What do you guys think about this lathe?

[05CarbonDRZ]

I do not know much about lathes but I am thinking of picking one up to learn on.This one looks pretty heavy duty and it seems to have a decent amount of tooling.Any comments are appreicated.

http://madison.craigslist.org/tls/2790619434.html

 

[hdshinn]

Looks like it could use some TLC before doing much with it. Hard to tell from the pix. Get the data off the name tag and see if parts are still available:

http://www.cincinnatimachines.com/turning.html

Things I'd check:

Are the headstock bearings loose?
I'll assume it does actually run
Is the bed in good shape and not all scarred up?
No excessive backlash in the controls?

I'm not that knowledgeable about metal lathes, either, but it looks like a nice piece of old iron that deserves rescue. I'd offer something less and see where it goes.

 

[larry_g]

Take someone with you who does know lathes that can run it through its paces and find any broken gears or drive components. At that price it is a great lathe to learn on. I would not expect that it anyway near precise at that price. However at that price I looks to have some accessories that could resell an recover most of your investment if it doesn't work out to be a keeper. Your biggest challenge is in the moving and the power. If it is really 120v then it is very slow, under powered, or will need a heavy circuit to provide power. Good luck

lg
no neat sig line

 

[rwhite692]

+1 on all of what Larry already said.

That is a decent deal for a lathe of it's size with an under-cabinet drive. As long as there are no major problems, It is worth the asking price. Although parts and tooling are not as easy to find as, say, a South Bend lathe, parts for a Cincinatti are out there.

At that price, you certainly won't lose money on it if you decide to sell it a few years down the road.

 

[Ric in Richmond]

can't go wrong at the price if it runs and isn't just flat worn out....

 

[Outlawmws]

That lathe has potential (unfortunately in both directions)

If it's not worn out, its a steal, especial with the way design (cheaper lathes have square ways, easier to fix, but not as good. Good tool room lathes use that way design, and it's a possibility this might be an old tool room lathe...)

If it is worn out, possibly in several ways, it could also be a money pit...

Looks like it could use some TLC before doing much with it. Hard to tell from the pix. Get the data off the name tag and see if parts are still available:

http://www.cincinnatimachines.com/turning.html

Things I'd check:

Are the headstock bearings loose?
I'll assume it does actually run
Is the bed in good shape and not all scarred up?
No excessive backlash in the controls?

I'm not that knowledgeable about metal lathes, either, but it looks like a nice piece of old iron that deserves rescue. I'd offer something less and see where it goes.

What he said + lathe bed wear. most of this is usually near the head.

Take someone with you who does know lathes that can run it through its paces and find any broken gears or drive components. At that price it is a great lathe to learn on. I would not expect that it anyway near precise at that price. However at that price I looks to have some accessories that could resell an recover most of your investment if it doesn't work out to be a keeper. Your biggest challenge is in the moving and the power. If it is really 120v then it is very slow, under powered, or will need a heavy circuit to provide power. Good luck

lg
no neat sig line

With only a 12" swing, 120V is NOT and issue. 1 HP is plenty. (My 12 X36 uses 1HP. That one is essentially the same and 1/2 the bed length, and therefore 1/2 the possible part mass)


I'd be all over that if it were local to me.

 

[A_Pmech]

That is a 12 1/2" Cincinnati "Tray Top". Good machines when in good order.

The manual can be found here:

http://www.metalwebnews.com/manuals/cincinnati-traytop.pdf

$650 is a good price if operational, suffering no major damage and in used but not worn out condition.

Base net weight is approx. 1,500 lbs.

For more reading, there are plenty of "Tray Top" threads on practicalmachinist.com.