Hello Everyone,

Hopefully there are some knowledgeable peeps on here about lathes,
particularly engine lathes. I have been on the search for a little
while for a smaller 2hp, 10 or 12 inch engine lathe to get expand my
welding business with a machine sector. I have found a lathe but
there are two areas where I need a bit of advice before I
purchase....

1) It is an older (circa 40s 50s) LeBlond engine lathe, geared head,
reverse, pretty much the whole nine...but 16" swing. It is a huge
machine but with all the extras (three chucks, steady rest, all the
goodies) and only 1000.00 for everything. The only wear that I can
tell is a bit on the bed, near the chuck obviously, and some play on
the compound rest in the y direction. So my question here is...is
this thing just too big to start a shop with? It seems like it would
easily do every job but maybe not as easy to work with as a smaller
machine?

2) It is located clear across the country (Canada) in Ontario, and I
am in Vancouver. So I would have to drive there from British Columbia
and trailer it back....Is it worth the drive?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

BSPS