Yes, you can use a big lathe to make pens. And, as you probably surmise,
there is a limit to how big you can go with a smaller lathe. Right now I
just have a mini lathe. Eventually I'll go bigger, but since I don't know
crud about using the lathe I have, I don't see the need right now. If you
think you'll want to make larger items, it probably makes sense to get a
mid-sized lathe right off the bat.


"NoNameAtAll" wrote in message
...
I don't mean this to sound rude, but if you have to ask this question
then
why do you even want a lathe in the first place?

Mainly because I had fun using it many years ago in shop class. You
mentioned
making pens, which sounds intriguiging. I'm sure I could make some nice
gifts
through the course of the year that way. Can you make small things like
that on
a big lathe or would I need a smaller lathe? In other words, could I make
a
baseball bat and a pen on the same lathe? Making bowls might also be fun,
and
would have some potential for gift-making.