Small lathe ? questions

[Pavel]

Yes, it has a cast iron bed!
it is small, but while I was carrying it out of the store I almost gave birth....
They did not have a cart....
Adjustable rotation speed, there is an automatic feed of the support, I have two tool holders, one with an angular rotation, to sharpen cones, there is a faceplate, a steady rest.
I bought a 4-jaw chuck instead of a 3-jaw chuck.
I dream of buying a head and collets for it.....

[tankme]

https://littlemachineshop.com/ has a bunch of info on different machines. Not sure if they ship to the UK though.

[Dogberry]

I was given a very old worn out basic Lathe a few years ago. I was initially scared to use it. I have never had any training how to use one. However over time I have gained confidence. If you are into converting static kits to full R/C they are very useful. I would be lost without mine.
If I were to ever get to the point ( and rich enough) where I would buy a new one. I would want a 4 jaw chuck ( Apparently very useful for doing tapers I am told, don't ask me I am not an expert)
I would want one big enough so I can get tank road wheels in the jaws say 65mm, and one with a bed long enough to be able to turn gun barrels.

I would suggest if you are just starting out get some delrin rod offcuts from eBay and have a play and try out different techniques on the lathe. Delrin in a brand name for an engineering plastic. It is made to be machined. It is soft, does not break/blunt cutting tools and cheap enough to throw away/recycle. It is also a useful material to make pieces from.

[Pavel]

I only bought the electric drive, the rest I machined and installed myself, before that the A-10 did not have a braking system in principle, colleagues also wanted to re-equip their planes.