Mini Bench Lathe — 3D Printed Upgrade
A totally free, but definitely not cheap upgrade for those little generic mini bench lathes sold on Temu, Amazon, and similar marketplaces.
The original machines are inexpensive, but they come with a few predictable problems: they're wobbly, flimsy, difficult to adjust, generic-looking, and—most annoyingly—the spindle sits far too low.
This project turns that cheap little lathe into something substantially more rigid, adjustable, and frankly much better looking.
What's Included
The design includes printable components for:
- Headstock
- Tailstock
- Motor/spindle hood
- Adjustable tool rest
- Mounting components
- Knurled adjustment knobs
The aluminum extrusion/rails and mechanical hardware are retained where appropriate.
Knurled Knobs
The knurled knob design is based on the excellent Sanding Block by zvila.
Huge thanks to zvila for making that design available.
Surface Finish
One of the goals of this design was to avoid the usual "fresh off the printer" appearance.
The parts have a deliberately textured surface that hides/reduces visible layer lines. After printing, a quick pass with a blow torch gives the surface a much more uniform, almost cast-metal appearance.
Print → heat-treat the surface → done.
Obviously, don't linger in one spot unless you enjoy discovering new forms of CAD.
Construction
This build uses steel M5 hardware throughout, including 14 mm and 40 mm M5 bolts/nuts depending on the component.
The adjustable components use knurled knobs, with the knobs heat-set directly into the hardware. This gives the printed parts a surprisingly solid, mechanical feel despite the project being primarily 3D printed.
Finishing
For the look shown in the photos:
- Print the parts.
- Give the surface a careful pass with a blow torch to bring out the texture.
- Paint the main components black.
- If you're printing in black filament, you can skip this.
- Paint the knobs metallic brass/gold.
The brass/gold hardware against the black body gives the whole thing an intentionally industrial-age / vintage machinery aesthetic.
Why?
Because if we're going to turn a cheap generic mini lathe into a surprisingly capable little machine, it might as well look the part.
This project is intended to improve the original machine's:
- Stability
- Spindle height
- Adjustability
- Tool support
- Overall rigidity
- Appearance
It is still a small hobby lathe, of course. This isn't going to turn into a Monarch 10EE because we printed some brackets. But it should be a considerably nicer machine to work with.
Totally Free — But Not Cheap
This design is completely free.
No paywall. No "premium version." No mystery download button.
That said, designing, printing, testing, modifying, and assembling this thing took a rather unreasonable amount of time and material.
If you find it useful and want to support future open-source projects, donations are very much appreciated.
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/873VCTWUMYKBS
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/samgalope
Enjoy, modify it, improve it, and please share your builds!
UPDATE Sept 07, 2026
The biggest addition is a fully adjustable work-light arm mounted beside the lathe.
The arm holds a small flashlight that serves two purposes:
Work light: angled directly at the workpiece, it makes surface imperfections and remaining layer lines much easier to see. This is particularly useful when finishing 3D-printed parts where a surface can look smooth under normal lighting but reveal imperfections under direct light.
UV curing light: the flashlight also has a UV mode, allowing it to be used for curing UV resin directly at the workpiece.
The arm can be repositioned as needed, keeping the light exactly where it is useful without getting in the way of the lathe.
** Uses the same components as the tool rest.