Member postings for Malcolm Samuels

Thanks everyone so far:

What about the more industrial type lathes, which will probably be 3-phase?
Are they a better option? And is it OK to change their motors to single phase?
Then there's the issue of parts etc.

My schools workshop (many years ago) had two laths, and I think the smaller of the two was a Colchester Student?

Many thanks.

Advice Please:
I'm considering buying a lathe, but which one?

I looked online at:

a: Myford Super 7
used & recons in all prices.

b: Sealey SM27
...at greatly varying prices, approx £1,209 to £8,123
for what appears to be the exact same new machine.
And in similar other brand names, eg: Clarke CL430 @ £958.80 / CL500M @ £1,138.80

I have only seen these online, so I don't know how capable/durable these different models are.
Or how they compare in features, as they don't list them all.

The last time I used a lathe was at school, and that was when Adam was a lad,
so I'm not that knowledgeable about all the available & desirable features.

I don't want to go a buy a lathe, and then discover that I've bought one that's not up to the job, or

doesn't have a certain feature.

The Job ?
Well there's the first problem.
At the moment I'm not thinking of becoming a model maker as such,
so I can't say specifically just what I would need it to do,
mainly for the odd repair, make a bolt, etc.

I know that's not very helpful, but let me know your thoughts.

Also where is the best place to get a good deal?
Obviously there's ebay etc,
but as I'm a complete newbie I don't want to buy something with problems.

Many thanks.