From The Flickr Pool: Turning Brass

Our good friend JMillerID added this pic to the TM photo pool recently, showing him turning some brass on a lathe in what we consider a good garage — i.e. that garage door behind him isn’t opening anytime soon, at least not to admit a car.
Seriously, though, a lathe is an incredibly useful tool. If you’ve got the space — even if you need to cover up a garage door with it — you should consider owning one. Becoming a machinist is like playing chess: the rules are easy to learn, but the game takes a lifetime to understand fully.
Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]
OOOooooh! I wish I had a lathe that big. I do however make up for it in quantity (as I have 4). Still, the old adage rings true, there’s no replacement for displacement!
I have 4 lathes too! A Taig, A CNC Sherline, A Jet 920 (sucks), and my prize, a one owner 1977 10K South Bend in almost mint condition, only took me about 15 years to find my dream lathe. I do have a worn 10″ Atlas and a 6″ Atlas sitting in storage as well…
Anyway, if you don’t have a lathe, get one. You won’t be sorry. It allows you to make and modify things that were impossible before.