Quote:
Originally Posted by DonRotolo
Lathes are possibly the most handy item you can have. The mini lathe-mill products are versatile, wide-range tools that do several things, all poorly. An older, used lathe would be a far better choice for value, even for the same money.
We have access to a nice mill, and hardly ever use it. When we do, it's not really necessary, just a nice-to-have.
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Don has some great advice (as is the usual). There are several garage machine shops in my family and all the machines were purchased second hand. Used machines are great, but its a lot like buying a car... you don't want a lemon. A huge benefit of buying someone's old lathe is fairly often you can purchase their tooling at cut-rate prices, or they might just throw it in with the lot if they are getting done with the hobby or the shop has gone under. It is not hard to spend a lot money on tooling if you don't have a lot to work with.