xstrange wrote:
Hello Rich;
I'm a big vintage LeBlond fan, and I currently own several old
LeBlonds, including a 1945-era 15 x 45 Regal Toolroom lathe. I watch
ebay all the time, drooling over machines.

Sadly (or wonderfully, depending on your point of view) old LeBlond
lathes go for virtually scrap metal value these days. In the last
several years, almost every '40's LeBlond lathe that has sold in the
Los Angeles area on ebay has been in the range of $400 to $1200. It's a
shame (and a great opportunity!) because most of them are good useable
machines with some work. The big problem is parts. Many of these
machines were heavily worn during WWII factory use, and if there are
worn castings or chipped gears, it may not be worth the trouble to most
guys to repair.

Newer LeBlonds from the '60's and '70's are a different story. There's
a good supply of parts for them, and they're generally in better shape.
A decent '70's Regal will go for $3000 to $10,000.

So, it's probably not worth your labor to restore it if you intend to
sell it. The selling price wouldn't go up that much to cover your work,
UNLESS you already have a specific customer lined up, who's willing to
pay you to do the restoration.

Old machines like this are a labor of love. The hours I've put into
restoring my machines are because I intend to keep and enjoy them for
the rest of my life.

Bruce Johnson

Thanks for your comments Bruce. I understand that the labour of love is
probably the only profit you would get out of it, just a shame I don't
have the time or room to do it right now. I must say though I'm
surprised this lathe is here in the UK its come along way and I would
of thought that the original user would of bought a Colchester, not
that there better or worse than the Le Blonde but the Le Blonde would
of been quite expensive to import I would of thought, especially during
WWII.

Cheers Rich.