Starter Lathe

Depends on what your interest is, if it's real small stuff, or quarter scale traction engines... what space do you have for a lathe, and will it be on a solid (concrete)floor, or inside and on a wooden bench. The Chester, Warco... 920 or 918 are good basic machines, that can make swarf within a few mins of getting them uncrated. They also come with usefull extra's as standard.

Lots of mini lathes, that are both cheap, and portable. Very handy if space is limited. Don't be tempted to buy some old machine that seems a real bargain till you get some experience, you can easily spend the value of a cheap import trying to sort problems... That said, if you are going large scale models and you have a barn to house it, get a decent ex-industry machine, but get someone who knowes machines to help you.

Joules been there, bought the anchor, sank the boat...

Thanks Joules, I will be using mainly for my radio controlled submarine, I have about one metre square available to me but more at a push.

Go for the 920/918, you will always regret getting something smaller. I bought a Myford, but regret letting my 920 go, as I worry turning rough castings on the myford, stuff I didn't give two hoots over on the 920.

Joules