Several things you might consider before buying anything:

1) Tooling and accessories will cost you a lot more than you expect.
It's easy to spend $500 on tooling to set up and run a 9" lathe.
2) The most important part of a lathe is the tool holder. If it's not
solid, then nothing else really matters. This is the biggest problem
with many small imports.
3) Heavy old lathes are just that, old and heavy. Legendary cast iron
tends to lose its magic when it travels up or down a flight of stairs.


"W.E.Cole" wrote in message
...

I'd like to get a small metal working lathe to use for my robotics

hobby,

preferably a table top or workbench type. The parts I plan to make will

be

small, typically less than 6", and I expect to mostly use aluminum,
although
I'll also be working with plastic and maybe a little brass. I'd like a
quality product that won't break the bank but also won't fall apart

after

a
year or so of use. It doesn't have to produce NASA quality parts, but
since
I'll mostly be making small parts, I don't want a cheap import that's

real

sloppy. What would be a couple of good brands/models to look for?