Not Ranked
Jack,
A friend bought a combo small lathe/vertical mill some years back and the name "Smithy" sounds familiar. They're made in China or Taiwan and the lathe has a solid bed, with maybe only about 18" or so between centers. OK for light work, I guess, if you don't have a problem with Chinese stuff (I do). As with any combination machine, you may not be able to keep your set-up on one when you want to use the other half of the machine, which can be frustrating. As I recall, he offered me the machine for sale and I declined. If you have the room and the funds, my advice would be to look for a decent 10 or 12" lathe and a small (or big) vertical mill. I've had a small lathe for years and, although I'm not a machinist by any means, it sure has come in handy. Recently, a friend found me a small (9 X 36", I believe) Bridgeport vertical mill in excellent shape. He and I were talking about home shops, the availability of suitably-sized machine tools, etc., and came to the conclusion that, while smaller lathes and mills (small enough to fit in a car or truck bed) have always been at a premium, there probably are fewer and fewer people with the interest and ability to appreciate them; therefore they may be increasingly easier to come by.
Short answer: I'd pass on the Smithy, unless you know you'd never need any more capability.
You have a great day, too,
Lowell
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