LeBlond Regal Lathe (1930s)
These lathes were made in the 1930s by LeBlond in the USA, designed for use in schools, small businesses etc. to include the same features as larger lathes, but at a more attractive price and to accommodate amateur users.
This Regal likely came to the UK from the lend-lease. I purchased it as a birthday gift to myself, and collected it whilst on holiday in Wales. On this holiday, I learned that:
- Old American iron is heavy
- It’s amazing what will fit into a Honda Civic
The lathe has clearly been enthusiastically used over its nearly 100 year life. It came with a variety of accessories and homemade tools, most of which I’m still not entirely sure what they are for but certainly helped someone to do what they wanted. The bed is in reasonable shape and the bearings (plain, babbit type) seem to be good enough for my tolerances of work. At £350, the lathe has been an excellent purchase and certainly an upgrade from my previous Asian-import 920 lathe. Quiet operation, quick-change gearbox and a geared headstock are all luxuries that make this my preferred machine and a pleasure to use.
Matt's Desk 