Michael,
I have done this many years ago and I am passing the lesson on to you. I learned the hard way. Most hobbyists must limit
themselves to one lathe for space reasons as well as one milling machine. It is imperative to buy that lathe and that milling
machine as capable as possible. Today I have many machines, but that is an unaffordable luxury for most. In my experience of
almost 50 years, the size I use for 90%+ of all my lathe work is the 13 x 40. This size machine has the power and stiffness to
easily use cutoff blades without experiencing chatter, smaller machines really suffer there. This size machine also has the
stiffness to use carbide without difficulty, where as smaller machines favor HSS tooling because tool drag is much less. You will
be tempted to buy Chinese, they are good value for money, but typically they are 9 speed machines or less and that is NOT enough.
Never choose a machine that does not have spindle speeds below 90 RPM. Lower speeds are far more valuable than higher speeds. This
is especially true if you should be fortunate enough to locate a gap bed machine. Although in my experience, I do not generally
need that extra swing, but it does happen from time to time. Additionally, the 13 x 40 machine will be equipped with cooling and
the very good machines may have a spindle clutch and brake, which is very handy when doing setups and threading operations. As
far as the required footprint, if you can allocate a 6' x 2.5' space, you are golden.
Steve

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message ...

"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ...
Michael,
I would advise against this machine. It really is not big enough, heavy enough and has serious other restrictions, like the
number of threads, no taper attachment and perhaps other tooling, which is usually included in a used machine. For pretty much
the same size footprint, you should be able to locate a 13 x 40 machine in a tooled condition.

Really? I thought a 13X40 would be much longer than 47". They do 12X26 at double the price but that one has issues, too...

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC