Rockwell · Wood lathe · 1950 to about 1980

Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe

Name: Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe
Brand: Rockwell

The Beaver 3400 is a lathe, not a table saw, and a nice one for a small shop. Callander Foundry in Guelph, Ontario, sold machines as Beaver Power Tools from 1946, and Rockwell bought the company in 1953. The 36 in gap-bed lathe was in the catalogs from 1950 to about 1980, first as the WL-3400 and later as the Rockwell Beaver 3400. It has a one-piece ribbed cast-iron bed, 11 in of swing over the bed and 15 in over the gap, a hollow No. 2 Morse taper spindle in sealed bearings and four speeds from a step pulley. With stand and motor, the whole package weighed 142 lb. It's a light, simple lathe that runs on house power, and it turns up in Canada and the northern states.

WL-3400 (1950s Beaver Power Tools)Rockwell Beaver 3400 (1960s and 70s)

Spec at a glance

Maker: Rockwell
Machine: Wood lathe
Era: Post-war (1946–1970)
Motors sold: Single-phase
Launched: 1950
Made: 1950 to about 1980
Capacity: 11 in swing over the bed, 15 in over the gap, 36 in between centers
Spindle: No. 2 Morse taper (No. 1 with adapter); 3/4-16 LH outboard thread; No. 1 MT tailstock ram
Speeds: 800, 1,350, 2,200 and 3,700 RPM on a 4-step pulley with a 1,725 RPM motor
Bed: one-piece ribbed cast-iron gap bed
Weight: 60 lb bare; 142 lb with stand, motor and pulley (1972)
Also listed as: Beaver 3400, Beaver WL-3400, Rockwell Beaver lathe, Beaver 36 inch gap bed lathe

Shop check

Power, iron, fence and freight

Power and phase: Beaver's 1972 catalog lists a capacitor-start single-phase motor rated 115/230 V at 1,725 RPM for the 3400, mounted below or behind the lathe. That runs on house power. Check the motor plate in the photos, because a lathe this old may have had its motor swapped.
Motor and bearings: The hollow spindle runs on two lifetime-lubricated ball bearings and a 4-step V-pulley. Ask for a video running on each step. It should run quietly without a knock from the headstock.
Runout: Ask the seller to spin a faceplate or a spur center by hand and watch for wobble. A dial indicator on the spindle nose is the real check.
Table and rust: The bed is one piece of ribbed cast iron with a gap for bigger work. Ask for a photo along the bed. The tool-rest base and tailstock should slide and lock anywhere.
Fence, guards and gauges: In 1972 the basic lathe came with a spur center, a 10 in tool rest, the tool-rest base and a V-belt. Check the photos for those, plus the stand and motor pulley if they're included.
Blades and knives: Turning tools aren't included. The No. 2 Morse taper takes standard centers, but the 3/4-16 left-hand outboard thread and the inboard adapter are less common, so check that the adapter and draw bar come with it.
Dating it: VintageMachinery.org says it hasn't found serial-number dating for Canadian Beaver, Delta and Rockwell machines. The badge helps instead. Early lathes say Beaver Power Tools and 1970s ones say Rockwell Beaver.
Moving it: The lathe alone is about 60 lb and the full package about 142 lb, so it ships easily. Take the motor and tailstock off and pad the bed.
Safety upgrades: Check that the belt and pulley are covered and the switch works. Spin up a new blank at the lowest speed first.

Should come with it

Spur center and tool rest with its base
Tailstock with its center
4-step motor pulley and V-belt
Motor and stand (in the complete package)

Hard to find if missing

Inboard thread adapter and draw bar
Original tool rest base
Beaver-specific parts

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing fence, guard or motor should come off the price.

What to check

Missing tool rests, centers and the inboard thread adapter are the usual gaps. The step-pulley drive is simple, so belts and the motor are the main wear items.

01Accessories: Check the photos for the spur center, tool rest and its base. A lathe without them needs parts before it turns.
02Spindle: Ask the seller to spin a faceplate or center by hand. It should run true and smooth.
03Running: Ask for a video on each pulley step. The headstock should run quietly.
04Bed and tailstock: Ask whether the tailstock and tool-rest base slide and lock. Both should lock firmly anywhere.
05Badge: Ask for a photo of the badge. Beaver Power Tools means an early lathe, Rockwell Beaver a later one.
06Motor: Ask for a photo of the motor plate. A 115/230 V single-phase motor runs on house power.

New to old iron? How to check a used woodworking machine covers runout, the table, bearings and the parts that go missing, and dating old iron by serial number shows how to tell what year a machine was made.

