Now that we have that settled ^ here's an update on the mini lathe. According to my local HF store the Central Machinery lathe is not a stock item and is ordered from China as needed. Lead time 6 to 13 weeks. Must be a slow boat from China? Grizzly does have the G8688 in stock but delivery cost eats up the savings over original list price. After studying everything I could find on the 'net about these small machines, not just the 7" x 12" but the bigger ones up to the 18" bed, my conclusion is to use the cost of one of these as a down payment on a larger, more versatile machine. A practical example is this 13" x 40" from
Detroit Machine Tools. Highly unlikely we'll outgrow this size machine and it comes with a huge assortment of accessories. Plus, we're close enough to Ann Arbor, MI to drive up and get it to save the cost and aggravation of delivery. In the meantime we'll keep using the machinery we have. It has worked for a long time and will continue to do so for just a while longer.
Hank
