Wen Wood Lathe 14x20 model 34034

Sataro · Feb 20, 2022

Anyone familiar with Wen lathes? Saw this model for sale from an individual but was trying to find more info on this model before I decided if I was interested. Thanks…

sorcerertd · Feb 20, 2022

I can't speak to this one specifically, but I have the small one (8x18?), which is what I started with. I like the beltless VS control on it. The tailstock is pretty sloppy and it is quite underpowered for anything more than small spindles. I upgraded because I wanted to do some bowls, and because it was harder to find MT1 accessories. I would hope that the next level up in their line would be a little better quality, but don't know where you could even go to check one out as I've never seen the brand sold at a retail outlet.

As for the Wen brand, I have the 9" bandsaw (tabletop), and their knockoff of the Tormek sharpener. The saw works OK, but the table pretty much sucks on it. The sharpener is working well for me after some effort at correcting a slightly out of round wheel. They say you get what you pay for, but when you can't afford much, you make it work. I'm definitely on a low budget and will upgrade when my sales bring in enough to do so without cutting into my regular paycheck.

Sataro · Feb 20, 2022

sorcerertd said:
I can't speak to this one specifically, but I have the small one (8x18?), which is what I started with. I like the beltless VS control on it. The tailstock is pretty sloppy and it is quite underpowered for anything more than small spindles. I upgraded because I wanted to do some bowls, and because it was harder to find MT1 accessories. I would hope that the next level up in their line would be a little better quality, but don't know where you could even go to check one out as I've never seen the brand sold at a retail outlet.

As for the Wen brand, I have the 9" bandsaw (tabletop), and their knockoff of the Tormek sharpener. The saw works OK, but the table pretty much sucks on it. The sharpener is working well for me after some effort at correcting a slightly out of round wheel. They say you get what you pay for, but when you can't afford much, you make it work. I'm definitely on a low budget and will upgrade when my sales bring in enough to do so without cutting into my regular paycheck.

Thanks for the feedback Todd. Member of a hunting forum I belong to has this one for sale. Asking $400 & it includes some BF tools & a chuck Jaw set. I imagine the chuck is probably the Wen chuck. Sold all of my pen making setup last year about this time due to smaller more condensed shop space. But missing turning a few pens now & then. Home Depot had this lathe listed on their website but none in stock. I imagine it has been discontinued. Kind of worried when so couldn't find a review on YouTube. Thanks again…

jrista · Feb 20, 2022

Sataro said:
Anyone familiar with Wen lathes? Saw this model for sale from an individual but was trying to find more info on this model before I decided if I was interested. Thanks…

I own one of these. Its not a super fancy lathe, but it works really well, gets the job done. I bought it to replace my first lathe, the horrid Nova Comet 14DR, which was released in 2019...had so many problems.

In comparison, the Wen 1420 is really quite nice. Quieter, much more reliable (Nova motor died within months, control board died multiple times, support was ATROCIOUS, took months more to send it back in for RMA and get it fixed, came back several times louder than I sent it back as, sounded like something was scraping and grinding in the headstock). The Wen tailstock had an issue at first, wouldn't clamp down. Called Wen, they didn't even ask any questions...sent out an entire new headstock and it arrived in about a week.

I also ended up purchasing a Laguna 1524, which itself has had problems. Also lost a motor on that one, the tailstock has "Precise Point" which is a disastrous redesign of the standard design of...well, any other standard tailstock on any other lathe (even other Laguna lathes), leaving the quill unstable and incapable of properly supporting larger blanks. Been struggling with Laguna on these issues since summer last year...at this point they seem to have ghosted me. I haven't had any contact with them since early January, despite repeated attempts to contact them. I finally decided to get a truly good lathe with a stellar reputation, and just bought the PowerMatic 3520C (the anniversary edition, at a mind blowing $4800, a price I doubt I'll ever see again.) Hoping the 3520C is my "life lathe", and is the last one I have to buy.

Due to the Laguna issues, I have spent the vast majority of my time the last 6-8 months using the Wen. Its a solid workhorse lathe. Never seems to have any problems, does its job, does it well, and keeps on working. The only complaint I really have is with the little...thing, for lack of a better term...they used to clamp the tailstock down. It is square, but with these bent up edges that fit into the bed channel, and two square wings that sit strait under the bed to clamp onto it. It works, but it could be better...I'd prefer a classic clamping disc, instead of this. The replacement tailstock works, but its not ideal...sometimes the tailstock will shift a little when you tighten the live center. I've thought about trying to have a custom clamping disc made to replace it...just haven't gotten around to it.

