For everyone that builds their own printers, I know you all woke up this morning thinking. Should I buy a Lathe? The answer is yes, definitely.
Just parts I made or repaired today come to about 5% of what it cost me.
I also would love to have one, but space is a bit of a problem!
@Antonio_beta : there are quite small lathes, by Taig, Sherline, Prazi, and others, some only a bit larger than a shoebox, and on many of them you can do reasonable work.
@John_Bump it´s true but I always think big XD
The best lathe is the one you have! I have an Atlas 618. It’s less than a meter long, I can lift it, and I do quality, production-grade work on it over in a corner of my shop. I’d love a South Bend Heavy 10, but it’d go right through the shop floor. Meanwhile I put in 8 hours a week on the Atlas and have for 10 years. Get the largest thing you can fit in the space you have, and think big thoughts while you’re using your little lathe.
No garage space 
but yes. Lathes are awesome
Been thinking about getting one. I would love to make some delrin bushings with it
Once you have one, you wonder how you lived without it. Budget about as much for tooling as the purchase price of the lathe: 4 jaw chuck, faceplate, live center, assortment of toolbits, drill chuck for the tailstock, quick-change tool post. The costs add up.
Please tell us more.
It’s actually one of the reasons to get a 2nd hand one. I got a whole lot of bits, a live centre drill chuck and for some reason another bench grinder ( I now have 5 of those) thrown in.
The reason I got one (apart from wanting one 
) is I use a 8mm stainless steel drive shaft that transfers drive from the stepper motor via a belt to 2 pulleys driving the Y axiz. all pulleys need to have an 8mm ID 2 pulleys are GT2.5 but the closed loop belts are usually GT2. GT2 pulleys with an 8mm ID where hard to find but I did manage a large diameter one that could be drilled. I tried with a drill press and promptly killed 2 of them. I’ve had printed pulleys run 100x better than they were. It was like something from the Flintstones. I put it in the lathe drilled it out too 9mm but straight and then took some 9,5mm aluminium rod which it cut down to fit into the pulley but protruding either side, then with a heavy hammer hit it to expand the rod in the hole, Crude but it worked. back in the lathe, cut a nice face on it drilled a centre hole and then an 8mm one. both pulley now work. (for a second I thought seems like a lot of money for 2 pulleys better see what else I could do) and that when I realised how awesome this thing is. a few years ago I used to make my own barrels for hot ends. I used to take 3 hours of trial and error to maybe end up with one decent one. last night I quickly in 1 go drilled a 2mm hole down the middle of a m6 rod because I thought I’d see if I could. Think I’ll make some hot ends again now.
But the nicest thing I did was the connection between the stepper motor and the Z axiz threaded rod I thought I could now cut down the M8 rods I use to 5mm so they fit into a 5mm couple. Then I realised I can just make the couple ( duhhh ) After which It dawned on me I can drill a 5mm hole in the M8 rod which would be centre and sit perfectly on the stepper motor which I did.
So parts tally the 2 pulleys R100 ( $10) Hot end Barrel R120 ($12) couple R75 ($7,50)
The 9,5mm aluminium rod I bought and could so nothing with but chuck it in the bin R100 ($10) saved so roughly so at least R300 or 5% of what I paid for it already on day one.