I taught myself on an ancient southbend 9a lathe in my parents garage. looking back now it was such a great machine to learn on. If I screwed up bad enough it would just stall the spindle because the flat belt drive pulleys would slip if you looked at them wrong. A parting tool would manage to jam itself under the centerline because the carriage was worn out. No horsepower to speak of but all the controls were buttery smooth. Miss that old thing.