Advice on lathe for home shop

I understand the desire for a longer bed , and I’m sure I’d eventually find a project that requires that extra length. My primary reason to shy away from the Cincinnati is the crossfeed and compound nuts. There’s work there that is gonna be tough given the odd size of the original pieces and switching to a new size completely is going to be tough with out a second lathe to do the work on while the Cincinnati is apart for repairs. I don’t have anyone nearby with a lathe that I could borrow time on. The LeBlond is ready to use as soon as I get it home and leveled .
 
matthewsx said:
...A business that's moving should be motivated, throw them a low ball offer and see if they bite, that thing sure looks like it'll be too big for most hobbyists and a professional shop would have no interest...
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Yes that worked well for me, as a much lower offer was accepted. Between that and the seller being so close made all the difference. If it had been a private seller 100s of miles away, it would have been a no-go in my situation.
 
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so I finally said screw it and threw a 1500 dollar offer in on the Cincinnati, we’ll see what the seller says.....
 
Regarding bed length, I don't think that anyone can tell someone else what they need. It's a very personal choice, one entirely dependent upon application, never mind shop space. I had a 12x36 for 15 years, building two cars from scratch with it, and never once needed all the bed length. I upgraded to a much heavier duty lathe, a 14x30, and it fits in the same space - very happy with it. The OP has to decide what he needs and go with that.
 
Dabbler said:
One thing @7milesup My 1980 Regal still needs a small stack of change gears to get all the feedrates and threads, but that's not really a biggie either.
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Ah, ok. I have been looking at LeBlond 15x54 Servo Shift lathes, and it appeared they did not need gears at all. However, I have decided that the 15x54 is just too big for me.
 
GSweldmech said:
I understand the desire for a longer bed , and I’m sure I’d eventually find a project that requires that extra length. My primary reason to shy away from the Cincinnati is the crossfeed and compound nuts. There’s work there that is gonna be tough given the odd size of the original pieces and switching to a new size completely is going to be tough with out a second lathe to do the work on while the Cincinnati is apart for repairs. I don’t have anyone nearby with a lathe that I could borrow time on. The LeBlond is ready to use as soon as I get it home and leveled .
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Sorry to be the harbinger of doubt, but one other thing to consider is the bigger the lathe, the harder it can be to get rid of. This is an advantage to the buyer, but if you ever become unsatisfied with it, or if the repairs prove more extensive than you think you will have a harder time getting rid of something the size of that Cincinatti (or even the LeBlond). The market for big vintage machines is fairly limited. You will find a plateau in price around 12-13" and prices actually tend to decline as you get beyond 15" unless it is new enough to appeal to commercial users.

You mentioned a longer 40" Harrison as well?
 
The 40” Harrison was pretty beat, the crashing of the cross slide into the compound on that machine must have been a daily event, it was battered. There was no threading dial, tool post and only a four jaw.
 
I guess I have decided on the 15", not because of its resale value, but its functionality and value to me. I'll use it until I can't any more.
 
Dabbler said:
I guess I have decided on the 15", not because of its resale value, but its functionality and value to me. I'll use it until I can't any more.
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Sure I wasn't saying to avoid a lathe that large, simply as you get into these larger lathes it becomes more critical that you choose the right one.
 
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