When you're better half says she wants to buy you a new lathe, and gives you a price range that has a large number fall within it.... who's to say no? especially when she tells you she wants you to have it right away so you can use it as much as possible :)I have an older Beaver/Rockwell lathe, that I've been using - but the lack of a morse taper in the headstock has become extremely annoying. That and it sits in an unheated garage, and I live in a country that is winter for 8 months of the year. (Am I serious? Sort of. As I look outside at our April weather, I note it is snowing hard winter snow, and we're up to 6 inches again this week.) I can now work in the basement with heat. And I'm portable.
Thankfully I know someone who did a lot of testing when they bought their mini/midi/maxi/mega lathe a couple of years ago - and with the exception of a couple new variable speed models they haven't changed much. They went with a General. The King Canada lathe I bought is produced in the same factory, and has the identical CSA number (pretty much proving it to be the identical machine.) The difference? The colour of the paint, and $150.00. (It wasn't available back when he bought his.)
A new adapter, and my OneWay Talon chuck is up and running.
Now if only I could find some time to turn.
