All the talk about lathes...

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...Led me to find my first one: a Seneca Falls Star Lathe, 9x4.  I went and picked it up yesterday.  It was a beautiful day for a drive in the Arkansas/Missouri Ozarks!  It came with a belt drive, 110V Montgomery Ward motor, a steady rest, a dead center for the tailstock, a 4-jaw self-centering chuck, and the stock tool holder, with a left-hand replaceable cutting head.  It also has the full set of change gears.  All the ways and gears seem to be in fine shape, and the power feed(s) seem to work just fine.  A little cleaning after setting it up, and this should be a fun start on machine work!  Hopefully pictures tomorrow.
Reply:Hi, is that 9"swing and 4 feet between centres.....sounds like a good deal especially as you got all the change wheels and a steady rest.....how much did you pay for it?I personally don't think much of the 4 jaw self centreing chuck, they're too expensive to replace, and you need a 4 jaw independent chuck more than you ever need a 4 jaw self centering one.You'll need a good 3 jaw chuck too.......nothing worse than an old 3/4 jaw chuck the grips at the back and also runs out...can't be fixed no way, no matter what some say, it can't be fixed, when they're worn theyre crap.Did you check the head bearings for lift......if they're bronze bush bearings 10 - 1 there'll be some wear.You can test for wear by putting a block of wood under the chuck and using a pry bar to gentle lift the chuck.......any up movement and you have wear.Good luck with your buy.Ian.