Steve weather has improved here as well and riding, working outside during the afternoons has been very pleasant. I'd not discount a late March storm with snow that's quite common here and with snow is generally a positive event for agriculture.
You guys might recall me mentioning buying a lathe some time back & then it was appropriated for another's use. I've ordered another & should have it in a week or so. I've put off some projects that require a small lathe to do properly and though I've access to other peoples lathes it's a scheduling problem for others and of course myself. One small job might take several trips to complete & I don't like being a bother.
I'm somewhat space limited, so a small lathe was my target. Turning heavy large /long pieces wasn't a requirement either.
It's a Chinese (stocked in U.S.) 7"x14", variable speed...3/4 horse. Quick change post & metal gears. 3 jaw to start with and two sets of jaws. JT-3 head, Chuck through hole 3/4". JT-2 tail with dead, live center, plus 3/4" chuck. Carbide index set and knurling tool boring bars etc. For those who've not bought a lathe or mill: They are needful things!! Expect to spend as much for tooling etc. as you do on the lathe itself, if you use it a lot, during the first year of operation. I added a steady rest as well and feature I'll add a collet holder as well as a follow rest and four jaw chuck and face plate when jobs dictate their use.
I'm familiar with these minis & readily accept their accumulative limitations. Size is an obvious weakness as is high accuracy. I have access to large machines if absolute is required. These lathes are quite good on, brass, aluminum and soft steel. but turning heavy bits of steel will put significant wear on the machine...rapidly. Heavy cuts is not a good idea either. The negatives go on and on, yet the biggest limitation is the operators expectations. Working within parameters of machine & operators skills is the key.
Since I sold my machine shop I've had fun building bikes with basic hand tools. Much can be done with little, but it's time and labor intensive and as I age less and less gets done. Using more machine tools will help keep me in the game for awhile longer.
Rick C.