Leblond Regal lathe questions

I have found an old 1940's Leblond Regal lathe.
It has the speed control dial on top of the headstock and the number 13 cast into front of the headstock, I could not find a serial number.
The owner wants $1200.00 for it and I am trying to find out if it is worth it.
Other then a bad motor it appears to be in good condition.
You can still see some of the scrapings and where there are no scrapings it seems that they are just barely worn off.
The carriage seems tight and everything seems to move smoothly by hand.
It could not be run because of the bad motor.
It has a 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck as well as a steady rest and some tooling.

Would I be limiting what I can do on the lathe by going with a lathe this old?
Can you use collets with this lathe?
How do you thread on this lathe as there is not thread dial on the carriage?

Please bare with me as this would be my first lathe and I do not know very much about it.

Thanks
George

Well, George, trying to advise someone on the desirability and/or value of a machine without having personally inspected the machine is not realistically possible, except in generalities.

That said, a little 13" Regal is a nice, high quality, but not especially valuable, machine...I'd think $500-ish a more realistic figure than $1200-ish....but then, maybe the machine is in really wonderful, little-used condition, much better than I am visualising.

The little dial is not a speed control, but, rather a rotary "slide-rule" of sorts, which converts feet-per-minute of cutting speed into spindle speeds for differing work diameters.

The speed control is done by the levers on the front of the headstock, as with any gearhead lathe. Some Regals had a 2-speed motor, as well, which would be obvious from the positions on the drum-switch.

Note that the Regal doesn't have a proper clutch, and the spindle is started/stopped/reversed by switching the motor, as with a South Bend.

High motor speed in reverse will often be blocked or not wired, to make it inoperative.

The little Regal is actually a quite nice machine, for work within its capability, and would be quite alright as a hobby shop machine, if in good condition.

A '40's little Regal has its limitations, tho.....thread spindle, only 450-500-ish or thereabouts top speed on spindle, and, worst of all, soft ways....

What matters, really, is the suitability of the machine for the work you have in mind....and the condition of the machine...if your work would be done adequately by a 13" South Bend, a Regal would be equally good....if in good condition.....

The real problem is obtaining repair parts, if ever you need them....if the Regal you are considering is in really sound condition, that is, the ways and screws are unworn or have very little wear, and the headstock gearing is good (have the top off the headstock, and inspect carefully), then the Regal, if the price can be made right, could be a worthwhile investment.

If, on the other hand, it will need work and any replacement parts, then, in my personal opinion, you'd be better served to "just say no"...

cheers

Carla

Thanks for the info.
Sure does help to a a forum with good knowledgable people.

Thanks again

i would have to agree w/ carla-
-unless you're just dazzled by antiques,
that may not be the most useful machine to have,
especially if it will be your only lathe in the
shop. at under 500 rpm, forget about carbide for
mild steel of less than about 2" dia. even with
hss , turning anything under .5" will be difficult at best.
Also $1200 sounds steep , especially since it's
not running . a 1-1/2 hp motor will cost you
$75-$200 .....not to mention that you can't
inspect it under power . i assume this machine
has sleeve headstock bearings-i'd want to run
it for at least 10-15 minutes-that will tell
alot more about the condition than shiny ways
and a clean appearance. run thru the change gears
-check the front bearing,is it getting hot,
this is a flat belt machine ...it should run
pretty quietly...etc,etc..
$1200 should get you a decent SB 13"(960rpm)
i've seen some clausing and harrison 12" +13"
(1000+rpm) in that price range and in nice
shape.
all said , it's down to your actual needs-
as a second machine for say... threading,
cast iron work, a big brother to a 9" or 10"
lathe ....it might be just the ticket.
regardless, in non-running condition......
i'd suggest $400-$750 is more like it.
good luck

Pet peeve #237 1/2,"ish".What is an "ish"?I won't even try to advise you on this lathe.About a year ago I saw an old Leblond cone drive go for 2K.Admittedly it was in factory perfect condition.The fellow that bought it was in his 70's so I guess he knew what he was looking for or had more money than brains.Three years ago I bought a 40's Hendey 14X30 in excellent shape and paid 1K for it.I have not been disappointed.I'd will say this;it's worth is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, Ray, I'm sorry if my use of "-ish" as a "slang" usage, meaning "approximately", offends you, but I mean no one any offence thereby.

What, in your opinion, would have been a more suitable turn of phrase to use in that context?

