Re: ATM small mill advice

["Bob May" <bobmay@nethere.com>]

You'll do a lot better with a larger tool.  I have owned a Unimat (same size
as the Sherline) and, while it's fine for the stuff I originally bought it
for, it's almost totally useless for astro work.  Even the Harbor Freight
multipurpose machine is kind of small for turning some things (try turning a
6" lens cell and you'll find out it's not big enough) so you will still want
to get something even larger than that.
For it's size, the Sherline is quite sturdy but it's still a 3" class lathe
and that's about what you'll be able to do.  A Crayford focuser is starting
to push the limits on size for that lathe.
Bob May
http://nav.to/bobmay
bobmay@nethere.com