Cheap Vega lathe?

[Jason Buresh]

A lathe is one thing I have been looking to add to the shop. There isn't much available right now close to me, but this one had a big price drop. The motor is missing but I work at an industrial distributor and should be able to get one. I know nothing about the tail stock or the chuck though. The chuck looks like it's rusty and could potentially fail, and I think that would be bad.

Is this something a beginner turner with mechanical skill could get going again or should I run for the hills?

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[Dwayne Watt]

That looks like a hard pass to me. The drive center does not appear to be compatible with a scroll chuck or face plate which means this is good for spindle work primarily. Also no apparent motor controls are shown. This means investing in a motor plus all the electronics for variable speed. If my assumptions are true, $25 is probably close to scrap price for this.

[Dwayne Watt]

Out of curiousity, I just perused the market on the book of faces using Milwaukee as the center point. There is a really nice Rikon midi lathe listed in Marinette, WI for a reasonable price.

[Sam Force]

A couple songs come to mind "walk on by" and even better "run, run, run" just my 2 cents

[Jason Buresh]

Thanks for the opinions. I figured it was basically a boat anchor but I didn't know at that price if it would be worth investing some time or if parts were an easy swap. I'll continue to be patient and watch.

[Thomas Wilson80]

What are you planning on turning? A serviceable lathe for spindle work (table/chair legs, small boxes, etc.) may be different than one for bowls/platters/vases, etc. versus one that can do it all.

I started with a mini lathe (10” x 12”) to do small boxes/Christmas ornaments then quickly got hooked and wanted to do bowls/vases, etc. and ended up upgrading to a Laguna 2436. It wasn’t cheap (though cheaper than most large lathes) but now I love that I can make small spinning tops or core 20” bowls on the same machine depending on what wood I have handy and what mood I am in.

[Jason Buresh]

I guess I was hoping to turn things like Christmas ornaments, knobs, chair parts, maybe table legs, toys, etc.

I can't say I have a huge interest in turning bowls but things change

[Reed Gray]

The Vega was a good lathe, but they aren't made any more, at least I think they closed their business. Other than that, only way to know is to go look at it.

robo hippy