Hiya All,...
allow me to introduce myself, & supply a bit of background 'Bumpf'.....
My name is Fred (Cooper,... lifetime nickname, Comp) I am 55 years and 4 days old,...I am an ex-forces Telecomms engineer, after leaving the forces, (RAF) I retrained into first radio & tv repairs, then computers from the ZX81 and Spectrum, through C64,Amiga, Sinclair QL (VERY underatted machine, in its time,) BBC Electron & Master, through the range of Amstrad Dos PCs, until the hardware got so reliable, there was no call for engineers (modern throw-away society...

)
After a spell as a Pub Landlord, and a draught soft drinks engineer, I set up as a small metal fabricators in the Mansfield, Notts area. I mainly fabricate fencing, gates, and manufacture a range of basic outdoor metal furniture (litter bins, bike hoops, metal benches, etc) for a local firm.
I have kept my life-long interest in electronics, and am a Radio Ham, (first, G8ZWI, now G4ZWI after doing my morse code test...) and my wife purchased me one of these :-
http://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/7_X_14.html for my Birthday/Xmas pressie a few days ago!!!
I also like to play with airguns, and have been modding a chinese CO2 powered air rifle recently,... Mrs Comp heard me say how much easier life would be with a small lathe, and Voila!!! (My gear at work consists of 2 MIG welders, 2 pillar drills , and a metal bandsaw, all 3 phase, plus a couple of angle griders, no lathe

)
So, I have unpacked/cleaned/aligned/lubed the lathe as per the stuff I can find for it online,... (paperwork/manual for lathe was non-existent...), and I am now about to start to play,
STAND BY FOR LOADS OF DAFT,NEWBIE QUESTIONS!!!!!
Cheers all, Fred