Jon Elson wrote:


Andrew H. Wakefield wrote:

Many thanks for the helpful input you all have given me via an earlier
thread. I've gotten a response to some inquiries for a local lathe,
and would very much appreciate your input on this:

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I have a large metal lathe with a lot of features and a lot of
accessories that you may be interested in. It is a Cincinatti
"Tray-Lathe" circa the early to mid-50's, 12"x36". I have a 2HP
115/230 single phase and a 3-ph motor for it, 3 and 4 jaw chucks,
faceplate, and other goodies. It has a quick-change gear head as
well as a quick-change threading gearbox. It was appraised at over
$1K back when I was using it but I haven't used it in a number of
years and it is collecting dust in my garage. If you are interested
I would probably sell it for around $500 if you would come get it.

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To me this looks like a good deal, at least on paper, but then I'm
still a rank newbie. What do you think?

When I go to look at it, I will of course make sure that everything
works and that there is no play in the headstock. Any of the gearing
that I can see I will inspect for chipped teeth. What else should I
look for / at? In particular, how do I determine the amount of wear on
the ways?


Wow, if I am right on what this lathe is, it is worth a lot more than he
thinks.
Basically, a heavy-duty 12" geared-head engine lathe.

Anyway, if the carriage sweeps only part of the bed ways, then it will
leave
a ridge between the swept and unswept parts. You can feel the ridge with
your fingernail to judge the amount of wear. You can't tolerate much wear,
as it will tilt the carriage and cause the machine to cut barrel-like
shapes.
A few thousandths should be OK for most uses, though. If the carriage
sweeps the entire width of the ways, however, it can be hard to judge the
amount of wear. If there are deep scratches in the ways, that is a warning
sign.

Jon

And if your fingernail will catch on that ridge, that makes it worth...
the asking price, all else being OK. Be sure to read "In Praise of
Klunkers" on the mermac site