I recently sold some tool holders, and miscellaneous bits and pieces of tooling, to a guy from Northern Maryland, who was restoring a small ( 6" to 8" ) "Reed" lathe.
He had several pretty good pictures, and it looked like a high-quality little machine.
He wanted to "pick my brain" for information on the manufacturer, ... but I'd really never ( knowingly ) seen one before, and couldn't tell him anything about it.
Basically, it pretty closely resembled a 6" Atlas, ... but was obviously of much higher quality.
If you felt like you had use for a little "Bench Lathe" or "Polishing Lathe" it seemed like a decent little unit.
So, based on that sketchy, but positive information, and depending on my intended use, I'd be inclined to take a closer look at another "Reed" machine.
If you're willing to accept, ( or even embrace ) the limitations of an old, "cone head" lathe, then the fact that it's a somewhat unusual machine, might not deter you from taking on the project.
Whatever you decide, ... Good Luck.
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