle Direction: Forward
- Variable Speed Range: 5-speeds (500, 1175, 1850, 2225, 3200 RPM)
- Warranty: 5 years
Conclusion
The RIKON 70-105 is a robust wood lathe, with a lot of options to customize your tool for your needs. It has a long warranty period, so you can have confidence that there’ll be support available should you need it. This mini lathe has been designed with pen turners in mind and can be used for boring barrel holes, roughing out pen billets, as well as shaping and finishing.
Best For Beginners: BACHIN Mini Wood Lathe
The BACHIN mini wood lathe is tiny in comparison to the rest of the lathes on this list. With a footprint of just 12.2″ x 2.36″ and a weight of 4 lbs, this dinky lathe will fit on most table tops with comparable ease. It’s an extremely portable tool.
Of course, with such a small frame, you’re looking at only being able to turn very small workpieces. The distance between centers is 5.5″ and the swing over the bed is just 1.96″.
That’s plenty for DIY enthusiasts and home users to make anything from pens and chess pieces to rings and beads. However, it’s better suited to simple tasks like turning and sanding small 5″ softwood pieces.
It’s worth noting that the BACHIN mini wood lathe is not designed to work on medium to hardwoods, so if you’re planning to use these types of materials on a regular basis, you might want to consider one of the other lathes we’ve reviewed.
The BACHIN mini wood lathe uses a ball-bearing DC motor that can ramp up to 8000 RPM. The power adaptor allows you to easily switch between seven different power levels that control the motor speed.
You can even reverse the spindle direction by changing the input polarity. This additional feature is extremely handy for sanding your projects.
You get plenty of accessories with the BACHIN mini wood lathe – a total of six carving blades, a flat wrench, a polishing wheel, drills, and an array of sandpapers.
Sadly, you tend not to get a warranty or any manufacturer support when you buy this mini lathe. So if you run into problems, you’ll be forced to rely on the community of users via Amazon or YouTube.
Specifications
- Distance Between Centers: 5.5″
- Swing Over Bed: 1.96″
- Motor: DC
- Spindle Direction: Forward/Reverse
- Variable Speed Range: 4000-8000 RPM
- Warranty: Unknown
Conclusion
The BACHIN mini lathe is great if you’re just starting out with woodturning. It’s best suited to hobbyists looking to turn very small projects made from a soft material.
Start Turning!
Starting woodturning is an exciting, but daunting time. It can be tricky to know exactly which tool you need, and the idea of buying a full-sized lathe can be overwhelming.
That’s why mini wood lathes are a great choice for beginners, as well as expert woodturners looking for a convenient tool for small projects.
But before you rush out to buy a mini lathe, do make sure you have a good idea of the types of projects you want to make. These machines are simply not designed for large workpieces.
Having said that, you do have a few options if you change your mind, including buying a bed extension so plan ahead.
Mini lathes are lightweight and compact, so they’re very portable. They can make turning small projects much less cumbersome than working on a full-sized lathe.
Our handy review should help you identify the best mini wood lathe for you.
We especially like the Turncrafter Commander, as there’s a choice of two different sizes, it has a digital readout and you can add an extension bed to work on bigger projects over time. But whatever your budget, these affordable tools mean you can get started on woodturning with minimum fuss. In fact, there’s a wood lathe to suit everyone.
