Would someone kindly take a look at this lathe for me?

Look for a quality used lathe in excellent condition with a comprehensive set of tooling. Bigger/heavier is better. I found my 12" x 35" Logan 2557V (with several boxes of tooling) plus my Index Super 55 mill for $2,000.
 
For a newbie who's been in your shoes, Christine, I would definitely buy a new machine. If you don't know enough about a lathe (or mill, etc.) then you can definitely get burned buying used because you don't know what to look out for. If you have an experienced person that will evaluate a machine in person then you have a resource to take advantage of. However, with a new machine there's a better chance that you'll have less to worry about from the beginning. If you happen to find something amiss with the new machine you can always call tech support or get warranty work done. That Grizzly G0768 is a nice little machine but I would highly suggest their G0602 model instead. A lot of folks have that machine and love it. I think there's a Yahoo group dedicated to it. That is the minimum amount of machine I would go with. Variable speed is nice but I'll take a QCGB (quick change gear box) over variable speed any day. You can always change over to a variable speed setup down the road if you feel you need it. Start saving up now....for all the tooling you'll want down the road. Often the tooling winds up costing much more than the machine they're for! :eek:
 
A Pizza Sheeter! Never knew the name of it. We had & used 1 daily back in 1980 as I worked through college. Sure, making rollers on a lathe is a given. But have you considered the gears? That is horizontal mill & dividing head territory right there. As I recall, the housing & cover plates are a thick sheet steel. Cutting the contours on the sides to meet the front covers is easy with a band saw. Adding bearing blocks to those sides can be done by hand, but you want it to run true. Yep, need a vertical mill to ensure accuracy. No need to mention that your rollers & exit tray must be made of food quality stainless. I admire your goals & will gladly buy your 1st Stromboli; but feel you would best be served by a used pizza sheeter.

I believe the logical start for inquiry is simple: Do you want to build stuff in a machine shop or build pizza? I for 1 cannot imagine recreating a proper dough sheeter with even the Grizzly G0773 combo lathe / mill that I started with. It is double your budget. Now, I would gladly pay up to $800 for a decent used pizza sheeter. It is within your budget & refurbishment is a snap!
 
Christine I am doing the exact same thing here, I had been looking at the G0602 Grizzly, and the PM 1030. After long searches, and asking here I am over budget, but will be getting a machine that will keep me happier longer. I have made budget purchases for other items that worked, but ended up having to get something of better quality in the long run. It's good to start with a fixed budget, but you may have to bite the bullet, or save a little bit longer to be happier in the long run. I will be buying a PM machine. My discussion is here....
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/looking-at-2-lathes.61043/
 
Christine, Aukai, seems like all 3 of us are in the same boat and thinking of the same lathes.

After being on this forum for just a couple hours, and a night of looking at youtube
also finding out that "Matt" from Precision Matthews hangs out here, and offers a 3 year warranty even tho the price is a few hundred more than the Grizzly G0602

I will have to say the PM-1030V is at the top of the list, and seems most likely the one I will get

At this point only 2 things would push me away from it
one, I come up with an extra grand to spend, then I would step up to the PM LB lathe
two, one heck of of a deal on a used 12 or 14 swing machine falls in my lap
 
The new batch of lathes are in country per Matt, not sure what is free to sell, or what is already sold, but you may be able to get one now.
 
If u look up "sumore tools" in Shanghai, most of that pattern are made by them. That said mine still runs good and does what i need.
 
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