On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:09:40 GMT, "cyrille de Brebisson"
wrote:

hello,
Does anyone have comment on the $200 lathe from Harbor Freight (sale
price)?


A point worth noting: If the Reeves drive is stiff, it's bad. A good
Reeves drive operates smoothly.

Can you enlighten me here? what is a "Reeves drive"? and how to I test it?

A Reeves drive is a mechanical variable speed system that uses a lever
on the front of the lathe to adjust the speed. When the lever is
turned, the speed is increased or decreased because there is a special
pulley inside that can spread apart or cinch together to change the
pulley ratio between the lathe and the spindle.

Usually, there are two belts with the system- one from the motor to
the Reeves pulley, and one from the Reeves to the drive spindle. The
drive spindle often has a few different pulley sizes so that you can
change the overall minimum and maximum speed to suit your preference.

As far as testing it goes, I'd imagine I'd just try it out under power
to make sure it's working properly. Be advised that you won't be able
to easily change the position of the lever when the lathe is not
running- so don't just try it out on a floor model, and assume it is
broken!

Personally, I really like mine. The newer lathes usually have
electronic variable speed, but I know that if the Reeves drive goes
out, I at least have a fighting chance of fixing it myself.