I lokked at Jet woodworking tools today at a dealer near my house. The Jet woodworking tools seem to be well made, not junk like a lots of the stuff I have seen from Taiwan.

Doug Harrison on the Live Steaming website seems to think that new Taiwanese or even Chinese metal lathes are better than used South Bend lathes. He says "An old South Bend or LeBlond will cost more than a new Enco and they will be worn out"! I thought that they have gibs that can be tightened, ways can be scraped or ground and bearings can be replaced. Or do lathes use non-standard bearings that can't be purchased from anyone but the lathe manufacturer?

I just called the nearest bearing house in St. Louis and asked for the spindle bearings in my Atlas 10" lathe by Timken part number. They didn't even blink, and said that they "didn't have this size in stock, but could have it for me tomorrow". I was a little surprised, since these are REALLY old bearings. They seem to have the lathe serial number scribed on them, so they must be original. I didn't know that these had two part numbers for the complete bearing, and so I think I just ordered the inner races with the roller cage. I will have to call them tomorrow and order the outer race. But the nose bearing was $15 and the rear bearing (smaller) was $10. I thought that was quite reasonable! I assume the outer races will add something like $10 each to the price for the complete bearing set.

Some used lathes really ARE worn out, and in need of very substantial maintenance. It is definitely buyer beware! But I have had SO MANY people tell me that the old lathes were so much better built, that I think it must be true. I have used some old South Bends, and they did have a very solid feel, and could cut smoothly and without vibration. Certainly, some of the real beauties of the WW-II era, Monarch and large South Bends are really wonderful lathes. My 10" Atlas certainly doesn't compare to a lathe like that. Most of the economy import lathes are built to a very light standard, and are prone to some inaccuracies and vibrations, due to their lack of stiffness.

So, if you find one of the well-built old lathes in good condition, it may be a real bargain. If, however, you get an old machine with severe wear, then it can be a very expensive proposition to rebuild. If you want a 'project' for your home shop, however, you may be able to pick up a worn out lathe cheaply enough to make it very worthwhile. But a professional machinist doesn't want to spend 6 months rebuilding his machine.