I wonder if there is a sort of bell curve re the size of the lathes that we actually use during our turning lives.
Many of us were exposed to woodturning in our late teens, then came a long hiatus while earning a living.Then circumstances allowed for more leisure and we sought a hobby. Some fortuitous event led us back to woodturning and we bought a modest mini-lathe, became fairly proficient and began buying every new and improved fixing used by some expert or lobbied about on a net forum.
The need (read compulsion) to buy a big trophy lathe became unbearable. Compared to golf or sailing or sneaking around with a co-worker, it was safer and a lot less expensive _and it kept us home. Besides, we deserved a once and for all machine that would last a lifetime. It's not clear which life; the lathe's or the turner's, but we rationalized, picked out a color and bought our dream machine.
After trying every known turning project and technique the 'been there, done thats' gradually became tiresome. Those large turnings accumulated and selling them was no fun, not all that profitable and our hobby began to resemble the job we wanted time away from. The heavy blanks that were expensive or a hassle to process became harder to lift. Turning big had become an expensive chore while small items were easy and more fun. (posting woodturning banality is even easier, certainly cheaper.)
Some of us had kept our mini, others noticed that a new mini cost less than an accessory for our trophy lathe. Of course, we weren't about to sell our big white, grey, blue or green machine. There would be the agony of being asked in a crowd at the club meeting, "what lathe do you own?" We would have to murmur, " I have a H.F" (or maybe a Carbatec knockoff). Think of the heartbreak. :(
So we upgrade and turn on our mini's and talk about our maxi's and all is right with our turning world. However, If I have mistakenly got the bell curve upside down or if I cracked it, let me know. I might be a COC. :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter