Cyrille,
This is the exact lathe I bought 2 yrs ago to do all the work you see
at this site:
http://handturnedbowls.biz

The best feature of this one is the cast iron bed. It is very sturdy
and the spindle housing mount to the bed is secure as well.

I have turned and bored out some fairly large vessels, with my own
heavy duty boring system. Once I even pulled a vessel from the chuck
mountinng when I was boring the inside, and there was no harm at all to
the lathe.

This is an exceptional value for its price.

Of course this directly benefits China, but what are we to do when we
have limited funds? I could not afford an expensive Nova DR like I
wanted, but this lathe has turned out to be very satisfying.

After you look at my art work I think you will be convinced that it is
not the machine and the tools that are the majority of influence, but
the passion and talent of the artist that affect the final outcome of
the work.

I would recommend, you save enough money to buy a Nova 2 chuck, a small
jaw set and a large power grip jaw set. It will save you much grief and
aggravation.

James Holland
cyrille de Brebisson wrote:
hello,

Does anyone have comment on the $200 lathe from Harbor Freight (sale price)?

I have a limited budget and can not afford a $500 jet lathe, so for me
unless there is a better alternative in the sub $300 range, there is no
woodturning for me :-(

so, the question, is, knowing that it is a HF tool, is it worth it's price?
Also, what accessory will I need to purchase? I plan to do spindle turning
for furniture and small objects and my wife wants to turn bowls...

thanks, cyrille