Mark,
Nice paint work on that lathe.
These things are amazing. Taper attachment, thread cutting, 16" swing, 8ft bed, etc.
I do use a 10" Clausing gear head lathe for most work. Changing speeds is easier with the gear box. But it is only 32" between centers.
Awesome on the car!
My lathe is only a 6 foot bed but honestly I have never needed it to be longer and my machine shop is only 12' x 24' so putting a longer one in the shop would be a challenge.
I have a VFD on it now and am having a little resonance issue at 60/70% speed that I need to figure out.
With the new Bison chuck its amazing how straight it cuts. Cuts better then the Leblonds we have at work.
The mill I worked at bought it new in 1969. I bought it in 1992. They did not maintain it well but the ways are in great shape. I had the gearbox and apron rebuilt and bought a bunch of new parts. Its in really great shape now.
I gave my Bridgeport to my brother in law and stepped up to a new mill last year. I spent the money on a new Atrump 3 axis cnc bed mill with a digitizer. Wonderful toy that I am still learning how to use. Will take time to learn it all. So if you need custom CNC parts made let me know........