For pens, the Wen 1420 works really well, and the tailstock slip hasn't really been a problem. Ironically, I think in some ways the slight slip in the tailstock actually keeps me from ever over-tightening the live center on bushings, which is nice. The lathe goes up to a high 3800 rpm or around there, which is usually what I turn wood blanks at. I started turning between centers, well shortly after I joined this site. Since doing that, the non-concentric and out-of-round issues I used to experience have largely vanished. I still occasionally have some issues, but I think that is due to a groove the bushings have started etching into my live center. I purchased a replacement and am also switching to TBC bushings, and I am confident that will end all non-concentricity/out-of-round issues.

IMO, one of the best things about Wen is the customer service. Their customer service has been excellent.

A little back story with my other lathes, to put how reliable the Wen has been in context. I've really struggled with that with my other lathes...both Nova and Laguna don't have great customer service. Nova is off the rails, I don't know what Teknatool is doing, but their customer service is the worst I've experienced. Not just bad, but...weird/creepy/strange bad... I had some very, very, VERY strange calls with their tech support people. I honestly wonder if they were on drugs, or hadn't slept in a month, or something like that. That kind weird. Laguna has worked with me...but, they haven't actually fixed the fundamental issue with their 1524 tailstock (which, as far as I can tell, is entirely unique within the world of wood lathes...it has "Precise Point" which basically hollows out the tailstock, and holds the quill only by an ~7/8" thick block of metal bolted onto the front...my experience has taught me this is a wildly insufficient amount of material to hold the quill stable, and with longer extension the quill/live center will droop, which tends to cause the contact-point with any turning blank to be off center. With larger blanks, the sheer momentum of turning at ~1200rpm or so tends to cause vibrations strong enough to cause the lathe to walk across the floor. I've provided extensive details of the issue to Laguna, including videos, and lengthy explanation of the problems I've experienced, the progressive degradation of each new tailstock they have sent me (due to the wrenching around of the quill by a turning blank, it tends to widen the bore in that 7/8" thick block of metal...and the quill gets looser and looser over time.) I originally contacted Laguna about the quill issue back in Jun 2021. Still dealing with it now, issue remains unresolved. Some time around the end of summer/beginning of fall, the motor also failed...it would spin with no load, but couldn't handle a load, even an 8" platter blank. Started exhibiting an oscillation in the rpm...if I set it to 800, it would drop to 300, cycle back up to around 600, then start oscillating around somewhere between, especially with larger-diameter loads. Took months to get that sorted out. Had some shipping mishaps...freight company showed up less than an hour after I talked to Laguna about replacing the entire headstock, after replacing just the motor did not completely resolve the issues. I didn't even have a chance to get the old headstock off the lathe, let alone pack it into a box. Had them come back a few days later so I could get a box and sufficient packing material, and it seems the darn thing was lost in shipping. Things really went down hill from then till now. The support experience has effectively diminished into pure silence. Laguna also seems to have made another design misstep in a recently released planer, which apparently required a recall of the entire line. Suffice it to say...I've lost all trust in Laguna to make a good product and stick by it. I won't buy another one of their products... Which is kind of hard to say, as I really liked most of what the Laguna had to offer...the PWM motor, their often unique accessories, etc. The actual real-world experience, however, has been less than sufficient, or even safe (really don't like it when I bring up the tailstock and this relatively large lathe starts vibrating across the floor!!) I think for some things, the Laguna 1524 is probably a fine lathe, but I purchased it to turn larger things...15" platters, or even larger with outboard turning, large vases (12-14" long by 6-7" wide solid wood vases), larger segmented pieces, etc. It seemed fine with your average 6x3 or 6x4 bowl, or 8" platter, but for such a large lathe, I feel it falls short of what it should be delivering.

Throughout all of this....the Wen? It's just worked. Its worked, keeps on working, and I have complete confidence it will continue to work tomorrow, a month from now, and next year. For a $500, its been the greatest value possible. Without the Wen, I don't think I'd be making pens right now (the Nova is sitting like a brick in a corner of my basement, the Laguna has been out of commission probably more weeks since I bought it in Nov 2020 than its actually been in use.)

