Last used a lathe in 1980, as an apprentice engineer, so I have forgot just about everything I learnt!
Just bought a cheap Chinese 8x16 job, so please bear with me as stupid questions will be incoming!
Cheers.
Roy.
The basics will come back to you quickly and it will go better than you expect.
Welcome, SN. The first thing you should plan on making is scrap. Put a piece of mild steel, aluminum or even plastic in your lathe and try everything you can think of to reduce it to chips.
The most important factor, after a sharp cutter, will be cutting speeds. After I learned that lesson, I made up a chart to help me. It isn't the final authority on the subject, but it works for me most of the time. Nothing wrecks a sharp cutter faster than the wrong cutting speed.
Have fun with your new lathe.
There are a lot of good videos available on YouTube. Look for Tom's Techniques a member of the forum who has put together some of the best teaching videos I've ever seen.
Another good source of info is the Machinery Repairman 3 & 2 published by the US Navy. It's available as a free downloadable PDF.