Welcome along Phil, what sort of things do you want to do on the lathe ? I do not do model making but tinker around with old motorcycles which dictates a bigger lathe. Enjoy the forum and the lathe when you get one.

Welcome!

The lathe that you choose will be decided by a variety of factors.

Budget (Should include provision for measuring equipment, and tooling and before too long some Taps and Dies.. And as time goes on, you will want to buy extras. Not necessarily all at once, but as the need arises

Space, (A garage should provide sufficient . But insulate it well. varying and low temperatures encourages the rust fairy to visit often, and for long periods! )

What you want to make. (FWIW, my advice would be that having come to a decision, buy something a little larger, ready for when you become more experienced,and confident )

Don't rush things.

Consider carefully, and seek advice by finding and joining a local Model Engineering Club, as well as seeking opinions on here.

Whereabouts are you located? You might find that one or more of us are close to you

HTH

Howard

Hi Welcome to the forum. As most people hsve said a lathe depends on what you want to make on it and wether you want it to do other operations like milling etc as well. If you know someone near you who has a lathe have a look and ask them. Also have a look at new ones if you have a supplier you can get to. I have a Myford M Type which is adequate for me and it was made in around 1945 ish. But it is in very good condition and I know how to run repair and make parts after a lifetime in engineering so ask anything on here and don't be afraid to ask for help to look at new or older machinery especialy near to you.

David

Welcome Phil, you'll get a lot out of this forum and with experience should hopefully in time be able to put stuff back to help others.

One recommendation as you are new to turning, is to get a couple of good books to guide you. The 'Workshop Practice' series are excellent, written by experts in the various fields and very reasonably priced for the level of info they contain. They often contain 'starter' projects that guide you through the learning process in sensible stages. Just be a bit cautious about Youtube videos as there an awful lot of 'experts' out there who really haven't got a clue – and you could pick up bad or even dangerous habits. There are also a lot of very good videos made by knowledgeable folk, but the problem for the inexperienced chap is sorting the good from the bad.

Any queries – don't be afraid to ask, but always try to do a search through the site first as you'll probably find any question has been asked before and promptly answered. (Tip – use the search box halfway down the home page, I personally find it works better than the one at the top of these pages)

All the best in your 'learning journey'. Mike