RIKON Power Tools 70-105 10" x 18" 1/2 hp Mini Lathe

Received lathe pretty quickly. It is heavy. Set up was quick also, but it suffered some minor damage. The cover to the motor was caved in and made loud noise when turned on. Had to remove cover and take the dent out with a hammer. It now runs smooth and quiet. I love everything about it. I will add another review after I use it for a few hours. Used the lathe to cut a gear shift knob, worked like a dream, cuts smooth, speed change is quick. Nice bang for the buck. Customer service is not responsive on my motor cover defect. But the lathe is awesome to use.

i got his lathe just before Christmas 2015, I was impressed with the machining and the smoothness of the travel on the tail stock. Stock. I was looking at buying the one from Harbor Freight and the Excelsior from Rockler as I think they are about the same lathe. This one was on sale at Woodcraft for $50.00 more but it has a 5 year warranty instead of a 90 day at Harbor and 1 year at Rockler. The motor seems to be an up grade as it has some cooling fins on it. Other have had concerns about how hot the one from Harbor gets, this one so far has run just warm. It is very well balanced with no vibration. I got it to play with turning some pens and toys, so far it has been great as i;m just learning. I've had an old Craftsman lathe for years and never did much with it because I was always fighting ( i didn't know that until now) so it wasn't much fun now with this one it has become a joyful thing to go to the shop and play. It is heavy enough an smooth enough that I haven't bolted it down and it hasn't move even with some big peaces of wood that were not squared and were out of balance at the beginning and it still handled it just fine. Great little lathe for turning pens and toys or small projects

An honest review. First of all, this is absolutely worth the money. I went back and forth on whether to give this four or five stars for a while… and four it is. Honestly i wish I could give three and a half. The tail stock and headstock are perfectly aligned. And honestly if you’re just planning on turning very small things I’d give this five stars. I bought this, however because reviews told me it was the best intro lathe for larger projects. Immediately… you’ll need to upgrade the chuck if you’re trying to turn bowls or vases. The locks on the base and tool rest are impossible to lock in position without some elbow grease. My biggest complaint is the tool rest. I was already planning on upgrading it… but then it snapped while turning with minimal force. It is cast iron indeed… but not of high quality (like the rest of the tool) Long story short… you’ll be spending a lot more than the price tag you see if you want to do serious turning, but the machine has a great heart.

Great little machine that not only turns pens. I make bowls on this lathe. The only drawback is that I am limited to around 9 inches diameter before I start cutting the bowl. This is plenty powerful for almost any job within the size limit of the lathe. It is an excellent tool for making pens. You have five positions on the pulley system, giving you a good range of speeds for just about any project. My next lathe will be a larger Rikon lathe.

GREAT LATHE FOR A GREAT PRICE. HAD A SMALL ISSUE WITH THE HEADSTOCK WHEN CHANGING THE BELT. JOE AT TECH SUPPORT WAS ON POINT. NO HASSLE HANDLE THE ISSUE QUICKLY AND WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO SOLVE IT AND MAKE SURE I WAS BACK UP AND RUNNING

Great little lathe. I bought the extension bed as well but have not used yet. Made some ornaments with poplar and walnut. Also turned a spindle towel rack for a cabinet I made. Snowmen, birdhouse ornaments, tool handles, and furniture spindles are next on the list. After getting beyond the basics I am sure I will upgrade to a lathe with a little more power and electronic speed control. The pulley belt speed change is a bit slow but not a big deal in a home shop I guess. I added nova chuck (Nova 48111) with pen chuck attachment and drill chuck (PSI TM32). Overall very happy with lathe!

My husband bought this for his hand made, wood working projects. So far, it is working great, no pro lens. He loves it.

I just purchased and received my new lathe today 16 May. The packaging arrived on its side on my front doorstep. I opened it immediately, and everything seemed to be alright until I took out part V, the spindle cover. The spindle cover was broken and cracked all over. I have attached a picture. All I want is a replacement cover so that I can start enjoying my lathe.