Buying a lathe

[ez-duzit]

A beginner obviously has a lot to learn. But it is his own responsibility to do due diligence on a lathe purchase. If he has nothing but money to blow, he could consider buying a brand new cheap import and all the tooling necessary. But most are on a modest budget and should try to make the most of that budget by finding a used, quality machine that is already well tooled. This is the absolute best bang for the buck because he can at any time get virtually all his money back. Buying a brand new import is a sure way to lose tons of money.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Unless you get a real odd ball, you can piece together tooling for decent prices off Ebay.

Yeah it needs a tailstock of course (!), and steadys are nice, but it can all be had, and you learn a lot from the process.

I'd put much more emphasis on quality, capacity, condition, and parts support than accessories.