Following on from oldsoke's point - with which I totally agree - if you have the space, why not consider a second hand larger lathe?
In the local FreeAds (in the south so maybe not of direct use to you) I recently saw a
Union Jubilee with an electronic variable speed drive (normal 240V mains plug input) for just under £300. It was to be supplied with "toolrests, faceplate and two Nova scroll chucks, with 80 woodturning blanks all sizes."
To me that sounds like very good value compared to what you'd get new for that price. So long as the machine has been treated with care, there is relatively little to can go wrong. You may have to replace the drive belt on an older machine like that, but so long as the bearings are in good order (quiet, smooth) and all the moving parts have been lubricated & protected from rust etc., I think many of these older machines will be much more satisfactory than those new machines of the same price.
If you want to turn pens, as has already been mentioned, one specific thing to check is the speed range, you will ideally want to get up to 3000rpm or so to get a fine finish more readily. So long as you can get a suitable speed, and the spindle and tailstock tapers/thread are such that you can fit a pen arbor (and later, no doubt, other accessories), you can turn a pen on any large lathe. However, if you decide you want to turn a new 12"+ diameter fruit bowl, you're sure to find it much less stressful if you have a machine with the mass of plenty of cast iron to suppress the vibration.
Hope this is of help,
Neil (who's just wishing there was room in the shed to squeeze that Jubilee in alongside the Vicmarc)