In your opinion, would comments on a board of this nature be adequately guided by the customs and usages of casual or informal conversation, or should the posting of comments here reasonably require the clarity and precision of a formal report?

cheers

Carla

Carla is correct. Inspect the headstock very carefully. Leblond will sell you gears but some of the cluster gears will be in excess of $1000. It does have tapered roller bearing in the headstock not sleeve bearings. I am in the process of parting one of these machines out currently and even the used parts go for a premium. You may be able to use 4C collets through the headstock but if you want the more common and larger 5C collet you will have to use a collet chuck. The spindle on these is either an LOO or 2 1/8"-5 threaded spindle which is difficult to find chucks etc. All this said I have the used 3 phase motor if you decide to purchase it and can handle 3 phase. These are great lathes and if you were talking to a dealer with return policies I think $1200 would be reasonable.

carla,really no offence taken.To the best of my knowledge nothing can be "ish".It either is or it isn't.One of the subjects that I attended in all of the schools through the years was math and we never studied "ish".It was one of few subjects that was interesting so and I made A's so I don't think I missed "ish 101".It can be $500,501,502,etc.,but it can't be 500ish.There just isn't any such thing that I can find.As a matter of fact I don't think anyone could convence me of such an acronym.Anyone can be 30 something years old,i.e. 30,31,32,etc.I just don't see how anyone can be 30ish.I realize we live in a euphinistic society so I'm not picking at you.It's just my 237 1/2 pet peeve.No harm meant and no offence taken.

Carla, don't mind Ray. He's just being pikayunish (must be a word as my dear mother used it all the time )

fussyish?

I certainly understand the usage....I believe I have used it here before.

And while of course there is a precise number associated with "30ish", if you do not know it, "30ish" gives the meaning to "oneish" digits precision.......

On teh original question.....I have seen several of these machines.

The ways are HUGE on the ones I saw, 2 inches wide for front "v" ("lazy V"?).

Is the soft way maybe less of an issue with that sort of bearing area?

Seems it might take a long time to wear that much area down. Of course, as an industrial machine, it might have been rode hard indeed....

please, no more pet peeves ,ishes, or lazy vees.
i don't want to know.

ISH is usually taken to mean around, approximatly, close to, usw.
Should peevish be outlawed?

ISH is usually taken to mean around, approximatly, close to, usw

Click to expand...

USW = und so weiter?


Before this gets hijacked too far....I'd still like to know about the huge "lazy-v" ways vs not being hardened, and how much of an issue it is given the large bearing area.

I had heard that LeBlond used the tilted ways to resist turning forces better. The idea was less wear. Didn't it work out that way?

A while back I posted a topic called "13 X 4". It was a small story about the little Regals I encountered in the machine shops in old Wasington, D.C.

If you still see some scrape marks on the lathe ways, then the machine obviously has very little use.

They were and are very nice lathes. Many of them were used in high school machine shops, but they were considered professional grade industrial machine tools.

From a prctical standpoint, you won't have to worry about repair parts. the machines have a very long and trouble free service life.

The weakest point that I have seen on these machines is the bevel gear set that transmits power from the feed rod to the gears in the apron.

Check them out. If they are OK, then lube the up and forget about them.

The dial on top of the headstock doesn't do anything. It is a calculator for rotative speed to surface speed.

If the motor of the machine is bad and you are not a purist, then that housing is a wonderful place to hide the speed control for a DC drive or a VFD.

Yes, $1,200 seems steep, but think about it. If the lathe is clean and not worn it might be better to go ahead and pay the man.

I can't imagine the range of work, both rough and fine that has been done with those little machines in the D.C. shops alone.

Cost update: I just picked up a 13" regal with 2 three jaw chucks, 1 4 jaw chuck, a steady rest, and the taper attachment for 700 in California. The bed still has the bottom of the frosting marks on the ways near the chuck and all the frosting every where else. gears are perfect. Needless to say I am pretty happy. I think I just purchase the last lathe I will ever own.

I agree depends what you want it for as has been stated the lack of revs available,but this can be improved by fitting a VFD and certainly you would double the speed at least but research off other people who have done it to see what is top speed that can be safely obtained without putting the gears under too much strain.LeBlond made a lovely machine and as has been said the bevel gear is a weak spot for wear,you must do the normal check of head stock gears and run the saddle along checking for tight spots,I have had one and it moved super smooth as for p[rice even in top condition I would say £600 ,But the assesories that you have got will not be cheap and are highly sought after.If you check the gears out and they are ok thats a big plus as you will not be able to get replacements,the cheapest way would get them custom made.All in all a very nice machine which has limitations but is very well made.Thats a speed dial indicator on top headstock simply for telling you what speed you want for various tools/materials.The screwcutting is selected via the norton box front left and pulling the plunger into posistion(on saddle)Manuals for this machine will be easily downloaded