On Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:11:21 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Don't get any of the ones that use rods for ways -- they're flexible as
hell. You can turn big things on them, but you have to do it one teeny
cut at a time.

Note that some of those lathes don't have compound slides. The Unimat
that I started on would let you swivel the head to turn tapers, but it
just ain't the same as a compound.

I've heard good things about Taig lathes, but I couldn't even tell you if
they have compounds...

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com