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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BillM" data-source="post: 3884157" data-attributes="member: 45785">There are a couple of Mini-lathe groups at groups.io if you would like to learn what can be done with a 7x Mini-lathe. My first lathe was an HF 7x10. Had a lot of problems with it that turned out to be operator error. If you clean it up and check/adjust the lathe properly, and use correct technique, you can easily get .001" accuracy. Tool it up a bit, good measuring tools, a 4-jaw chuck or collet chuck, and you can get better than that. Most of the tooling can be transfered to the 10" or 12" Atlas/Craftsman or 9" South Bend lathes. There are groups for them at group.io, as well. About ten years or so ago, there was one US-made lathe similar in size and capabilities to the HF 7x Mini-lathes. It went for about $10k then. The modern version of the South Bend Heavy 10L lathe is also about $10k from Grizzly.com and they don't have the accessories the original SB Heavy 10L lathes came with. For the money, the HF minis are pretty hard to beat. Though I'd go for their 7x12 over their 7x10, and if you can catch them on sale, Micromark has a pretty good 7x16 Mini-lathe. They're lots easier to find than a good Atlas/Craftsman or South Bend lathe, though if you look hard enough...  <img src="/images/smilies/smile.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>