Southbend 13" Lathe

Before I started building the Dax, I thought I'd buy myself a lathe as it sounded like a useful thing to have. I was looking generally at Myfords, which seem to be the default choice for the home turner in England. Tend to be rather expensive though, and very sought after, so I kept loosing the eBay bidding wars.

Then I happened upon this. Being American, interest was far lower - but it had all the functions (lengthways and crossways power feeds, backgear, screwcutting, 2 chucks, faceplate, etc.). The information on lathes.co.uk (which is a brilliant site) seemed promising as well, though didn't have anything specifically on the 13".

Anyway, I won the auction for £250, a total bargain considering Myfords were going upwards of £700

That said, the poor thing was in a bit of a state. Hadn't been used for a few years, and was stood outside under a tarp. All working though, apparently. I quickly turned it on just to check, but figured I ought to clean it up before grinding any more filth into the various bearing surfaces.