EDIT:

So, FWIW...there are numerous Wen lathes that are 14x20 size. I forgot that there is a lower power and a higher power one, as well as one that does not have infinitely variable speed and only allows speed change via belts. So, if you look up the Wen 14x20 lathes, the prices can range from around $100 to $700. I bought the higher powered variable speed lathe, with three belt positions, and infinitely variable speed with a knob and digital rpm readout. I got it on sale, in 2020. There is also a lower powered version, which I think goes for $300-400. There may also be variations of the individual models over the years, although outside of the amperage and ability to control the speed with a knob or not, there don't seem to be many differences.

Sataro · Feb 20, 2022

jrista said:
I own one of these. Its not a super fancy lathe, but it works really well, gets the job done. I bought it to replace my first lathe, the horrid Nova Comet 14DR, which was released in 2019...had so many problems.

In comparison, the Wen 1420 is really quite nice. Quieter, much more reliable (Nova motor died within months, control board died multiple times, support was ATROCIOUS, took months more to send it back in for RMA and get it fixed, came back several times louder than I sent it back as, sounded like something was scraping and grinding in the headstock). The Wen tailstock had an issue at first, wouldn't clamp down. Called Wen, they didn't even ask any questions...sent out an entire new headstock and it arrived in about a week.

I also ended up purchasing a Laguna 1524, which itself has had problems. Also lost a motor on that one, the tailstock has "Precise Point" which is a disastrous redesign of the standard design of...well, any other standard tailstock on any other lathe (even other Laguna lathes), leaving the quill unstable and incapable of properly supporting larger blanks. Been struggling with Laguna on these issues since summer last year...at this point they seem to have ghosted me. I haven't had any contact with them since early January, despite repeated attempts to contact them. I finally decided to get a truly good lathe with a stellar reputation, and just bought the PowerMatic 3520C (the anniversary edition, at a mind blowing $4800, a price I doubt I'll ever see again.) Hoping the 3520C is my "life lathe", and is the last one I have to buy.

Due to the Laguna issues, I have spent the vast majority of my time the last 6-8 months using the Wen. Its a solid workhorse lathe. Never seems to have any problems, does its job, does it well, and keeps on working. The only complaint I really have is with the little...thing, for lack of a better term...they used to clamp the tailstock down. It is square, but with these bent up edges that fit into the bed channel, and two square wings that sit strait under the bed to clamp onto it. It works, but it could be better...I'd prefer a classic clamping disc, instead of this. The replacement tailstock works, but its not ideal...sometimes the tailstock will shift a little when you tighten the live center. I've thought about trying to have a custom clamping disc made to replace it...just haven't gotten around to it.

For pens, the Wen 1420 works really well, and the tailstock slip hasn't really been a problem. Ironically, I think in some ways the slight slip in the tailstock actually keeps me from ever over-tightening the live center on bushings, which is nice. The lathe goes up to a high 3800 rpm or around there, which is usually what I turn wood blanks at. I started turning between centers, well shortly after I joined this site. Since doing that, the non-concentric and out-of-round issues I used to experience have largely vanished. I still occasionally have some issues, but I think that is due to a groove the bushings have started etching into my live center. I purchased a replacement and am also switching to TBC bushings, and I am confident that will end all non-concentricity/out-of-round issues.

IMO, one of the best things about Wen is the customer service. Their customer service has been excellent.

