On 10 June, 21:32, "TMC" wrote:

I have been given an axminister lathe 'attachment' for fitting with an
electric drill and some woodworking tools

These things are rubbish.

Failing that if I can get replacements for pennies it may be worth running
up just to try a bit of turning

A spade bit will work as a lash-up drive centre, although you might
need to sit it in a saw kerf to get a good start. Ideally shorten it,
and also re-grind the edge angles to make them more acute: more of a
drive spike & less of a chisel-edge drill.

You don't need a faceplate. These lathe attachment things are bad
enough for between-centres spinlde turning (grain lengthways). They're
utterly useless for faceplate work (crossways grain).