Don't get sucked in by a name.
If you can, write down what you want to achieve in the long run then start to get acquainted of what is really available machinery wise.
I am not putting down Sherline at all, except for the costs involved. Almost any special tooling you will require will have to come from Sherlines own expensive collection.
I am sure you could look around and find machines at least 50% or even 100% larger at the same prices. Plus tooling for most of these machines will be within easy reach of your pocket.
There is a saying that a small machine will only make small pieces and the larger you go, the larger you can make things.
That is not necessarily so, with a bit of ingenuity larger bits can be made, but that isn't the real issue with the smaller machine. I can easily take 1 or 2mm depths of cut in one go, a smaller machine might only cut 10% of that and sometimes less, so that means 10 separate cuts to my one, taking up to 10 times as long to make the same part. Of course, as you step up the size ladder then those percentages start to rise.
People go on about quality of build and how accurate machines are, but that sort of argument can be almost eliminated now as far eastern machines have gained in quality in leaps and bounds. With a little bit of setup work in the beginning, they turn out perfectly adequate for what they are designed to do. I would put my far eastern lathe up against any of the Myfords or South bends as far as producing quality and accuracy of components made, in fact, at one time I was producing commercial items that were expected to be made within 2 tenths, my machine exceeded that expectation, time and time again.
So before jumping in at the deep end, have a good look around and see if your budget will extend to everything required, including tooling, which can easily take up another 50% over the cost of a machine.
John
