Posted by NCWayne on October 20, 2011 at 22:29:07 from (69.40.232.132):
In Reply to: OT Quality Metal Lathe posted by Toby Oats on October 20, 2011 at 20:28:45:
"Southbend" is still 'in business' now as Grizzly. From what I've heard they offer a relatively good quality machine. Beyond that your best bet would be to keep an eye on sites like the Practical Machinist, etc and find a good, used lathe. Age isn't really as much an issue as the use and abuse it has recieved over the years. For instance I bought about a 1925 year model Southbend with a 16 inch swing and a 10 foot bed, about 6 months ago. I didn't need that much bed length but for the price I couldn't turn the old machine down. I've done a fair amount of turning on it since and I know it will hold less than .001 tolerance over at least the first 24 inches of the bed. That's a good thing as the bed ways in that area typically show more than anywhere else on the bed. For my use that's probably the area I will eventually wear out myself as I just don't have a call do do much stuff much longer than that except on rare occasions. The main thing is when I looked at it I knew what to look for, and could tell that it hadn't been used much over the course of it's life. Heck the last 30 plus years it sat in a motor reqind shop and got used maybe once a year to turn a rotor, etc that wouldn't fit in the other lathe they had. Needless to say I got really lucky with my machine since most lathes even half that old have alot more wear.
The only bad thing about a machine this old is that it has change gears to be able to do threading vs a gearbox. So it takes time to get it set up instead of just moving a couple of levers. In my case I haven't done any threading with it yet as the threading jaws have been worn completely out, most likely by someone using them for regular turning instead of using the friction drive like is supposed to be done. This is something that is really common. Even so there is a guy on the PM site that rebuilds them for around $125.
As far as parts, the commonly needed stuff typically isn't that hard to find either aftermarket, NOS, or just plain used. That is if you ever really need any repair parts. I know Dad has had an old Monarch Hydrashift for nearly 20 years and other than having another machine shop turn him a new lead screw for the carriage it has never needed any hard parts. Like mine it's not the latest and greatest but once you learn 'how it turns' you can turn out pretty much anything you need.
So, keep you eyes open, check out the PM site which has alot of good info on what to look for in a used lathe, and ultimately you should be able to find yourself an older, heavier built lathe than any new one made, for probably 1/4 the price. Good luck.
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