A little back story with my other lathes, to put how reliable the Wen has been in context. I've really struggled with that with my other lathes...both Nova and Laguna don't have great customer service. Nova is off the rails, I don't know what Teknatool is doing, but their customer service is the worst I've experienced. Not just bad, but...weird/creepy/strange bad... I had some very, very, VERY strange calls with their tech support people. I honestly wonder if they were on drugs, or hadn't slept in a month, or something like that. That kind weird. Laguna has worked with me...but, they haven't actually fixed the fundamental issue with their 1524 tailstock (which, as far as I can tell, is entirely unique within the world of wood lathes...it has "Precise Point" which basically hollows out the tailstock, and holds the quill only by an ~7/8" thick block of metal bolted onto the front...my experience has taught me this is a wildly insufficient amount of material to hold the quill stable, and with longer extension the quill/live center will droop, which tends to cause the contact-point with any turning blank to be off center. With larger blanks, the sheer momentum of turning at ~1200rpm or so tends to cause vibrations strong enough to cause the lathe to walk across the floor. I've provided extensive details of the issue to Laguna, including videos, and lengthy explanation of the problems I've experienced, the progressive degradation of each new tailstock they have sent me (due to the wrenching around of the quill by a turning blank, it tends to widen the bore in that 7/8" thick block of metal...and the quill gets looser and looser over time.) I originally contacted Laguna about the quill issue back in Jun 2021. Still dealing with it now, issue remains unresolved. Some time around the end of summer/beginning of fall, the motor also failed...it would spin with no load, but couldn't handle a load, even an 8" platter blank. Started exhibiting an oscillation in the rpm...if I set it to 800, it would drop to 300, cycle back up to around 600, then start oscillating around somewhere between, especially with larger-diameter loads. Took months to get that sorted out. Had some shipping mishaps...freight company showed up less than an hour after I talked to Laguna about replacing the entire headstock, after replacing just the motor did not completely resolve the issues. I didn't even have a chance to get the old headstock off the lathe, let alone pack it into a box. Had them come back a few days later so I could get a box and sufficient packing material, and it seems the darn thing was lost in shipping. Things really went down hill from then till now. The support experience has effectively diminished into pure silence. Laguna also seems to have made another design misstep in a recently released planer, which apparently required a recall of the entire line. Suffice it to say...I've lost all trust in Laguna to make a good product and stick by it. I won't buy another one of their products... Which is kind of hard to say, as I really liked most of what the Laguna had to offer...the PWM motor, their often unique accessories, etc. The actual real-world experience, however, has been less than sufficient, or even safe (really don't like it when I bring up the tailstock and this relatively large lathe starts vibrating across the floor!!) I think for some things, the Laguna 1524 is probably a fine lathe, but I purchased it to turn larger things...15" platters, or even larger with outboard turning, large vases (12-14" long by 6-7" wide solid wood vases), larger segmented pieces, etc. It seemed fine with your average 6x3 or 6x4 bowl, or 8" platter, but for such a large lathe, I feel it falls short of what it should be delivering.

Throughout all of this....the Wen? It's just worked. Its worked, keeps on working, and I have complete confidence it will continue to work tomorrow, a month from now, and next year. For a $500, its been the greatest value possible. Without the Wen, I don't think I'd be making pens right now (the Nova is sitting like a brick in a corner of my basement, the Laguna has been out of commission probably more weeks since I bought it in Nov 2020 than its actually been in use.)

EDIT:

So, FWIW...there are numerous Wen lathes that are 14x20 size. I forgot that there is a lower power and a higher power one, as well as one that does not have infinitely variable speed and only allows speed change via belts. So, if you look up the Wen 14x20 lathes, the prices can range from around $100 to $700. I bought the higher powered variable speed lathe, with three belt positions, and infinitely variable speed with a knob and digital rpm readout. I got it on sale, in 2020. There is also a lower powered version, which I think goes for $300-400. There may also be variations of the individual models over the years, although outside of the amperage and ability to control the speed with a knob or not, there don't seem to be many differences.

Thanks for the detailed write up! The one I'm looking at is the vs model with the digital readout. Only turning I'm really interested in is pen turning. So the Wen will no probably do fine.

sorcerertd · Feb 21, 2022

jrista said:
I've thought about trying to have a custom clamping disc made to replace it...just haven't gotten around to it.

Rick Herrell makes them and happens to be having a sale for the birthday bash.

Thanks for your input on this, Jon. This is great to know. $400 sounds like a pretty good deal for what Billy is looking at.

jrista · Feb 21, 2022

sorcerertd said:
Rick Herrell makes them and happens to be having a sale for the birthday bash.

Thanks for your input on this, Jon. This is great to know. $400 sounds like a pretty good deal for what Billy is looking at.

Well, after all the issues I've had with lathes...and how reliable Wen has been with both their customer support and their product...I thought it was worth sharing. I've had a frustrating two years with lathes, and I might have not been turning much at all if not for the Wen 14x20!

Sataro · Feb 25, 2022

Thanks for all the information. It is appreciated.

penicillin · Feb 25, 2022

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Wen 34034 lathe. Here are my comments:

It has an electronic variable speed knob. That's good. I consider electronic variable speed a "must have" feature for any lathe I would own.

I could not find that particular model (34034) on the Wen website. All they had were parts for it. I did see the model 34035, which may be its successor.

This is a personal comment:
I don't like tools with those plastic spring-loaded "hex wrench" handles for the tailstock, banjo, and tool rest adjustments. I don't like how they feel. I don't like having to pull against a spring to engage them. I don't having to "hunt" to align the hex "wrench" with the hex "nut." I don't like how the handles flex when I tighten them - they feel flimsy. They represent a future weak point (read: breaking point) to me.

