You see these plastic and metal 6 in 1 machines on Amazon, Ebay etc generally well under $200. They can be configured as a wood lathe, metal lathe, mill, drill press, scroll saw, and grinder.
6 in 1 mini-machine
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First off I realize that these probably make the worst Chinese mini-lathe look like a Hardinge. I'm not looking at one to do any serious machining, I already have real machines, but wondering how these would work for simple work on wood, plastic and maybe aluminum.
The reason I'm asking is I got into this hobby through plastic models, and am still active on several modelling forums. Questions about these mini-machines come up from time to time, because there are a lot of modelers interested in adding a mini lathe or mill to their tool arsenal. Even finding a really good deal on a used mini-lathe is a $300-400 purchase. For someone just looking to true up some wheels or a gun barrel on a tank model $400 is a sizable tool purchase, $100-ish is much more palatable. Most would be working with wood and plastic. Those who frequently work with brass and aluminum are usually willing to spend the money for a mini-lathe.
I'm considering "taking one for the team" and picking one of these up so I can give it a proper assessment. If someone here has actually used one with realistic expectations, it would save me the time and trouble. I don't expect it to compare well with a mini-lathe, but if it is a step above chucking a piece in a drill and shaping with an exacto knife and sand paper it might be worthwhile for some.