It strikes me that you'll get the most bang for your buck if you can get
a little experience using a machine. Hunt around and see if a local
community college or even a friend of a friend is available to you. Just
a couple hours of work might make you much more clear on what is important.

Used quality machines can be a good deal (my preference), depending on
where you are. The ones at used machinery dealers can often be pretty
beat however.

Read a lot. Lindsay Books (mentioned in another post) is a great source
of inexpensive books on such.

Steve

Snyper1982 wrote:

Ok, I am sure you guys get asked these questions a lot, so i apologize
in advance. I am totaly and completely new to metal working. I am
mostly curious about making little parts with a lathe. I just dont know
what a good lathe is, and what some good reading material is on using a
lathe.

What are some good brands of lathe? are Jets good, cause i was looking
around a bit and i saw a jet that was about $1,000 brand new. Well
thanks for reading, hope to get some good answers from you guys, as id
like to get into metal working.