It seems a common theme on here - "I'm a beginner and I want a lathe"
All of the replies contain good information, which tends to start with "What do you want to use it for", often gong through "Don't leave the chuck key in the chuck" and "Make sure you leave enough for all the tooling, chucks, QCTP, gauges etc....."
What I haven't found yet though is a checklist for those of us willing to look at anything, but without the benefit of taking a knowledgable mate with us.
I can obvioulsy check rust on the bed, and whether the spindle moves an inch when shaken from side to side, but are there any simple things I/we can do rather than just admitting defeat and buyng on price alone?
All of the replies contain good information, which tends to start with "What do you want to use it for", often gong through "Don't leave the chuck key in the chuck" and "Make sure you leave enough for all the tooling, chucks, QCTP, gauges etc....."
What I haven't found yet though is a checklist for those of us willing to look at anything, but without the benefit of taking a knowledgable mate with us.
I can obvioulsy check rust on the bed, and whether the spindle moves an inch when shaken from side to side, but are there any simple things I/we can do rather than just admitting defeat and buyng on price alone?