The reason I'm tempted to try some wood turning on the metal lathe is mainly because of precision.? I have a lot of trouble getting the length of a turned piece exact on my wood lathe, for instance, and getting identical profiles for two consecutive turnings (i.e., for two matching parts) is difficult for me as well.? (My wood lathe is also a Shopsmith, from the 1950s.? It works well.? It's me that has the problems.? :-)

Thanks for the observations.? Setting up a vacuum is an excellent idea.? And I might tape over some of the gaps in the chuck to keep sawdust out of there.

paul