Searching the forums, I've noticed a lot of newbies (myself included), who go out and buy a used South Bend without having the information/knowledge they really need to make an informed buying decision. Before buying, I searched the forums and got a pretty good idea of what I was looking for, but had much less of an idea about what I was looking to avoid. I couldn't find any threads about inspecting a used lathe.
I did the best I could giving it the once-over, and seem to have purchased a pretty good machine, but I could have just as easily been taken.
As it turns out, I've come across another SB lathe which I'm trying to make arrangements to go see. I'm putting together an inspection checklist based on what I've learned so far, and I was hoping some of you more experienced guys might chime in. This would be greatly appreciated by me and, no doubt, all of the prospective South Bend owners who read this thread in the future.
I did the best I could giving it the once-over, and seem to have purchased a pretty good machine, but I could have just as easily been taken.
As it turns out, I've come across another SB lathe which I'm trying to make arrangements to go see. I'm putting together an inspection checklist based on what I've learned so far, and I was hoping some of you more experienced guys might chime in. This would be greatly appreciated by me and, no doubt, all of the prospective South Bend owners who read this thread in the future.