RE: Time to buy a lathe
I have a Jet 1340GH lathe.
I have made special size gears for my helies to get the speeds that I want instead of what the designer picked. Drastic improvement in performance.
I have made replacement struts because I did not have time to order a replacement.
I am constantly making spacers that are just the right size, for all kinds of things.
I also play with guns and use it in customizing and accurizing them.
I have made parts to fix or customize my truck and my motorcycle.
I lot of the stuff is tiny little "insignificant" things that can be made quickly or to just the right size.
My lathe does get a lot of hours put on it. It gets used at least once every other week for something.
My milling machine rarely sits for a whole week without getting used for something.