[Spridgets] Lathe

[derf]

Price might be OK, depending on tooling.  The lathe is worth $500-750,
maybe, IMHO.  I've owned several Atlas/Craftsman 6" and 12" lathes.
They are OK machines.  I currently have a 9X30 Import lathe from
www.lathemaster.com .  I know the lathemaster guy and he sells
imported stuff, but not junk.  He travels to China and has stuff made
to his specs.  The Atlas lathes have flat ways which are inferior to
inverted V ways.  Other than that they are capable machines.  Tooling
is still key, though, as tooling for machine tools can very easily be
worth 2-5X what the machine tool is worth.  I can't remember if that
model Atlas has a planetary back gear or not.  Back gear is for slow
turning high torque stuff.  Another limit on the Atlases is the small
diameter of the through head hole.  I bought my lathemaster 9X30 and
changed it to variable speed DC drive with parts sourced on ebay for
around $200.  It came with a lot of tooling like steady rest, follower
rest, change gears, different chucks, etc.  www.lathes.co.uk is an
excellent source of lathe info.