Hi,

I'm a long-time beginner on the lathe, for many years using a small one the size you could carry under one arm, but I've not been very productive. I'm now on a Seig (one of the nearly identical but variously named Chinese lathes) and getting a bit better, although the first of these had to be replaced (free) and the second has a fault that I need to address when I understand its cause. For all the time I've had the lathes it's been a now and then usage. This is normally spurred by an annual model railway exhibition here in Britain where I do modelling demonstrations (the lathe doesn't go, but occasionally some of its products do - like turning out masters for casting). This doesn't exactly fill my year (my wife is perfectly competent to do that without assistance!), but I'm starting to look round at ways of making my lathe do more by making accessories to make it more competent (and getting that fault fixed!).

I said more competent; I should also add more accurate. But I think that's a common aim for most of us.

HarryD