Lee,

No offence. But there is a good mechanical reason why I want to use the right material... when the oiling fails in a Babbitted bearing its the Babbit that wears. When it fails in a bronze bearing its the spindle that gets chewed up... now I know thats unlikely while its running, but lathes are very stop-start and have long gaps between usage where there is the possibility that the oilways dry out. A Babbitted bearing will survive better under those situations.

And there's something about making like the original. While I plan some mods to this lathe, like an adjustable top-slide, nothing will be done that can't be returned to the original.

And time is not a huge criteria (not sure that a bronze bushing will be any quicker, I'd still need to find someone to grind down the spindle and machine the bushings).