Way back in middle school the lathe was one of my favorite tools in shop class.
I'd love to own one, but I'm having a difficult time convncing my wife that I
need it. We just made candle holders in shop class, and while I'm sure it's
great for things like table legs, lamps, and baseball bats I have to concede
that I really can't think of any practical uses for it since I don't have any
need to make any of those things. Actually making a homemade baseball bat would
be kind of neat but it's tough to justify buying a lathe just for that. If you
can help me convince my wife (and myself for that matter) of the usefulness of
a lathe I'll be eternally grateful.