Most any lathe will do what you need, depending on the level of precision
and the length of the work. The Asian minilathes start at 7" (diameter of
work) X 10" (effective max length of work, "between centers"). If your
stuff is well within this range it's not a bad start for $400 + shipping.
Look at the Cummins, which looks like the best deal currently.
If you want to go a step bigger, look for a 9" Logan, Wards, or
Southbend. These start at about 17" work length and go to about 30".
The most common small lathes are in the 10" range. There are a large
variety out there. Next round is 11", 12". All these start in the 24" work
length and go to about 36" length.
If you need to thread often, look for one with a quick-change gearbox.
I have a Logan 9x17 w/QC that would be perfect for what you want. If you
could find one of those at a good price you will be in good shape.
Avoid the 9x20 Asian lathes, as these have some unique issues. However,
if you find one at a "giveaway" price, and don't mind doing some tuning, go
for it. Plenty of online help for almost anything you run across.
Most any of the above can be found under $1000 in good shape. If you want
"Like new", then double that. Remember that tooling for any of them will
easily equal the value of the machine, so consider that when you shop. Take
a look at ebay listings for examples of what comes with a typical lathe.
Also a good approximation of machine values.
Be sure to read the articles on Merimac Machinery's page, titled
(approximately) "Tips on Buying a USed Lathe" and "In Praise of Klunkers".

Looks like a fun hobby. Be careful, or you may find out the machining
overtakes your other hobby in terms of interest. I'm there now, with 3 nice
race cars sitting idle (and needing prep) while I tinker with 50-year-old
machine tools

Have fun.

Rex B
Fort Worth

"Snyper1982" wrote in message
ups.com...
It is for making rockets. Not making bombs or anything else. It is not
NORMAL grade BP, if you use regular BP, it will burn right through your
rocket casing. LOL. I know it sounds crazy, but I love rockets and
such. The most dangerous one on there is the whitsle rocket(which i
dont plan on making) because it uses a formula which is much more
sensitive to friction. But anywho. Now that you guys have an idea, what
kind of lathe do you think i would need to make things such as that? I
will be working with 3" aluminum.