"Earl" wrote in message
ps.com...
I can't comment on any of these lathes. When I decided to buy a better
one I went for the Powermatic. But I can say not to buy any lathe with
the Reeves drive. It may be fine for occasional use and many of us have
used it for a lot more than that (I had the Delta) but it is old
technology and will always result in more vibration and more upkeep.
Get an electronic variable speed. You will be far happier in the long
run.
Earl

Hmmm, no Reeves drive, huh? Well, for the lathe I built back in 1987-88 I
built a compound Reeves drive (7-1 speed ratio). In the thousands of hours
that I have run it since, I have replaced the belts once, and a couple of
bearings. If anything goes wrong, I can fix it. Admittedly, the electronic
variable speed drives are quieter and smoother, but if they go bad, you are
out of business for a while. Just my 2 cents worth.

Regards,
James R. Johnson
Hill Country Texas Turner (for many more than 20 years)