Hi, I am completely new to lathes and would greatly appreciate some advice. I farm on the NE plains of CO and would like to find a lathe to have some fun with, and hopefully learn enough to use for odd jobs here and there around the farm. I have never operated a lathe, and I realize I have a lot to learn. However I have been researching for a while, and I like the sound of a South Bend heavy 10. Low and behold one came up that is within decent driving distance of me, but I have no idea what to look for as to condition. I have attached some pictures and a video that show a little bit of the lathe. I realize that these pictures and video are not nearly enough to tell much about condition, and some of the main parts(gears, etc) are not even shown at all, but as I have no idea what I am looking for I thought I would post these and see if anyone saw any obvious signs of trouble. Firstly in this video: vlc record 2 17 11 14 18h21m13s South Bend Heavy 1 Lathe VFD mp4 - YouTube it shows the lathe running, and it sounds to me like the bearings could possibly be making excess noise, again not sure please let me know what you think of the sound. The next possible issue is the gib on the saddle (I'm using a youtube video for reference here). In the video I watched, the guy mentions that the gib is sticking out a long ways which means it has not been screwed in to take up any wear. I circled the plug that the guy in the video called the gib.
It appears to me as though this "gib" is missing from the lathe I found for sale. I'm sure I could find a new one to put in, but would this indicate a larger problem, or excessive wear? Here is a picture of the lathe for sale with an empty hole where the other one had an allen head plug. I have also circled what looks like some cracks on one of the other pulleys, not sure if this would be a problem.
The next possible issue that I saw is 2 gouges on each side of the rails. They appear to be right directly under the chuck, and I am not sure if they are far enough to the left that the carriage will not travel that far and therefore they will not matter. The rest of the length appears to be smooth. Here is a picture of the gouges:
Here are a couple more pictures that I have of the lathe that I did not see any concerns with, but again I don't know what I'm looking for.
Here is a list of items that are said to be included with the lathe:
1hp inverter/VFD
3 jaw chuck
4 jaw chuck
face plate
dog drive plate
lathe dog
lantern tool post with tool holder
quick change tool post with Aloris AXA2 tool holder
(2) #2mt tailstock chucks
5c collet draw bar
(1) 5c collet
nose thread protector
rear spindle spider
NyCor drive belt by Albino custom flat belts
I realize this is not nearly enough information to get a good idea of the condition of the lathe, I just wanted to see if someone with more knowledge and experience with lathes would have any concerns with what I have available to look at. This lathe will be on an auction this weekend, and I was hoping to get some input to help me decide what it might be worth, or if I should avoid it. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith
It appears to me as though this "gib" is missing from the lathe I found for sale. I'm sure I could find a new one to put in, but would this indicate a larger problem, or excessive wear? Here is a picture of the lathe for sale with an empty hole where the other one had an allen head plug. I have also circled what looks like some cracks on one of the other pulleys, not sure if this would be a problem.
The next possible issue that I saw is 2 gouges on each side of the rails. They appear to be right directly under the chuck, and I am not sure if they are far enough to the left that the carriage will not travel that far and therefore they will not matter. The rest of the length appears to be smooth. Here is a picture of the gouges:
Here are a couple more pictures that I have of the lathe that I did not see any concerns with, but again I don't know what I'm looking for.
Here is a list of items that are said to be included with the lathe:
1hp inverter/VFD
3 jaw chuck
4 jaw chuck
face plate
dog drive plate
lathe dog
lantern tool post with tool holder
quick change tool post with Aloris AXA2 tool holder
(2) #2mt tailstock chucks
5c collet draw bar
(1) 5c collet
nose thread protector
rear spindle spider
NyCor drive belt by Albino custom flat belts
I realize this is not nearly enough information to get a good idea of the condition of the lathe, I just wanted to see if someone with more knowledge and experience with lathes would have any concerns with what I have available to look at. This lathe will be on an auction this weekend, and I was hoping to get some input to help me decide what it might be worth, or if I should avoid it. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith