Turning · review
Sixty revolutions a minute at the bottom — the only lathe here slow enough to start an unbalanced blank safely.
The end of it The slowest bottom speed, a reverse and an indexing head — and no spindle thread, like every lathe here.
Every figure below names its source. Each one is a manufacturer specification read off the listing itself. The judgments are ours.
The lowest speed on either half of this shelf, and the reason to buy this machine.
A bowl blank starts out of balance: a square or bark-edged lump on a faceplate is heavier on one side. At 500 rpm that shakes the lathe across the bench. At 60 it turns over while the corners come off.
Every other lathe here starts at 150 or above. The VEVOR mini starts at 4,220.
Sixty is not a convenience. It is the difference between roughing a blank and throwing it.
Sixty to 900. A hundred and ten to 1,800. Two hundred and twenty to 3,600.
Three belt positions, each with its own electronic range, so the useful band is wide at both ends rather than stretched thin across one.
The Laguna on this shelf publishes the same architecture at 250 to 3,200. The published Holzstar here publishes five fixed steps, and its page is praised for exactly that.
Reverse is for sanding: turning tears the grain on one side of a profile, and sanding the way the tool cut lays the fibers over the tear instead of cutting them. Running backwards presents the other side of every fiber.
What reverse needs is a chuck that cannot unscrew, which means a set screw or a locking collar — and this page does not publish the spindle thread at all.
The Acme tailstock thread is the other unusual figure: a coarse square-ish form that keeps turning when it is full of shavings, where a fine V-thread jams.
A lathe is chosen on two dimensions and one commitment.
The dimensions are the swing over the bed and the distance between centers. The commitment is the spindle thread, because every chuck, faceplate and screw center bought afterwards has to match it — and the common threads are 1 in by 8 TPI, M33 by 3.5 and 3/4 in by 16, which are not interchangeable in any direction.
Across all five American listings on this shelf, not one publishes it. The published Einhell page here carries the same absence in its cons, and the shelf’s own intro names it as the reason to care.
Read on the day this page was built: $990 at the American Amazon shop.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-07. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Swing over bed | 12 in — 305 mm |
|---|---|
| Between centers | 21 in — 533 mm |
| Motor | 1 HP, 115 V single phase — about 746 W · No amperage published |
| Speed range | Three ranges published individually: 60 to 900, 110 to 1,800 and 220 to 3,600 rpm · Sixty rpm is the lowest speed on either half of this shelf |
| Spindle thread | Not published by the maker. |
| Reverse | Forward to reverse, stated a smooth transition — the only reverse on this shelf |
| Indexing | 24 integrated positions, with a spring-loaded spindle lock |
| Tailstock | An Acme thread — the only tailstock thread form published on this shelf |
| Belt | A ratchet-style tension system, stated patent pending |
| Controls | A larger digital readout and a recessed power switch |
| Part number | 719200 |
| Amazon reference | B00BGBVJCU |
| EAN | 0731325252071 |
Because a bowl blank starts out of balance. A square or bark-edged lump of wood on a faceplate is heavier on one side, and at 500 rpm that imbalance shakes the lathe across the bench; at 60 it turns over slowly while the corners are taken off. Every other lathe on either half of this shelf starts at 150 rpm or higher, and the VEVOR mini here starts at 4,220. Sixty is not a convenience — it is the difference between roughing a blank and throwing it, and it is the specification this machine is bought for.
Sanding. Turning leaves torn grain on one side of a profile, and sanding in the same direction the tool cut tends to lay the fibers down over the tear instead of removing it. Running in reverse presents the other side of every fiber, which lifts and cuts them. It is also used for some threading and for finishing the inside of a bowl. What it requires is a chuck that cannot unscrew — a set screw or a locking collar — and this page does not publish the spindle thread, let alone whether it locks.
A spindle lock with twenty-four detents, so the work can be held at fifteen-degree intervals. That is what makes an evenly divided pattern possible: six flutes on a column, eight facets on a box lid, twelve holes round a lamp base. Without indexing those are marked by hand and come out close. The Laguna on this shelf also publishes 24 positions; nothing on the European half of this shelf publishes any.
Bowl work up to 305 mm (12 in), where the first minute at low speed is the dangerous one
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for woodworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
Entry lathe · €155 in Germany
The cheapest full-size wood lathe here, and the one that most clearly needs bolting down before it is any good.
Best for: A first lathe for spindle work — chair legs, tool handles, stair spindles
≈ $490
230 V · Ø 254 mm (10 in) swing · 5 speeds
A properly built small lathe with five speeds and a stated swing — the first machine here that publishes what it can turn.
Best for: Bowls up to 254 mm (10 in) and spindle work, in a workshop that wants a machine rather than a starter kit
10 × 14 in · 250–3,200 rpm in three ranges · TEFC · 95 lb · 24 index positions
Ninety-five pounds and a published footprint, with a bearing-spacing claim no other lathe here makes.
Best for: A bench that can take 43 kg (94.8 lb), and spindle work where the tool rest edge matters
≈ $565
