A number of years ago (try 33 when I was an apprentice) I put together a little fabrication project in the form of a pedestal drill. Back then there were no cheap Chinese knockoffs and a small basic machine came in a reputable brand at a very reputable price. The fabrication was a very basic but robust machine consisting of a 19mm stainless steel shaft fitted into a housing running on roller bearings. Front bearing was a tapered thrust bearing. Shaft machined to 1/2 inch 20 tpi UNF to take a Sheffield 3/8 chuck. The travel was achieved by supporting the head on a frame that slid up and down on a machined two inch water pipe centre. Belt driven to an electric motor mounted at the rear on a swing plate. I was about to consign this monster (not the old Labrador but maybe the skanky Siamese cat) to the recycling depot (as I now also have a cheap chinese knockoff) when I thought hey with a little bit of modification and redesign I could probably build a reasonable wood lathe from the components of the old drill.