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South Bend 11" for beginner

Maverick302

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Hello all, I am looking into getting my first lathe for my home shop. I have some very basic training/experience running a manual lathe (mostly a 13" JET, and mostly with collets on smaller work). That being said, I want to outfit my shop with a general purpose lathe for various fabrication projects, fixing/replacing motorcycle and tractor parts, and generally just being able to open up the capability to turn parts instead of working around or purchasing them.

I found an 11" South Bend near me, seems to be in good shape, but the rarity of the machine (and lack of availability of tooling and parts) and the odd spindle thread has me concerned. According to the ad, it comes with a 6" Cushmen chuck (worn jaws), Threading Gears, Steady Rest, and face plates. Asking price is $700. Would this be a good machine for a beginner, or would it likely end up being a headache to learn on due to the lack of a used market for accessories and tooling? I don't think I would drop the money for quality new components, at least not in the near future.
 








 
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