Found a Bridgeport nearby

I second @MyLilMule, vario head is better. I woke up one morning, rubbed my belt-chafed wrists, and said no more sheaves. No more sheaves on anything. Switched the mill and drill press out for better machines with Reeves drives. Got a gear head lathe. Only thing left with sheaves is the band saw, which I can tolerate. The BP is pretty easy to change speeds on, but the vario is here it's at :)
 
Pretty rare to change belt position if using a VFD on a step-pulley head. But I do like the variable-speed mechanical drive on my lathe.
 
One thing I have learned to look for is the condition of the rest of the shop. When you go to see the machine, what do you see with the other equipment in the shop? are they using the machine tables for storage, are they dirty? Does everything else in the shop look clean and well taken care of, or is the one machine for sale the best looking one?
 
Waiting on a variable speed mill isn't really an option. I've been looking for a couple years now and this is one of the first I've found. It could be another few years before another one pops up.

Besides, I could install a VFD and get pretty decent variable speed.
 
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