What lathe do you have? I've been doing a little bit of research on them. From what I gathered so far, Taig is the choice. I still have a ton of research to do though. Thanks bro
I also bought mine from HF. I have the one step up from the smallest based on reviews and comments I read online (7x12 instead of the 7x10).
I know very little about lathes, so if anyone writes something not in agreement, you should likely heed what they say, albeit I will warn you, I went into it without realizing just how much more you have to spend if you really want to use it. I was warned too, albeit I didn't heed it (not that it would have changed much, other than I would have been quicker to buy what's required).
Also, you'll spend hours and hours watching YouTube videos learning how to use the thing if you're starting at zero like I did. I'm not someone that others would exactly describe at "mechanical," so you're likely to spend less time than me.
Back to buying, when I bought my HF lathe, I waited until HF had a combination of having the unit on sale at it's best price of the year AND when I had a coupon for 25% off. I don't recall for sure, however, I think the final delivered cost was about $500 with some accessories (about $30 worth of tooling).
I've gone "cheap" for the most part (learning cheap is often expensive though, so I'm moving quickly towards quality) and I likely have or nearing $1000 into it by now (don't tell my wife), and am far from having all I wish I had with it.
Also, even though my lathe isn't the smallest one and I'm only turning nails and pinewood derby wheels for the most part, I would have bought a bigger one had my budget allowed because I believe for the most part, bigger is better in terms of accuracy (due to relative stiffness and quality). Simply making parts that will hold wheels etc... can make a desire for larger than the smallest/lowest quality...
Hope that helps
