Finally got my lathe set up!

[measuretwice]

New quality brands (Levin or Schaublin are going to be even higher) aren't an option for most enthusiasts, maybe not even for a lot of professionals.  No doubt these made in China lathes have a value proposition, however the point is as you acknowledge there are quality issues and the value proposition doesn't change that.  Just trying to take a balanced view of things.

 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by measuretwice

[nickelsilver]

Good collets cost a lot for a reason, they're guaranteed to hold a certain tolerance. That's given that they're used in a for all intents and purposes "perfect" spindle. If you can't fit the collets from the same maker in their spindle that's a big warning for me. Willy nilly opening up the spindle to accept the collets seems really sketchy, it should be ground, but if soft enough (another warning) feasibly bored. But there's a key in there, so that has to come out or be erased...

I think for many just learning turning such a machine could be ok, but when hunting down microns on serious work you need a darn perfect spindle and near perfect collets. They don't come cheap, even secondhand.