Arch wrote:
Hi Dave.
No doubt that _you can make good turnings on that lathe. You & others
here could turn on a sewing machine or a key cutter. I'm really more
slob than snob, but IMHO a cash challenged beginner would do better by
waiting a little while and then splurging on a 'modest standard' new or
used, but not a trophy, lathe. ex; Jet mini is now $199. Snobs also shop
at HF but, as you know, the trick is to recognize the bargains from the
trash. Regards, Arch

Such humility, Arch you've forgotten more about turning than I'll ever
know. The point I'm going for here is that guys like immediate
gratification. $100 is easy to spend without qualms, and the HF will
keep a beginner occupied long enough to get hooked and decide to save up
for a better lathe. Given that he'll spend easily twice that in medium
quality tools, and in this case I'd recommend the $40 set of HF tools as
starters, it is necessary to start out cheap. The other lathes in this
price range are mini's and that gets old really quickly. If you want
this size in a better althe you have to double or triple the cost of the
lathe. Unless you get a pretty good mono-tube there are problems with
the design and rotational slop, so "ways" are the way to go. I caught
flack from a friend, a few years back, about the HF, so I made a mortar
and pestle out of walnut and poplar using nothing but the hatchet that
was sitting nearby. It came out nicely and my wife loves it. The point
is that it's the person, not the tool, so this one strikes me as a
workable starter. Of course if anyone would like to donate a Oneway,
I'll find the space. BESG
Dave in
Fairfax
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