I am going to buy a small lathe for fabricating some R/C parts. This is my
first lathe purchase. I am considering the Central Machinery Precision 7 x
10 mini-lathe. I stopped and looked at one at the local H.F. store and it
seemed, well, just okay....for the price($400), I think it will do what I
want. I then spotted the next model up- a geared head 9 x 20 for $600. What
is the groups opinion of these machines? Would I be better off to spend
about a grand($1000)? Originally I was going to buy a 3-n-1 but decided that
I would be better off buying separate machines(lathe,milling machine etc). I
am on a budget(aren't we all?) and am willing to trade long term reliability
for a cash savings now. I am only going to be making parts for myself and a
couple buddies. Any advice will greatly appreciated!