I'm one of those guys who's always working, even when I'm off duty. It's not because I'm a workaholic or behind in my deadlines (though it's hard to tell). It's that I love building things and talking with people who are themselves building things. Over the years I've stayed a little later than required to make things on my jobsites for family and friends because the idea seems right. And in my house, Santa actually does have a workshop.
But the things I make are generally small scale; I guess I'm more like a tinkerer than a full-on woodworker. Whatever the case, this feeling of small applies to the often huge woodworking equipment you need to make tuned-in stuff — which would overburden my shop and make the things I need to do to be profitable more difficult.
That's why when I saw Delta's Midi-Lathe LA200 at IBS, I tuned in. It's small but big enough to make cool things such as bowls or table legs. The 1/2-horse, 1725-rpm motor has enough juice, while the unit has enough capacity to turn objects larger than 6" in diameter. Easy access to six speed controls (500, 800, 1250, 2650, 3700) means I can turn different projects and different species to get just the right control and finish. Enough power and capacity is an easier-to-store size. That's a fair turn indeed.
Delta Machinery
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