Sataro · Feb 25, 2022

penicillin said:
Out of curiosity, I looked at the Wen 34034 lathe. Here are my comments:

It has an electronic variable speed knob. That's good. I consider electronic variable speed a "must have" feature for any lathe I would own.

I could not find that particular model (34034) on the Wen website. All they had were parts for it. I did see the model 34035, which may be its successor.

This is a personal comment:
I don't like tools with those plastic spring-loaded "hex wrench" handles for the tailstock, banjo, and tool rest adjustments. I don't like how they feel. I don't like having to pull against a spring to engage them. I don't having to "hunt" to align the hex "wrench" with the hex "nut." I don't like how the handles flex when I tighten them - they feel flimsy. They represent a future weak point (read: breaking point) to me.

Thanks for the info. I understand where you are coming from on flimsy & breakable parts. I had the same issues looking up the lathe. I got out of pen making last year due to several reasons. Miss not having a lathe sitting in the shop. Still get the urge to turn something. Price grabbed my attention plus having most of the accessories with it that I need to turn the occasional pen. I understand the concept that you get what you pay for. I've owned several Jet lathes, a couple Delta 46-460's, & my favorite a Nova DVR 3000 throughout the years. Still debating on this one at the moment.

jrista · Feb 26, 2022

penicillin said:
Out of curiosity, I looked at the Wen 34034 lathe. Here are my comments:

It has an electronic variable speed knob. That's good. I consider electronic variable speed a "must have" feature for any lathe I would own.

I could not find that particular model (34034) on the Wen website. All they had were parts for it. I did see the model 34035, which may be its successor.

This is a personal comment:
I don't like tools with those plastic spring-loaded "hex wrench" handles for the tailstock, banjo, and tool rest adjustments. I don't like how they feel. I don't like having to pull against a spring to engage them. I don't having to "hunt" to align the hex "wrench" with the hex "nut." I don't like how the handles flex when I tighten them - they feel flimsy. They represent a future weak point (read: breaking point) to me.

Just curious...what lathe does NOT have those? I've now owned Nova, Wen, Laguna and my latest and hopefully final, PowerMatic. All of them have the plastic levers with the hex bolt so you can adjust the angle of the lever. These are usually used for the tool rest clamp and the quill clamp.

I've never seen a lathe that didn't use those...

penicillin · Feb 26, 2022

jrista said:
Just curious...what lathe does NOT have those? I've now owned Nova, Wen, Laguna and my latest and hopefully final, PowerMatic. All of them have the plastic levers with the hex bolt so you can adjust the angle of the lever. These are usually used for the tool rest clamp and the quill clamp.

I've never seen a lathe that didn't use those...

You're right. I just looked at new lathes online, and most of them appear to use those plastic levers with hex bolts. I thought that they were limited to lower cost lathes (e.g., Rockler's Excelsior, Wen 3424T and others with the rotating flap cover on the headstock side) plus other similar designs that look like they come from one factory. I was wrong.

My older Delta 46-460 does not have them. I have used a variety of other lathes that didn't have them, but do not remember the exact models or brands. Perhaps some of the larger or more premium brands do not use them. They must be slightly older models compared with the current offerings.

MRDucks2 · Feb 26, 2022

My 1959 Powermatic P90 doesn't use them. In fact I don't believe there is any plastic on the thing anywhere, other than my new power cord and VFD. Lol

Sataro · Apr 6, 2022

After reviewing all the info on this lathe & other factors in this purchase, I decided to pass this lathe up.

jrista · Apr 6, 2022

Sataro said:
After reviewing all the info on this lathe & other factors in this purchase, I decided to pass this lathe up.

If you are still looking...I've been through a run of lathes since I got started. I've found that Jet and Powermatic make some pretty darn reliable stuff. Jet is often not the fanciest, not a lot of bells and whistles, but they are pretty reliable and get the job that needs doing done. Might be worth looking at if you haven't bought a lathe just yet.

Sataro · Apr 6, 2022

Yes Jets are good. I've owned several Jets over the years, a couple 1014's, 1440, & the 1221. Never tried a powermatic though. Heard only good things about the powermatics… My favorite lathe over the years was my Nova DVR 3000. Don't know why I ever sold that one. If deal doesn't fall through, I'm supposed to pickup a used Laguna Revo 1216 after work today.