Opinions on this lathe?

[dr_clyde]

That LeBlond is twice the lathe of a new imported one. I would much rather have that old lathe. I feel like you did alright.

 

[stevekantercool]

I have a 1953 Logan, 1940-2. Its excellent. Depending on the size work or type of work you do, perhaps that's something to consider (or any Logan for that matter).

 

[LXCam]

LOL, I think this is the one I may order, I'll check with Linda before I order it. I'm heading out to work for another two days now. If I get a chance I'll see what I can get ordered this weekend. GTG.

My first full size lathe was a 14/40 American Junior (made in Italy ). She was one monster piece of iron that I put a ton of work into making it produce a decent product. The one thing about that ole monster was I was always afraid it'd eat me one day and my son would come into the shop only to find me all bleed out. The biggest concern was the on/off lever put your head directly in front of the spindle.

So after about a year I made more then enough money off that thing to go buy something a bit nicer and a hell of a lot safer and no matter what was going to have a foot brake. I spent months looking at old iron, 95% was **** that needed major repairs, some could be done by me but the hours invested would have cost me months worth of work and paying someone to redo them didn't make sense either. Oh sure I came across some really good pieces, but those guys knew what they had and were most proud of'em

So to end this story I spent a bunch of time looking at Enco, Grizzle and a half a dozen other budget sites. Right about the time I had made up my mind to purchase that Grizzly you posted I came across a Acro on CL that is the exact same model, just different handles and knobs. Cost me 2,500 with a quick change C collet clamp and some other garbage. For the type of stuff I make I'm a very a happy guy. Ya I've done a few minor upgrades to it and bought some decent tooling, but I really couldn't be happier. It was plug and play and after 4 years now hasn't given me even the slightest bit of grief. There are times when I would prefer a heavier machine, but that's not often enough to worry about it.