Please be gentle!

firstly if this statement is wrong , don't bother reading any further lol

so if I want to turn something, anything, I think I know this:
firstly i need to know the type of product, ie ally, steel etc
Then the type of tooling,
then I need a diameter of the stock,
then I need to calculate the best rpm to run the lathe at.
I have a Hercus 9 CR and I also have a Sheraton 9,
how do I calculate what rpm the machine is putting out on each pulley?
If I physically measure the revolutions per minute where do I measure it from?
If I put in a piece of stock and measure the revolutions, wouldn't the diameter of the stock vary the amount calculated?
Am I way off here??
This sounds like a ridiculous question to me!


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