good point

so this guy needs to know what is 'cheap' and adequate



Arch wrote:

Bob, as Max points out, if by cheap you mean shoddy, it's not OK(ish).
If it honestly performs to its advertised specs (no matter how
limited) then you can make an informed decision as to what level you can
reasonably afford to begin.
That is OK. Lots of adequate & affordable lathes are available these
days. A pile of metal that looks like a lathe but doesn't function like
a lathe (unless its user is very expert) might be OK as affordable metal
sculpture, but it isn't a lathe.....and isn't OK(ish) for a aspirant
turner. IMHO! Arch

Fortiter,