I need someone in easy driving distance from the Darien, Georgia area to sell, rent, loan or otherwise make available a wood lathe of obvious size from the photo so I can produce some replacements for rotted out spindles/balastrades in these outdoor stairs. Alternatively, I'd pay for such spindles to be made out of southern yellow pine or better (but that is probably a lot more $$$ than I'm willing fork over). I'm an old, retired, tight-wad geezer with some skills. If I was living in my high school days in the '60s in Oregon, such a task (getting a hold of a lathe to use) would be easy. Nowadays, I view it as near impossible. Last night I did some turning on an old Record Power Systems tiny lathe I cleaned up after letting it sit around for 10 or 15 years (got it to make chisel handles but never ran out of handled chisels). Last night, just using 2 X 2 pine, I had some fun making a mock up of a chisel handle. I could turn the spindles I need and satisfy my wife if I had a lathe that was long enough. The spindles measure 28" with turning 1/3 of that. I'm not going to pay $1K and up to infect myself with a new pastime, hobby and obsession like turning wood until I get all the crap done that I have on my endless list of crap (mostly broken down appliances, house rot and such to fix, etc., etc. You know what I mean. 
Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
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Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
#2Tight-wad,
Here's a link to find the AAW chapters in GA so you can contact one or more with your problem. I note there's one in the Savanna area, and each listed has an website or email contact. Shoiuldn't be too tuff to find some help. You might even find someone who'd like your Record and/or swap you for a mini with more length.
https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturner/AAWConnects/AAW-Connects.aspx
Good luck!
Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
#3Those look like pretty standard spindles, probably available at a big box store near you.
Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
Edited #4I spent time with managers at Lowe's and Home Depot, if that is what is meant by "big box stores". They can get one spindle in a pattern quite different from mine. Ace Hardware was a similar situation. All places were hopeful of one off talking to people for me but these are very busy people, so I have no expectation of "my spindles". I struck a couple wood lathes of adequate size 3 1/2 hours drive from me and will plan to come home with 1 or 2 lathes. I'll try to follow up with a post of pictures or words. I have to imagine ours isn't the only 25 year old home in coastal georgia with rotted out spindles needing attention from home owners.
Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
Edited #5
@WoodburnBob,
If it is only the bases that rotted (common), could not they be refitted somehow?
Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
Edited #6Quite right (correct) on cutting out the bottoms for lap joints, so on and so forth, for around 20 spindles. My heart won't be in that though. I'm searching for my ten years lost marginal skills with putting in lines, cross-cutting straight, ripping straight, so on and so forth. Gave away or sold my good saw(s) from LN. The teeth in my Japanese pull saws are so so. Sawing with big box hand saws makes clumsy work from me. I did buy some glue today and started cutting for an implant (sort of like a tooth implant) job (lap joint new wood) as you point out .
I did go get a lathe, two actually. The older lacks a motor; I have the impression half horse motors are no longer found on every other block for $25 max as in the olden days. I have started teaching myself turning. This will be a long endeavor. Hope I have that much time left. It turns out the lathe I got has repeatedly been nominated the worst lathe ever made! But no one came right out and called it an albatross. As promised: a photo below. The two mirror image segments of the spindle between centers shows what one gets from big box stores for three fifty. The small segment is my timid attempt at playing around with Asian HSS from Harbor Freight ten years ago or so.
Re: Congenital tight-wad looking for a wood lathe (40" or so) or turner with same in the Darien/Brunswick GA area
#7Hey, there's nothing wrong with a Delta 1440 lathe. I started turning on a reeves-drive JET 1236, and only after 5-6 years and a lot of bowls and spindals did I make the push for my "last" lathe. If you're doing a lot of spindals, you might do well to look into a shop-made steady-rest and a story board to make copying lots easier.