I do agree that you need to check for obvious signs of abuse and neglect,
however, that old iron can take alot and still be as true as a new $800.00
jet 1442.

I will admit that the lathe I picked up was neglected and cosmetically
abused. I spent about 3 hours cleaning and shining up the parts and she
isn't the prettiest girl at the dance but she is a joy to play with.

One side mention: I really love having the lathe with the Reeves speed
control and the vfd on this lathe. It really give you a wide range of
control. I especially like the soft start of the vfd.

"Mike Berger" wrote in message
...
Around here a lot of the schools have discontinued shop programs, and
the machines they get rid of have often been severely abused and
neglected.

Rick Cox wrote:

I couldnt agree more,
Go to school auctions and check out the old Iron they are getting rid of.
I got a Rockwell/Delta 46-450 (12" swing 14" over gap 36" between centers
500+ lbs.) for $25.00. I did some minor cleaning and bought a used VFD
and I have a great heavy lathe under $200.00.
Worst case scenario, I may have had to buy some bearings, 1 phase motor
and I would still have been ahead.
As for parts, it appears that I can get everything for it except the
7/16" tail stock spindle clamp.(SO I make one out of a $2.00 piece of
allthread.)