Thanks for the support Rick... This lathe is exactly the same model as the one I sold 15 years ago... it is manual change gears... and a quick change box would be nice, but I am not a production shop... so I can live with it.
The bed is immaculate! and this lathe hasn't been used much... the previous owner is a retired machinist and he bought it new... now it was just taking up space in his garage... it comes with virutally all the original accessories including the manual... The only repair I need to to (that I know about) is the lead screw support bearing... the owner hadn't used it in years and while checking it out, he turned it on and engaged the table without remembering that he had locked it down and it caused the old lead screww support bearing to break cleanly...
It was designed to to that to prevent lead screw damage in just those circumstances... don't ask me how I know (been there and done that)... the replacement bearings are running from 50-80 dollars on ebay for a used one... but I am pretty sure I can make the original one functional with good ole' JB Weld until I can fabricate a new one out of aluminum with bronze sleeve bearing... I will hold it to the bed with soft aluminum screws so I will have the same type of protection that the old Zamak metal casting used to provide... The screws will shear and neither the bearing nor lead screw should get damaged if something like this happens again to this old machinist gunsmith...
I will post photos when I get it home sometime in June...
Can't wait to get it home, set it up, get it level, take care of any backlash, and start making 'chips'...
