Although the DRO is really nice on a mill, it is pretty dang handy on a lathe as well. I never felt like it got in the way. I don't have one on mine but my uncle's shop is a mile away and I use his stuff a lot. He has a DRO on his lathe and it sure does speed some stuff up. On his, it is a need as his lathe has way too much lash in it. We are trying to upgrade his lathe right now. You can wear a 12x36" 1400# lathe out in a hurry if you work it. They are just very light duty.
