Bench Top Lathes???
That's the one I had but Craftsman version with Timken bearings. That one is priced fairly with all the accessories and collets that come with it. In decent shape that machine can make anything you need, just will take a little longer on some operations because you have to sneak up on that last little bit where with a big rigid machine you can get in and get er done. I used mine for 12 years and then sold it for more than I paid for it. Nice thing with a machine like that is that I can get it into the basement. My 14" Rockwell lathe wieghed 2500 pounds and was stuck in the garage. Not fun using that when it was 10 degrees out and 30 in the garage. One of my hobbies is rebuilding/refurbishing old lathes and mills, including scraping the running surfaces back in. Keeps me out of the bars, for the most part.
When you are looking at old used iron, pay attention for wear on the ways near the headstock. That's where most of the work occurs. Wear doesn't mean worn out. There are techniques for getting good results with worn machines. But if you are just starting out you probably want to pay up for something that isn't too worn.
