WEN · LA3424
Ready to buy
The retained reference is $369.82 current direct U.S. price. The package includes centers, faceplate and tool rest but no four-jaw chuck, stand, tools, extraction or face protection. Confirm workholding, circuit, floor or bench, unloading, safe blank range, PPE, maintenance and parts before payment.
Current market
Each line carries its own check date because price, software, specifications, and product cycle do not age at the same speed.
The package includes centers, faceplate and tool rest but no four-jaw chuck, stand, tools, extraction or face protection. Confirm stock, freight, liftgate, tax, promotion, return and authorized U.S. support at checkout.
LA3424 is the defended low-upfront entry when standard tapers and a useful 12-inch swing matter more than electronic speed control, reverse, very low roughing speed or heavy-shop mass.
Other paths
These are not generic competitors. Each one represents a different way to buy into the same market.
NOVA
RIKON
What changed
Older observations stay in the ledger when the current view changes. That lets a buyer tell the difference between an old complaint, an active issue, and a problem that was corrected.
LA3424 12-Inch by 18-Inch Wood Lathe was checked against manufacturer identity, manual, parts or support, exact current U.S. price, independent woodworking evidence and bounded owner evidence.
Each amount stays tied to its source and capture date. Conflicting prices remain visible until the seller resolves them.
Current reference priceA structured timeline will begin with the next source capture
Owner experience
Owner evidence is retained as a delivery, setup, control, workholding, maintenance and service checklist for LA3424 12-Inch by 18-Inch Wood Lathe, not a performance, capacity, defect or safety rate.
Reports are self-selected and span different serials, voltages, stands, benches, chucks, blanks, speeds, accessories, circuits, dust conditions, service regions, skill and maintenance. They cannot prove population reliability, runout, finish, safe capacity, code compliance, service rate or injury prevention.Self-selected exact-model owners discuss delivery, setup, alignment, controls, vibration, accessories, maintenance, failures and service. Reports are configuration-specific anecdotes, not performance, defect, capacity or safety rates.
Treat it as a bounded small-project machine and reject any blank that cannot be mounted securely and started without shake at 520 RPM
1 evidence recordSources
The page separates what a source states directly from what we conclude across sources.
WEN identifies LA3424 as a 70-pound cast-iron 12-by-18-inch bench machine with five belt-selected speeds, MT2 centers and a standard 1-inch by 8 TPI spindle.
WEN lists the complete LA3424 at $369.82. The package includes centers, faceplate and tool rest but no four-jaw chuck, stand, tools, extraction or face protection
12-inch swing over bed and 18 inches between centers; the bed extension is separate, and nominal swing does not establish a safely mountable blank diameter or finished-project capacity. 120 V, 4.5 A motor with five belt positions at 520, 900, 1,400, 2,150 and 3,400 RPM; there is no dial variable speed or reverse, and 520 RPM can be too fast for a large unbalanced blank. 1-inch by 8 TPI spindle, MT2 headstock and tailstock tapers, 2-inch quill travel and 7-7/8-inch tool rest; confirm chuck thread, insert, jaws and center seating separately.
WEN states a two-year warranty and U.S. help path. Confirm model-specific parts before relying on long-term service, and stop use for damaged rests, centers, cords, bearings, controls or unexplained vibration. Includes 3-1/8-inch faceplate, MT2 spur and live centers, tool rest, knockout rod and wrenches. A chuck, turning tools, sharpening system, stand, dust control and PPE are separate.
AAW recommends a full face shield, conservative startup speed, slower speeds for larger or rough work, locked tailstock and tool-rest assemblies and no gloves, loose clothing, jewelry or untied hair.
OSHA identifies rotating parts, point-of-operation contact, flying chips and thrown work, and addresses close tool-rest placement, guards and entanglement controls. Application to a shop depends on workplace and operation.
OSHA notes high-velocity wood-dust emission and recommends close source capture. A lathe package does not establish exposure control or compliance.
The independent current-line review separates LA3424 from discontinued WEN predecessors and retains its five-speed, 12-inch platform and budget tradeoffs; it is not a capacity or reliability guarantee.
Self-selected exact-model owners discuss delivery, setup, alignment, controls, vibration, accessories, maintenance, failures and service. Reports are configuration-specific anecdotes, not performance, defect, capacity or safety rates.
Comet II DR Midi Lathe is the compact electronic-variable-speed midi alternative at $599.99 current direct U.S. price.
70-150VSR 12-Inch by 16-1/2-Inch Midi Lathe is the high-torque conventional midi vsr alternative at $899.97 current authorized U.S. price.
Manufacturer identity, exact current U.S. price, manual or specification, parts or support path, independent woodworking evidence and bounded owner or turner evidence were checked on August 20, 2026. This market covers complete current U.S.-supported benchtop, midi and full-size woodturning lathes for serious hobby and professional shops. It excludes metal lathes, duplicators and copy lathes, accessories, extensions and stands sold alone, unsupported imports, obsolete machines, cosmetic packages, chuck bundles and minor swing, bed or voltage siblings used only to pad the count. Preserve swing over bed and banjo, actual between-centers geometry, headstock and bed position, motor input and claimed output, voltage, phase, circuit and plug, belt ranges and electronic control, lowest usable speed, forward and reverse conditions, spindle thread and shoulder, taper, bore, indexing, quill and travel, fixed, sliding, swiveling and outboard paths, extension and rest support, weight, stand, floor, mobility and lifting, tool rest, banjo and tailstock behavior, included faceplate and centers versus required chuck, jaws, tools and sharpening, center alignment, runout, bed twist, setup and break-in, dust, chips, noise, electrical cooling, parts, warranty and service. A headline swing or horsepower figure does not approve a blank. Safe RPM depends on diameter, balance, soundness, mounting, drive and operator skill. Inspect stock and glue joints, rotate by hand, start at the lowest stable speed while standing out of the rotation plane, keep a locked rest close to the work and stop for vibration. Use impact-rated eye protection plus a full face shield, tie hair, remove loose clothing and jewelry and never wear gloves near rotating work. Guards, extraction, respiratory protection, hearing protection, electrical work, permits, workplace rules, fire control, rigging and training remain site-specific. Reverse can loosen threaded workholding unless positively secured as documented. Dust collection does not capture every chip or respirable particle. No manufacturer claim, capacity, price, review, owner report, drive feature, brake, jam sensor, guard, mounting system or service plan guarantees surface finish, runout, production capacity, uptime, code or workplace compliance, dust or noise control, workpiece retention, injury prevention or any safety outcome.
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