Heavy duty die stock 

One secret that I have discovered about this machining thing is that the most important part is in the set up - that is, how you have the piece secured and the approach you take to removing material. I try to put a bit of machining in there, but it's noisy enough that I can rarely talk over it, and usually on automatic feed so not the most exciting thing. I'll try to do something more on the tools though.

@@occasionalmachinist Thank you for your response. I'm really enjoying your films and you do them as you please. Thank you.

@@JB-ol4vz No problems. That sort of feedback makes me think, so it's not a bad thing.

The games RU-vid machinists play...

It's as heavy as it needs to be but heavier than I would like. While it should work for the (assumed) intended purpose, it's not the sort of thing that I would think is convenient enough for general use

Maybe originally, but I emery'd a health dose of rust off.

Thanks, although this was one where I just did what I was asked (sort of)

That is a really big rabbit hole! A lot about machine choice is about personal choice. I prefer secondhand machines because by the time you strip them down and clean them up, you will know a lot about how they work. Others prefer new just because it should work out of the box (although some of the smaller machines, even new, need cleaning and some sort of finessing) and if you are not mechanically minded, it is less of a deep end. Size depends on what you want to do. I think my lathe is the perfect size for what I do. The previous lathe I had was a 7x20, and that was alright but sometimes a bit small. I've tried a Myford ML10 and it was too small for me. One rule of thumb is the swing of the lathe (the diameter between the centreline of the axis and the bed) should be around 3 times the diameter of the largest part you intend to turn. If you are new to machining, I would suggest one of the common mini-lathes for several reasons. They are common enough in their various forms that there are lots of RU-vid clips showing their use and how to tweak them; they are also in demand enough that if you decided that machining was not for you or alternately wanted something bigger they have reasonable resale value. Lastly, machine tools can injury you if you are not careful. With a small, low power lathe you have the chance to learn without risking getting pulled into machine and the swarf that comes off, while still sharp, is likely not going to be hot enough to burn (not that you should be touching it, but it does fly around). I do say to people that if you are bitten by the machining bug, you will likely end up having at least 2 of your chosen machine(s) - not necessarily at the same time. One to learn on and then you will get another that has the features you lilke/ want once you have learnt the basics

@@occasionalmachinist thank you for the great advice

Looks good - wil lit do what you want though?

@@occasionalmachinist Most definitely

I have thought about making up a wobbler, but every time I start considering it, I can never find a job that I would use it for. Perhaps I should make one just for those jobs that are never apparent at the time.

Yep mine gathers enormous amounts of dust but very handy when I need it