VSL305 550W Wood Lathe Variable Speed (450-3500 RPM) with Digital Display, Heavy-Duty Cast Iron Bed, 305mm Swing, 455mm Working Length MT2 Spindle & 1” x 8 TPI Thread

This is my very first lathe and I love it ! It's going to take some time to get the hang of it I am sure, but so far it's very impressive. I also bought the extension deck (which I haven't fitted just yet, but even that is a weighty and substantial piece of kit).

I have just taken up wood turning and have found this lathe to be first class. It is very well made and solid plus the variable speed function makes working easy to control. Would highly recommend this if you're looking for a lathe that does the job.

Been using this for a while no issues good for small turning jobs.

Bought through Amazon from Toolsave and delivered the day after ordering. The lathe arrived well packed, in good condition and as described by the seller.I am impressed by the weight and sturdy quality of this small woodturning lathe with its heavy cast iron bed. It runs smoothly and without vibration which is helped by the rubber feet. I can use it on my bench without having to bolt it down. The motor is rated at 550w and provides ample power for a lathe of this size.One of my reasons for purchasing this lathe was that it accepts No.2 morse taper accessories in both headstock and tailstock spindles making it possible to use the same centres, chucks etc in both ends of the lathe.Sliding and pivoting covers with one finger screw operation makes access to the pulleys, which are metal, quick and easy for changing speed and this can be done without loosening the belt.This lathe has a 1" x 8tpi thread on the headstock spindle which provides for a good choice of centres, chucks, faceplates etc.Included is a small plastic rack which screws to the back of the bed behind the headstock for storing provided centres, drift, spanner and hex. key. Also included is an alloy handwheel for manually rotating the spindle to aid accessory mounting, sanding and inspection of workpiece etc.The only minor issues I have found are lack of a soft start and the plastic handles provided for tailstock spindle lock and tool rest height.In conclusion I would say that this is a very good lathe for the price and I recommend the seller, Toolsave, based on the quality of service I received.

Prompt delivery. Packaging was slightly damaged but the lathe was ok. So far the machine works well out of the box with minimal setup required. However, its early days. Very strong build quality. Mainly metal handles so little to break. Variable speed controller is basic but responsive.So far good value for the money.

Spent a few hours practice so far and very happy with build and performance. Some might complain it is heavy (35kg) but that is a bonus as you don't want a lightweight lathe that bounces about. Found the tool holder very convenient - some reviews complained position behind lathe might be problematic but hey, you won't be changing tools while lathe is running. The 1"x8tpi headstock drive and M2 morse taper allows a good choice of readily availlable accessories to be found - so far I've bought a jacob's chuck and a 4" chuck. I would have liked the variable speed to go from 0 to max without changing the drive belts but it literally takes less than a minute to change between the 3 speed ranges which have a decent overlap when using the speed control. The distance between centres (450mm) is fine for most purposes but if you need a longer reach there is an extension for the bed available.

Very week motor (I went for the 5 speed as it should be much higher torque than the variable speed model which uses same motor ?) , tool rest was already pitted and feels like it's made from plastersine ! Maximum turning is approx 10". Will be selling soon and buying a real woodturning lathe ! Complained to seller who didn't seem to care + between purchase and delivery the seller knocked £50 off , I mentioned this and their attitude was " send it back then " rather than even offer some discount vouchers. Very poor experience all around !

when it comes to the set up having the tools for the lathe, on the other side of the power on button not best of ideas, ( these are the tools for the lave like the push rod to get your pin out). so you have to reach over the lath to ever, get a tool or change belt up or down, now we can say thats because its on the lower end of price.but on the 3rd of jan, my lathe got to them and it cost me 26pounds as there a 3rd party on here. The date it came back is the 19th of jan.They do not email you at all we have to chase them, even to point they lost my lathe in house, did not tell me, got to the point that i was emailing on the daily, was told it was fixed and what the problem was, but when they said its been p and p back to me no tracking or any think, i happened to look down my drive to see the box there.my lathe stopped spinning the wood so that's why i sent it back, but as i only had it from April not that happy