daddy has a New Lathe!
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2025 4:19 am
I upgraded my Lathe today and boy is it nice! I had a 1940 Southbend that I lovingly and carefully restored, but even all that upgrade work cannot replace a fresh, tight new precision Lathe. After a ton of research I ended up buying a Precision Matthews 10"x30" and could not be happier. Straightening Model T starter shafts and making 10 shaft bearings in a row is now a breeze,not a chore. Honestly you really don't know the full extent of the limitations of some of your tools until you get a new one. Things like "backlash" take on entirely new meanings. I know, its a Chinese unit, but the USA support the team at PM has given me has been top notch.
Don't get me wrong, the Southbend 9A is a great lathe for what it is. And I "donated" it to our local club for what I paid for it 8 years ago - $600, even though I put several hundred into it with a new apron, new chuck, new tool post and a DRO. It will happily continue its journey in life and march into the future giving aspiring machinists great joy and the opportunity to learn on a capable machine.
Complex, expensive tools are like girlfriends or wives. You get to know them very intimately, warts + benefits and all. Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery to realize what you've been missing. Other times, you keep the one you have because its so familiar and there's nothing wrong with it.... I've been married 39 years to the same woman and absolutely love and adore the current model.... my old lathe, not so much!
Jeff
Don't get me wrong, the Southbend 9A is a great lathe for what it is. And I "donated" it to our local club for what I paid for it 8 years ago - $600, even though I put several hundred into it with a new apron, new chuck, new tool post and a DRO. It will happily continue its journey in life and march into the future giving aspiring machinists great joy and the opportunity to learn on a capable machine.
Complex, expensive tools are like girlfriends or wives. You get to know them very intimately, warts + benefits and all. Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery to realize what you've been missing. Other times, you keep the one you have because its so familiar and there's nothing wrong with it.... I've been married 39 years to the same woman and absolutely love and adore the current model.... my old lathe, not so much!
Jeff