Andrew H. Wakefield wrote:
I've just begun learning metal turning with the help of a friend, and now
I'm in the market for a small to medium sized lathe. Though my preference is
to find something locally, I've been watching the auctions on ebay to get a
sense of the types and prices of lathes that are being traded. I've seen
quite a few of the Sears/Atlas 6 x 18 lathes, in a couple of variations. It
looks like the low-end model is the 109.XXXX, such as is shown in the
following auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4427679846

What's the collective wisdom on these lathes? Are they worth having, or ???
As best as I can tell they do have the ability to autofeed in both
directions--is that correct?
I don't think the 109 can reverse the feed direction - some don't have
any threading capability, but that may be due to broken parts, somebody
just took it all off. The Atlas 101.xxxxx models from Craftsman are
a step up. But, if you have the room, a 10" Atlas or Craftsman is a
much better lathe. Many of the 109 and a fair number of the Atlas 101
series of 6" lathes come on the market due to a bent spindle. It is
possible to bend the spindle on a 10" Atlas, but you have to work at it.
Any bind-up on the 6" lathes will potentially bend the small spindle.
A 10" Atlas may not set you back any more than a 101 or 109 6"
machine. They are more desirable because they are so small, but that
is not really an advantage. For general turning jobs, I just wouldn't
want anything smaller than a 10" lathe. (I now have a 15" Sheldon,
about 3500 Lbs. so you see where I sit on the issue of lathe size.)

Jon