On Saturday, January 25, 2014 9:29:49 AM UTC-5, wrote:
I'm not saying there isn't inspired modelling going on here, just no brick and morter stores which sell anything more than premade plastic train cars and stuff.

Check this out:

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/

Nice. Where's Waldo?

Guy that I use for my injection molded parts does mostly model railroad scale stuff, and he has been doing a very good business with it too.

Craftsman once sold a sanding disk, with a course grit embedded on a steel plate, that you just chucked in the lathe. I still have mine, and could take a picture of it if you want me to prove it.

I made a simple wood table rest that fit on the compound, and occasionally use it to shape some mahogany, say for a pattern. Cover the ways and clean up afterwards of course, no different than if you were doing a tool post grinding operation. Occasional use with care has not harmed my lathe one bit as far as I can see. There is too much hysteria about this kind of thing IMO.

Make some dust, clean it up, have a ball.

Good luck

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PaulS