Buying guide

Which one to buy

§ Oct 19, 2026

A headstock, a tool rest and some name plates are for sale, but no complete Beaver 3400. These lathes usually lose the same few parts, the tool rest and its base, the spur center, and the tailstock with its center. When one appears, make sure all of those show up in the photos.

Listed now: 0
For parts: 0
Catalog estimate: $50–$85

Snapshot

For sale on eBay

None listed

Checked Oct 19, 2026.

Nothing was listed for the Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe when we checked.

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Brand

Machine

Era

Read

Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe

WL-3400 (1950s Beaver Power Tools)Rockwell Beaver 3400 (1960s and 70s)

Spec at a glance

Maker

Rockwell

Machine

Wood lathe

Era

Post-war (1946–1970)

Motors sold

Single-phase

Launched

1950

Made

1950 to about 1980

Capacity

11 in swing over the bed, 15 in over the gap, 36 in between centers

Spindle

No. 2 Morse taper (No. 1 with adapter); 3/4-16 LH outboard thread; No. 1 MT tailstock ram

Speeds

800, 1,350, 2,200 and 3,700 RPM on a 4-step pulley with a 1,725 RPM motor

Bed

one-piece ribbed cast-iron gap bed

Weight

60 lb bare; 142 lb with stand, motor and pulley (1972)

Also listed as

Beaver 3400, Beaver WL-3400, Rockwell Beaver lathe, Beaver 36 inch gap bed lathe

Power, iron, fence and freight

Power and phase

Beaver's 1972 catalog lists a capacitor-start single-phase motor rated 115/230 V at 1,725 RPM for the 3400, mounted below or behind the lathe. That runs on house power. Check the motor plate in the photos, because a lathe this old may have had its motor swapped.

Motor and bearings

The hollow spindle runs on two lifetime-lubricated ball bearings and a 4-step V-pulley. Ask for a video running on each step. It should run quietly without a knock from the headstock.

Runout

Ask the seller to spin a faceplate or a spur center by hand and watch for wobble. A dial indicator on the spindle nose is the real check.

Table and rust

The bed is one piece of ribbed cast iron with a gap for bigger work. Ask for a photo along the bed. The tool-rest base and tailstock should slide and lock anywhere.

Fence, guards and gauges

In 1972 the basic lathe came with a spur center, a 10 in tool rest, the tool-rest base and a V-belt. Check the photos for those, plus the stand and motor pulley if they're included.

Blades and knives

Turning tools aren't included. The No. 2 Morse taper takes standard centers, but the 3/4-16 left-hand outboard thread and the inboard adapter are less common, so check that the adapter and draw bar come with it.

Dating it

VintageMachinery.org says it hasn't found serial-number dating for Canadian Beaver, Delta and Rockwell machines. The badge helps instead. Early lathes say Beaver Power Tools and 1970s ones say Rockwell Beaver.

Moving it

The lathe alone is about 60 lb and the full package about 142 lb, so it ships easily. Take the motor and tailstock off and pad the bed.

Safety upgrades

Check that the belt and pulley are covered and the switch works. Spin up a new blank at the lowest speed first.

Should come with it

Spur center and tool rest with its base

Tailstock with its center

4-step motor pulley and V-belt

Motor and stand (in the complete package)

Hard to find if missing

Inboard thread adapter and draw bar

Original tool rest base

Beaver-specific parts

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing fence, guard or motor should come off the price.

What to check

Missing tool rests, centers and the inboard thread adapter are the usual gaps. The step-pulley drive is simple, so belts and the motor are the main wear items.

01Accessories: Check the photos for the spur center, tool rest and its base. A lathe without them needs parts before it turns.

02Spindle: Ask the seller to spin a faceplate or center by hand. It should run true and smooth.

03Running: Ask for a video on each pulley step. The headstock should run quietly.

04Bed and tailstock: Ask whether the tailstock and tool-rest base slide and lock. Both should lock firmly anywhere.

05Badge: Ask for a photo of the badge. Beaver Power Tools means an early lathe, Rockwell Beaver a later one.

06Motor: Ask for a photo of the motor plate. A 115/230 V single-phase motor runs on house power.

Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe

Spec at a glance

Power, iron, fence and freight

What to check

Which one to buy

For sale on eBay

Compare with

Powermatic 45 Wood Lathe

Craftsman 103 Wood Lathe

Keep exploring

Rockwell Beaver 3400 Lathe

Spec at a glance

Power, iron, fence and freight

What to check

Which one to buy

For sale on eBay

Compare with

Powermatic 45 Wood Lathe

Craftsman 103 Wood Lathe

Keep exploring