I have a small metal lathe (several actually) so I am familiar with lathe basics, but I haven't run a wood lathe since the 9th grade (early 1980s).
I'd like to get a wood lathe to fiddle about with, but since I don't have any specific plans I want to stick to something smallish and at least semi-mobile.
Beyond the easily compared specs like swing, distance between centers, RPM range, horse power etc I'm wondering how the modern small lathes in the 10x15 to 12x20-ish range from Grizzly, Jet, Rikon etc compare to the older bench top wood lathes from Craftsman, Delta etc.
Looking at them the new lathes definitely seem like an improvement over most of the vintage 8" and 9" lathes, but I'm less sure of the larger 12x36 machines, particularly the Delta lathes which seem more robust than their Craftsman counter parts. The larger ones look pretty basic, but then wood lathes are rather simple devices compared to metal working lathes.
Also I notice most except Delta seem to have run a 3/4"-16 spindle and 1"-8 definitely seems to have become the standard. How much of a disadvantage is the smaller spindle ? I know Sherline and Taig run 3/4"-16 but is there much in the way of wood turning accessories in this size?
I generally favor vintage machines where possible, but there have been advances in technology over the past 60 years and recognize that sometimes new is just better than old. A lot of the new lathes seem to be built a bit beefier, but that could simply be to counteract the use of lighter materials on the new vs cast iron on the old. Cost doesn't seem to be a major factor since on the used market as long as you are patient there doesn't seem to be a huge difference in asking prices unless you get into the higher end of this class.