On 19 Nov 2004 02:35:14 GMT, (Bret81C) wrote:

what is the total cost for tools and machine to get started in turning?

Elastic. You can do it for very little, but if you have it you'll
spend it.

As an interesting exercise, try to see some real backwoods green
woodworking going on. Maybe you can do a camp-and-turn course. On
these courses you'll make a Windsor chair or something, camping out in
a coppice and turning on a sprung pole lathe. Hardly any of the tools
are store-bought, most of the metalwork was made by re-forging old
leafsprings, and things like the lathe are constructed for the course
itself. Not something I'd recommend doing as a habit, but it's an
excellent thing to have done once and have the experience of.

For more typical workshop stuff, spindle turning scrounged green wood
on a S/H lathe is very cheap. Couple of centres and maybe a faceplate
- you don't need a chuck. Four chisels are all you need (although
extras in other sizes can be more convenient). If you have spare cash,
find a slow grinder. More chisels if you want to do bowls too. A
little cash for finishing supplies, but brewing your own with basic
oils, waxes or shellac is cheaper than buying name-brand
wonder-polishes. Haunt junkshops for a couple of pairs of calipers.

The money mainly starts disappearing on complicated gadgets; magic
chucks, magic chisels. These are also those most likely to end up on
the shelf unused.

--
Smert' spamionam