Hi Zapper- Sherline is one model, also consider Taig if you happen to see one for sale. Check out http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/projects.html
for some ideas
mark
for some ideas
mark
That being said, the vast majority of my work is 1" and under and I recently upgraded to a 13" x 30" lathe and I absolutely do not regret that decision. I use mine daily though.
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You may be disappointed with a mini lathe. They are very much built to a price and one thing that seems to suffer across the board is the assembly quality of the machines.
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If you do buy a new machine I'd set aside a full day to get it set up. The temptation to turn it on straight away and play about is strong
I always tend to say the biggest and best you can afford and have space for. However if you have a fairly well defined envelope of what you want to do, let that be your guide. But be warned you will suddenly find a need to make something bigger, So try to aim a little oversize, it won't be long before you'll be glad you did..
If you are seriously considering a Sherline machine, you may want to spend $20 and get the book entitled Tabletop Machining, written by Joe Martin, who owns Sherline.
Hi Zapper- Sherline is one model, also consider Taig if you happen to see one for sale.
I know I will be starting off with a mill and maybe get a lathe further down the line.
I bought a lathe and mill at the same time, along with most of the tooling I needed. I found that I used the lathe far more than the mill. Still do. Of all the tools that will teach you about metal working, the lathe is the best ... just saying.