As someone who read up on windturbines and have purchased machines to learn on I can provide this insight. Choose the range of kw you plan on working with in the turbine arena. As a beginner I could see 5kw as a good top end. This could be at about 10-12" diameter depending on length of rotor. For longer rotors smaller diameter is feasable. 5" diameter rotors maybe about 12" long. 10" diameter rotor maybe 3" thick. The larger the diameter the more costly the machine. I would say look into a lathe with 6" swing minimum and at least 24" of travel. This will get you the ability to machine in the 6" diameter range for the length you may need for intro kw range. You will also need a mill for some parts that cannot be turned on the lathe. Nothing huge but at least 7"x9"x18" mill table. This should get you into a good place for producing something you can sell to offset the intro cost. Learning is a great option and if your planning on this being a long term goal I would start with some classes then approach buying but if your confident in your own teaching method and are dedicated on the forums you find buying the machines can help minimize time. 1000$ is not too much in terms of two machines for what you want. Maybe up the budget to 5k$ for a really good starting point on machines or be patient and observant on the local sales and auctions for a cheaper starting point. Tooling is costly though almost as much as some machines, remember tooling is specific to operations so one tool will not be enough for everything you want to do. Think of a recipe, a stew is basic but requires many ingredients, it is as machining. A finished part requires a few ingredients. Hope this helps some.
