On Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at 8:30:12 AM UTC-5, 4fingersleft wrote:
I've been looking for a (reasonably priced) used lathe for several years now. When one shows up on Craigslist it's usually overpriced for its current state (no motor, bad bearings...). I don't have much stamina to look at garage or estate sales generally and most ads around here don't usually list woodworking equipment, newspaper ads are extinct. So where do ya'll find used power tools?


Figure out if there is a woodworking club/group in your town or the nearest big town. Get in contact with them and put out the word you are looking for a used lathe. Someone in the group will have an extra lathe they want to get rid of or are planning to upgrade to a new lathe.

Lathes are a specialized niche in the woodworking world. Not as common as normal woodworking tools such as table saws, jointers, planers, miter saws, drill presses, etc. So they are harder to find and you have to look for specialized people who are into turning.

Also consider getting a mini/midi lathe. The Jet pulley one is $500 new. There are a few other makers that may be cheaper. For turning 90% of what you are going to turn, they work just fine. Lathes are simple tools, like drill presses. The cheapest one can do about 90% of what the most expensive one can do. There have been almost zero big advances in lathes in the past 100+ years. A turner can turn the exact same thing, with the same ease, on a lathe from 1930 as he can on a 2019 lathe.