In the market for a Lathe

I'm currently looking for a lathe to do rocketry and woodworking. My interests are currently LPR to L1 with scratch building. I'm therefore looking fore something that can handle little stuff and then "go large."

Can you folks recommend some good choices and why?

Sandman, I curious as to what you have to say here.

John

Well this might be a little more than you were asking for, but it's the ultimate rocket builders machine. It has EVERYTHING you need to build any rocket. PERIOD. The price ain't cheap though at about $3000. Check it out https://www.shopsmith.com/ My dad got one heck of a deal with it. He got two used Shopsmiths with lots of extra tools and attachments that are sold separately for only $500 from some guy who was moving. I love making stuff with it.

I have seen the Shopsmith people at the state fair here in MN for the past few years. You may want to check your state fair to see if they are there. They give a great demo and a good deal on purchasing one.

Based on these two threads (sandman's recommendations), I bought a Jet mini lathe.

lathe thread 1

lathe thread 2

It is a nice little wood lathe. I ordered a 1/2" chuck to turn cones. I recently bought a chuck to hold larger dowels. I bought all my stuff from Woodcraft.

Thanks for your comments guys.

The shopsmith is a good idea but I already have independent tools that overlap the other functions. I have a Bandsaw, drill press, table saw, scroll saw, and the like. I wouldn't buy it just for the lathe.

I also looked at the Jet mini lathe and I relly thought I would need something that would handle larger work in the future.

I have been using a Harbor Freight Lathe I've borrowed from my father and I personally am not convinced that it is the the investment I want to make.

This is the lathe I did buy. Actually an early Father's day present. The wife got the floor model for 10% off, the lady is good.

Link

Thanks again.